Convergence

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Convergence of the life sciences with fields including physical, chemical, mathematical, computational, engineering, and social sciences is a key strategy to tackle complex challenges and achieve new and innovative solutions. However, institutions face a lack of guidance on how to establish effective programs, what challenges they are likely to encounter, and what strategies other organizations have used to address the issues that arise. This advice is needed to harness the excitement generated by the concept of convergence and channel it into the policies, structures, and networks that will enable it to realize its goals.

Convergence investigates examples of organizations that have established mechanisms to support convergent research. This report discusses details of current programs, how organizations have chosen to measure success, and what has worked and not worked in varied settings. The report summarizes the lessons learned and provides organizations with strategies to tackle practical needs and implementation challenges in areas such as infrastructure, student education and training, faculty advancement, and inter-institutional partnerships.

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Press Release

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152 pages · 6 x 9 · paperback
ISBN Paperback: 0-309-30151-3
ISBN Ebook: 0-309-30162-9
DOI: https://doi.org/10.17226/18722

Suggested citation

National Research Council. 2014. Convergence: Facilitating Transdisciplinary Integration of Life Sciences, Physical Sciences, Engineering, and Beyond. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.

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Joseph M. DeSimone

Joseph M. DeSimone, Ph.D., is the Chancellor’s Eminent Professor of Chemistry at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC) and William R. Kenan Jr. Professor of Chemical Engineering at North Carolina State University. He is also the Director of the Frank Hawkins Kenan Institute of Private Enterprise at UNC and is an Adjunct Member at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York. Dr. DeSimone has published over 290 scientific articles and has more than 130 issued patents in his name with over 80 patents pending. Dr. DeSimone’s interests include applying lithographic techniques from the computer industry to design of new medicines & vaccines; colloid, surfactant and surface chemistry; the role of diversity in innovation; and entrepreneurship from research-intensive universities. In 2004 Dr. DeSimone launched Liquidia Technologies (www.liquidia.com), which now employs roughly 50 people and has raised over $60 million in venture financing, including the first ever equity investment by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation in a for-profit biotech company. Liquidia has converted a soft lithography method, PRINT, into a GMP compliant process and has recently brought its first product, a seasonal influenza vaccine based on PRINT particles, into its first clinical trial. Dr. DeSimone received his BS in Chemistry in 1986 from Ursinus College in Collegeville, PA and his Ph.D. in Chemistry in 1990 from Virginia Tech. He is a member of the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering.

Timothy Galitski

Timothy Galitski, Ph.D. is Head of Science and Technology at EMD Millipore Corporation and Affiliate Professor at the Institute for Systems Biology. Dr. Galitski earned his PhD in the University of Utah's Department of Biology where he identified mechanisms of chromosome rearrangement and studied the origin of genetic variation. His research earned him the 1996 James W. Prahl Memorial Award for the Outstanding Graduate Student at the University of Utah Medical Center. With a fellowship from the Helen Hay Whitney Foundation, Dr. Galitski went on to a postdoctoral position at the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research and the Whitehead/MIT Center for Genome Research in Cambridge, Massachusetts. There he combined functional genomics, genetics, and computational methods to reveal global patterns of gene expression specifying cell type and developmental potential in yeast. For this continuing work, Dr. Galitski was awarded the prestigious 2001 Burroughs Wellcome Fund Career Award in the Biomedical Sciences.

James M. Gentile

James M. Gentile, Ph.D., is the former President of Research Corporation for Science Advancement, a foundation dedicated to science since 1912 and the second-oldest foundation in the United States (after the Carnegie Corporation), and has recently been re-appointed as Dean for the Natural & Applied Sciences at Hope College in Holland, MI. A geneticist by training, Dr. Gentile previously served as dean for the natural sciences at Hope College where he held an endowed professorship. He has conducted extensive research on the role of metabolism in the conversion of natural and xenobiotic agents into mutagens and carcinogens, with funding from the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and the World Health Organization, among many other institutions. He received his doctorate from Illinois State University and spent two years in postdoctoral studies in the Department of Human Genetics at the Yale University School of Medicine. He is the author of more than 150 research articles, book chapters, book reviews and special reports in areas of scientific research and higher education, and he is a frequent speaker on issues involving the integration of scientific research and higher education.

Sharon C. Glotzer

Sharon C. Glotzer, Ph.D. is the Stuart W. Churchill Collegiate Professor of Chemical Engineering and Professor of Materials Science and Engineering at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. She also holds faculty appointments in Physics, Applied Physics, and Macromolecular Science and Engineering. She received a B.S. in physics from UCLA in 1987 and a Ph.D. in physics from Boston University in 1993. Prior to Michigan, she worked at the National Institute of Standards and Technology where she held a National Research Council postdoctoral fellowship, and cofounded and directed the Center for Theoretical and Computational Materials Science. Dr. Glotzer’s research focuses on computational nanoscience and simulation of soft matter, self-assembly and materials design, and is sponsored by the Department of Defense, Department of Energy, National Science Foundation, the J.S. McDonnell Foundation, and the Simons Foundation. She has mentored more than 60 Ph.D. and postdoctoral students, has over 150 archival papers, and has given over 250 invited, keynote, and named lectures. Dr. Glotzer is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, a Fellow of the American Physical Society (APS) and holds a prestigious National Security Science and Engineering Faculty Fellowship from the U.S. Department of Defense. She is a member of the inaugural class of Simons Investigators. She is the recipient of numerous awards, including the Charles M.A. Stine Award from the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE), the Maria Goeppert- Mayer Award from the American Physical Society, a Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE), and a Department of Commerce Bronze Medal Award for Superior Federal Service.

Susan M. Hockfield

Susan J. Hockfield, Ph.D., served as the sixteenth president of MIT from December 2004 through June 2012. She continues to hold a faculty appointment as Professor of Neuroscience. After earning a B.A. in biology from the University of Rochester and a Ph.D. from Georgetown University at the School of Medicine, Dr. Hockfield was an NIH postdoctoral fellow at the University of California at San Francisco. She then joined the scientific staff at the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory in New York. Joining the faculty of Yale University in 1985, Dr. Hockfield focused her research on the development of the brain and on glioma, a deadly form of brain cancer, and pioneered the use of monoclonal antibody technology in brain research. She gained tenure in 1994 and was later named the William Edward Gilbert Professor of Neurobiology. Dr. Hockfield holds honorary degrees from many institutions, including Brown University, Mt. Sinai School of Medicine, Tsinghua University (Beijing), University of Edinburgh, Université Pierre et Marie Curie, and the Watson School of Biological Sciences at the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory. Her accomplishments have also been recognized by the Charles Judson Herrick Award from the American Association of Anatomists, the Wilbur Lucius Cross Award from the Yale University Graduate School, the Meliora Citation from the University of Rochester, the Golden Plate Award from the Academy of Achievement, and the Amelia Earhart Award from the Women’s Union.

Julie T. Klein

Julie Thompson Klein, Ph.D., is Professor of Humanities in the English Department and Faculty Fellow for Interdisciplinary Development in the Division of Research at Wayne State University (USA). Holder of a Ph.D. in English from the University of Oregon, Dr. Klein is past president of the Association for Integrative Studies (AIS) and former editor of the AIS journal Issues in Integrative Studies. Dr. Klein was elected to the Wayne State University Academy of Scholars and is a recipient of the President's Award for Excellence in Teaching, the Graduate Mentor Award, the Board of Governors Distinguished Faculty Award, and Board of Governors Distinguished Faculty Fellowship. She won the final prize in the Eesteren-Fluck & Van Lohuizen Foundation's international competition for new research models and has received the Kenneth Boulding Award for outstanding scholarship on interdisciplinarity, the Yamamoorthy and Yeh Distinguished Transdisciplinary Achievement Award, and the Joseph KatzAward for Distinguished Contributions to the Practice and Discourse of General and Liberal Education. She was also Senior Fellow at the Association of American Colleges and Universities (AACU) in 1997-98, was appointed continuing Senior Fellow at the University of North Texas Center for the Study of Interdisciplinarity in 2009, in Fall 2008 was an invited Visiting Fellow at the University of Michigan’s Institute for the Humanities, and in Fall 2011 was Mellon Fellow and Visiting Professor in Digital Humanities.

Cato T. Laurencin

Cato T. Laurencin, M.D., Ph.D. is the Albert and Wilda Van Dusen Distinguished Endowed Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery, and Professor of Chemical, Materials and Biomolecular Engineering at the University of Connecticut. In addition, Dr. Laurencin is a University Professor at the University of Connecticut. An internationally prominent orthopaedic surgeon, engineer, and administrator, Dr. Laurencin is the Founder and Director of both the Institute for Regenerative Engineering and the Sackler Center for Biomedical, Biological, Physical and Engineering Sciences at the University of Connecticut Health Center. In addition, he serves as the Chief Executive Officer of the Connecticut Institute for Clinical and Translational Science at the University of Connecticut. Dr. Laurencin earned his undergraduate degree in chemical engineering from Princeton University and his medical degree magna cum laude from Harvard Medical School. During medical school, he also earned his Ph.D. in biochemical engineering/biotechnology from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dr. Laurencin has been a member of the National Science Foundation’s Advisory Committee for Engineering (ADCOM), and has served both on the National Science Board of the FDA and the National Advisory Council for Arthritis, Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases at the National Institutes of Health. He currently is a member of the National Advisory Council for Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering and the Advisory Committee to the Director of the National Institutes of Health. He is a member of the Institute of Medicine and the National Academy of Engineering.

Cherry A. Murray

Cherry A. Murray, Ph.D. is Dean of Harvard University’s School of Engineering and Applied Sciences; John A. and Elizabeth S. Armstrong Professor of Engineering and Applied Sciences; and Professor of Physics. Previously, Murray served as principal associate director for science and technology at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory from 2004-2009 and was president of the American Physical Society (APS) in 2009. Before joining Lawrence Livermore, Murray was Senior Vice President of Physical Sciences and Wireless Research after a 27 year long career at Bell Laboratories Research. Murray was elected to the National Academy of Sciences in 1999, to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2001, and to the National Academy of Engineering in 2002. She has served on more than 100 national and international scientific advisory committees, governing boards and National Research Council panels and as a member of the National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling. She is currently chair of the National Research Council Division of Engineering and Physical Science. As an experimentalist, Murray is known for her scientific accomplishments in condensed matter and surface physics. She received her B.S. in 1973 and her Ph.D. in physics in 1978 from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She has published more than 70 papers in peer-reviewed journals and holds two patents in near-field optical data storage and optical display technology.

Monica Olvera de la Cruz

Monica Olvera de la Cruz, Ph.D., is the Lawyer Taylor Professor of Materials Science & Engineering, Professor of Chemistry, and of Chemical & Biological Engineering and the director of the Materials Research Center at Northwestern University. Dr. Olvera de la Cruz obtained her B.A. in Physics from the UNAM, Mexico, in 1981, and her Ph.D. in Physics from Cambridge University, UK, in 1985. She was a guest scientist (1985-86) in the National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD. From 1995-97 she was a Staff Scientist in the Commissariat a l’Energie Atomique, Saclay, France, where she also held visiting scientist positions in 1993 and in 2003. She has developed theoretical models to determine the thermodynamics, statistics and dynamics of macromolecules in complex environments including multicomponent solutions of heterogeneous synthetic and biological molecules, and molecular electrolytes. She is a member of the National Academy of Sciences.

Nicholas A. Peppas

Nicholas A. Peppas, Ph.D., is the Fletcher Pratt Chair of Chemical Engineering, Biomedical Engineering and Pharmacy at the University of Texas at Austin. He is also the Chairman of the Biomedical Engineering Department. Dr. Peppas is a pioneer in the synthesis, characterization and dynamic behavior of polymer networks, especially in their swollen form, known as hydrogels. He is a leading researcher, inventor and pacesetter in the field of drug delivery and controlled release, a field that he helped develop into a mature area of scholarly and applied research. As an inventor of new biomaterials, he has contributed seminal work in the field of feedback controlled biomedical devices. The multidisciplinary approach of his research in biomolecular engineering blends modern molecular and cellular biology with engineering to generate next-generation systems and devices, including bioMEMS with enhanced applicability, reliability, functionality, and longevity. His contributions have been translated into more than twenty medical products. He is a member of the National Academy of Engineering and the Institute of Medicine.

Lynne J. Regan

Lynne J. Regan, Ph.D. is Professor of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry and Professor of Chemistry at Yale University. Dr. Regan is also the Director of the Integrated Graduate Program in Physical and Engineering Biology (IGPPEB) at Yale University. The program is designed to train a new generation of scientists skilled in applying physics and engineering methods and reasoning to biological research, while remaining sufficiently sophisticated in their biological training that they will be able to readily identify and tackle cutting-edge problems in the life sciences. Dr. Regan received a B.A. from Oxford University in 1981 and a Ph.D. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1987.

J. D. Roessner

David J. Roessner, Ph.D., is a Senior Fellow at the Center for Science, Technology & Economic Development. He specializes in national technology policy, management of innovation in industry, technology transfer, indicators of scientific and technological development, and evaluation of research programs. Dr. Roessner’s recent project experience includes evaluations of NSF-funded U.S. Engineering Research Centers and State/Industry-University Cooperative Research Centers, estimates of the national and regional economic impact of NSF Engineering Research Centers, and design of the Technology Innovation Centers Program for the King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST), Saudi Arabia’s national science and technology agency. He has written numerous technical reports and published in policy-oriented journals such as Policy Analysis, Policy Sciences, Journal of Technology Transfer, Issues in Science and Technology, Research Evaluation, Scientometrics, and Research Policy. He also is a contributor to and editor of several books, including Government Innovation Policy: Design, Implementation, Evaluation (St. Martin's Press, 1988). Dr. Roessner received B.S. and M.S. degrees in Electrical Engineering from Brown University and Stanford University, and his Ph.D. in Science, Technology, and Public Policy from Case Western Reserve University. He is also Professor of Public Policy Emeritus at the Georgia Institute of Technology.

Consensus

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Convergence of the life sciences with fields including physical, chemical, mathematical, computational, engineering, and social sciences is a key strategy to tackle complex challenges and achieve new and innovative solutions. However, institutions face a lack of guidance on how to establish effective programs, what challenges they are likely to encounter, and what strategies other organizations have used to address the issues that arise. This advice is needed to harness the excitement generated by the concept of convergence and channel it into the policies, structures, and networks that will enable it to realize its goals.

Convergence investigates examples of organizations that have established mechanisms to support convergent research. This report discusses details of current programs, how organizations have chosen to measure success, and what has worked and not worked in varied settings. The report summarizes the lessons learned and provides organizations with strategies to tackle practical needs and implementation challenges in areas such as infrastructure, student education and training, faculty advancement, and inter-institutional partnerships.

Additional materials

Press Release

Publication information

152 pages · 6 x 9 · paperback
ISBN Paperback: 0-309-30151-3
ISBN Ebook: 0-309-30162-9
DOI: https://doi.org/10.17226/18722

Suggested citation

National Research Council. 2014. Convergence: Facilitating Transdisciplinary Integration of Life Sciences, Physical Sciences, Engineering, and Beyond. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.

Import this citation to:

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Key Challenge Areas for Convergence and Health

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Key Challenge Areas for Convergence and Health

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Featured publication

Convergence: Facilitating Transdisciplinary Integration of Life Sciences, Physical Sciences, Engineering, and Beyond

Description

Collaborators

Committee

Sponsors

Staff

Major units and sub-units

Contact

Contact us

Provide feedback

Request materials

More like this

Review of the draft United by Nature assessment

Modernizing Mathematics Education for Grades 9-14

Health Care Financing to Improve Availability of Affordable Contraception: Identifying Promising Practices

National Cooperative Highway Research Program

Review of the draft United by Nature assessment

Modernizing Mathematics Education for Grades 9-14

Promoting Safe and Secure Science Through a Regional Middle East and South Asia Biological Sciences Conference

Communities, Climate Change, and Health Equity Workshop Series: Exploring flood adaptation strategies to support health equity

Artificial Intelligence and Automated Laboratories for Biotechnology: Leveraging Opportunities and Mitigating Risks--A Workshop