Operationalising Research: Embedded PhDs in Transdisciplinary, Action Research Projects

Abstract

This chapter explores strategies for operationalising PhD studies in the context of a large research project addressing the unrelenting problem of ill-health in the growing population of informal settlements in the Global South. We advocate that PhD training presents an opportunity to contribute to these contexts by both training a new kind of action-oriented scholar, but also by strategically deploying the enormous energies and original work generated through PhD candidates towards this critical mission. Driven by the desire to give agency and utility to PhD researchers in a much-needed domain of transdisciplinary research, the chapter chronicles the trials of a group of four PhD candidates embedded in a large health study using innovative approaches to the revitalisation of 24 informal settlement communities in the Asia-Pacific. Through a discussion between the candidates and supervisory team, the chapter uncovers three types of embedded PhD’s. It articulates the challenges and opportunities of the model and reflects on the forces at play, producing practical advice for instrumentalising PhD research in the context of transdisciplinary research.

Collaborating With Communities: Citizen Science Flood Monitoring in Urban Informal Settlements

“…The work of monitoring water levels was done voluntarily and the only compensation offered was a monthly reimbursement to cover the access to the internet for sharing the images. Once received, the images were downloaded into a database, the water levels assessed and then recorded in a spreadsheet by the leading author as part of an action-research approach (Ramirez-Lovering et al, 2020).…”

Tension, Conflict, and Negotiability of Land for Infrastructure Retrofit Practices in Informal Settlements

“…This research uses a multiple case study design and follows a 'replication logic' instead of 'sampling logic' [26] for selecting cases. The relevance of replication logic is informed by our case study's scope and geography and studying a live project [27]. We focused on the Revitalising Informal Settlement and their Environment (RISE) Project as a live case of wastewater infrastructure retrofit practice in six kampung communities (comprising 1466 residents across 335 dwellings) in Makassar, Indonesia.…”