Interdisciplinary Meeting of Doctoral Students: Toward Strengthened Collaboration Within the UPHF

On June 4, 2026, doctoral students from the IEMN, LAMIH, and LARSH at the Université Polytechnique Hauts-de-France (UPHF) gathered at the Malvache Building for a day dedicated to interdisciplinary collaboration. Organized at the initiative of CeDoc² (LARSH Ph.D. Students’ Circle), this gathering aimed to strengthen ties between the laboratories and foster scientific and personal exchanges among Ph.D. students from various disciplines.

This day, which was both convivial and scholarly, led to a shared conclusion: despite the richness of multidisciplinarity at UPHF, interactions between laboratories remain too limited. However, the potential synergies between the research conducted at the IEMN (Institute of Electronics, Microelectronics, and Nanotechnology), the LAMIH (Laboratory of Industrial and Human Automation, Mechanics, and Computer Science), and the LARSH (Society & Humanities Research Laboratory) are immense

Participants noted that doctoral students often work in silos, each focused on their own dissertation topic. However, interdisciplinary collaborations could not only enrich research but also create unprecedented opportunities for innovation and the dissemination of research findings.

As a member of the LAMIH Doctoral Student Council (BDL)—whose experience was invaluable in guiding CeDoc²—pointed out:

“ Interdisciplinarity isn’t just a word—it’s a strength. But to take full advantage of it, we need to structure exchanges and create spaces for dialogue.”

In response to this finding, several actions were decided upon during this meeting:

• Organize regular meetings among the laboratories to discuss shared expectations and objectives.
• Assess resource needs (human and material) to support new interdisciplinary projects.
• Improve internal communication by establishing regular check-ins among laboratory directors.
• Establish a monitoring committee to address potential incidents of violence within the three laboratories.
• Organize joint activities—such as seminars, informal talks, and scientific events—to bring all laboratories together.
• Centralize information through a select group of members from each laboratory.
• Create tools or methods to facilitate internal and external communication and streamline exchanges and collaborative work.
• Increase the frequency of follow-up meetings to ensure continuous monitoring of actions.

The day was marked by a collective sense of momentum and a strong commitment to making the UPHF a model of interdisciplinary collaboration. As one participant noted:

“We are convinced that these exchanges can only enrich our work and further enhance the value of our labs, as well as ourselves as doctoral students. ”

What’s next? To put these proposals into action starting with the 2026–2027 academic year, with the goal of making these meetings a regular occurrence rather than an exception.