Scientific Collaboration

A narrative guide to help scientists improve their collaboration techniques and build trusting relationships with their research teams.

The days of scientists conducting solitary inquiries in isolated labs are effectively over, with most researchers instead collaborating in cross-functional teams. In addition to mastering the technical skills necessary in their respective fields, scientists must now learn strategies for better communication and relationship building to succeed in reaching increasingly sophisticated and interdisciplinary research goals. In Scientific Collaboration, biosecurity researcher and animal disease ecologist Jeanne M. Fair shares exciting—and occasionally cringeworthy—stories of scientists working together as an approachable way to introduce and explain the principles crucial to effective scientific collaboration.

From the global community of scientists measuring sea ice decline to cooperative private-public sector investigations of harrowing virus outbreaks, the real-life experiences provide examples of and insights into how scientists rise to meet challenges together. Fair highlights principles for fostering community, integrity, loyalty, communication, and compassion among teams. Scientists can adopt and apply these principles to research collaborations to improve communication and trust among their team members, all while working toward the common goal of discovery.

Covering multidisciplinary research teams that have led to transformational breakthroughs as well as stories of hurdles and tough lessons learned, Scientific Collaboration provides a foundation for increasing research productivity while bringing more fun and joy into the collaborative process. This book will appeal to any scientists and team leaders who need to function in this new scientific world, wherein the most important breakthroughs happen through cooperation, combined effort, and mutual trust.