Convergence is the combination of insights and approaches from originally distinct fields. Researchers trained at the nexus of converging disciplines are developing unique perspectives that stimulate the emergence of new areas of research. By promoting a diversity of approaches that transcend the traditional discipline barriers, convergence has the potential to nurture innovative solutions to both new and persistent challenges.
Cutting-edge research, and the innovation that comes from it, increasingly depends on developing original ways to stimulate discoveries. For example, many modern developments in drug delivery would not have been possible without an integrated transdisciplinary approach combining fields such as nanotechnology and pharmaceutical research. The convergence revolution is also creating major new opportunities in neuroscience, integrating methodologies adopted from a variety of STEM disciplines including the life, physical and engineering sciences. This same dynamic is taking place in a wide variety of fields, such as the convergence of psychology and economics, computer science and astronomy, digital technologies and the humanities, chemistry, biology and engineering, etc.
This session aims to: