How do I define myself as an interdisciplinary researcher? – Am I overthinking it?

was the question I asked myself during my academic limbo phase, between being a MSc alumni and PhD placeholder. This question became prominent because I was beginning to do a lot of public engagement, so I had to think of a disciplinary title for promotional material. Trying to figure this out also fed into my creative writing where I developed my ‘Limbo’ theory into part 2 (see Image1). I theorised that whatever you choose to define yourself as will give you a different experience in the limbo journey.  How you define yourself is important for how you market yourself. There is a lot that can be inferred in a title, for example, I thought that if I called myself alumni it focuses on the last institution I was at and the projects I did there, but if I called myself PhD placeholder it focuses on where I’m going, leaving the previous as a mystery. The real question I was asking myself was, how do I want people to see me? 

Image 1: Limbo PT.2

Whilst completing my BSc Psychology degree I was interested in cognitive, clinical, counselling, coaching and social psychology. However, my final year research project was in cognitive/social/behavioural psychology. I now refer to that as socio-cognitive psychology as I was investigating dancers and non-dancers emotional perception of movement stimuli. This was also my first Neuroaesthetics project where I got to fuse ballet and socio-cognitive psychology, inspired by the research of my then supervisor Dr Beatriz Calvo-Merino. My methodology was dominantly psychology based as I used physiological and behavioural measures. 

As I proceeded to complete my MSc I continued to use a mixture of measurement devices combining physiological and behavioural measures in my end of year project. I was also still researching within Neuroaesthetics but instead of dance, I was investigating theatre and instead of emotional perception I was investigating engagement. I still saw myself as a research psychologist, but I now understood what Neuroaesthetics was and began to see myself as a Neuroaesthetician. 

However, my confusion began when I became a place holder for a PhD in Cognitive Neuroscience in the Social Neuroscience research group. My methodologies are still physiological and behavioural but now I’m adding neural measurements to my paradigms. I am still researching theatre, but I’m now investigating the neural basis of social cognition in actors, which results in me adding Neuroscientist to my list of disciplines. 

If I had to give a technical introduction I would say, 

Dwaynica Greaves - Research Psychologist, Neuroaesthetician, Socio-Cognitive Neuroscientist & Creative 

I think that’s incredibly long. 

But upon reflection, who said we couldn’t have really long titles? 

Eventually, I decided on Neuroaesthetician because Neuroaesthetics is very interdisciplinary and covers many science, technology, and art fields. The definition given by the International Network for Neuroaesthetics is “…a new field of research emerging at the intersection of psychological aesthetics, neuroscience and human evolution. The main objective of neuroaesthetics is to characterize the neurobiological foundations and evolutionary history of the cognitive and affective processes involved in aesthetic experiences and artistic and other creative activities.”

Regarding my research, this definition covers psychology, arts, neuroscience, engagement with the arts, response to the arts, and the effects of an artform on the artist. When I call myself a Neuroaesthetician this is what I’m saying in a nutshell. 

I am grateful for the field as I now have a term I can use to cover my research. However, there is a high chance as I progress along my PhD I may start going by 

Dwaynica Greaves – Neuroaesthetician, Socio-Cognitive Neuroscientist & Creative 

Or maybe

Dwaynica Greaves – Neuroaesthetician, Neuroscientist & Creative 

Or maybe 

Dwaynica Greaves - Socio-Cognitive Neuroscientist & Creative 

Oh no, here I go again! 

For now I’m, Dwaynica Greaves – Neuroaesthetician & Creative, and I think that suffices.