3.1. Inadequate training for advanced methodologies and
interdisciplinary projects
With the rise of disciplines such as ecohydrology (Hunt and Wilcox,
2005), socio-hydrology (Sipavalan, 2011), and cryohydrology (Woo, 2019),
hydrology research projects are becoming increasingly interdisciplinary,
presenting both challenges and opportunities for ECRs. New research
niches bridge the gap between hydrology, atmospheric science, biology,
ecology, geochemistry, geomorphology, and social science (Clarke et al.,
2017; McDonnell et al., 2019). Though inter- and multidisciplinary work
sometimes faces funding challenges (Bozhova, 2016), it is essential to
address societal needs that often lie at the intersection of scientific
disciplines (Nature editorial, 2016).
Workshop attendees reported varying levels of collaboration both within
and between laboratory groups. Some research groups promote and
encourage collaboration at the ECR level, while others groups expect
ECRs to complete their work individually. Furthermore, we found that the
structure of graduate training does not often encourage
interdisciplinary collaboration. For example, manuscript-based doctoral
theses typically only include first author papers and exclude
co-authorships.
While research questions are becoming increasingly interdisciplinary,
methodologies for individual disciplines are ever-evolving in
complexity, often reducing their application outside of a highly
specific context or group of experts. An example discussed during the
workshop that resonated widely was the uncertainty analysis of
hydrological models. A disconnect between those researchers specifically
focused on uncertainty analysis and those focused on hydrological
modelling who needed to apply the uncertainty analysis has left many
ECRs unsure if and how they should use these complex uncertainty
analysis methods. Many ECRs felt that the time cost of applying complex
uncertainty analysis and the risk of misusing these advanced methods and
producing systematic errors outweighed the potential reward of
increasing the quality of their research. While learning new methods and
facing challenging work are vital and beneficial elements of ECR
training, our research is impaired by a lack of training in the
peripheral methods needed for our individual projects.