Office of Research Interdisciplinary Frontiers in the Humanities and Arts (IFHA) - Office of Research

Interdisciplinary Frontiers in the Humanities and Arts (IFHA)

IFHA Economical
IFHA Cultrual
IFHA Political
IFHA Social

The Interdisciplinary Frontiers in the Humanities and Arts (IFHA) program establishes new, globally competitive, large-scale interdisciplinary research activity in areas of strategic importance across the humanities, social sciences, and creative and performing arts at UC Davis. Interdisciplinary research teams are critical to crafting transformative theories and approaches to the complex problems facing today’s individuals and societies. The collaboration within the seven IFHA teams taps the strengths of each team member and discipline, acknowledging artistic expression and performance, providing linguistic context, and deploying multiple communication and analysis methodologies to explore original, complex research topics at the intersection of disciplines. The IFHA program creates communities of scholarship and catalyzes a new era in collaborative research excellence for the campus through three year seed grants to ignite and foster the research of the seven interdisciplinary teams.

The seven IFHA teams address today’s contemporary social, cultural, political and economic challenges:

  • Communication of Scholarship: Use of the Internet and other transformations in scholarly publishing to affect the meaning of “publication” and “scholarship”.
    • Team Co-Leads: Mario Biagioli, Science & Technology Studies, Jonathan Eisen, Evolution & Ecology,  MacKenzie Smith, Library Administration
  • Enhance Health & Resilience in Immigrant Communities: Discovering the community narratives, practices, and rituals that activate community strength and well-being of racial and ethnic minorities and immigrant communities.
    • Team Lead: Nolan Zane,  Asian American Studies and Psychology
  • Gamification: Produce and develop video game technology to help expand access to the arts, science, health interventions and culture.
    • Team Lead: Colin Milburn, English
  • Managing Temporary Migrations: The effects of economic development, social evolution and cultural exchange of increased international mobility, and temporary migration.
    • Team Lead: Giovanni Peri, Economics
  • Public Interest Design: Explores new design methods and solutions to connect human-centered design with social good and to address persistent problems affecting the public.
    • Team Lead: Susan Verba, Design & Sarah Perrault, University Writing Program
  • Workforce Development: Improving the effectiveness of California’s vocational programs in community colleges to provide increased economic opportunities to the workforce.
    • Team Co-Leads: Ann Stevens, Economics

For more information on this program, please contact Christine Parks [email protected].

Please click here to view the Interdisciplinary Frontiers in the Humanities and Arts Program Report.

Please click here to view the Interdisciplinary Frontiers in the Humanities and Arts (IFHA) Executive Summaries Oct. 2013-Sept. 2014.