Cross-center study

The Impacts of Synthesis Teams: An Exploratory Comparison of Working Groups at ESIIL, NCEAS, NIMBioS and SESYNC

Overview

Our latest in-progress study examines working groups across four NSF synthesis centers: ESIIL, NIMBioS, SESYNC, and NCEAS. The rationale for the project is that synthesis centers have become critical infrastructure for accelerating interdisciplinary and data-intensive science, yet there has been limited cross-center evidence about how working groups are structured, supported, and evaluated across different synthesis models. To our knowledge, this is the first study of NSF synthesis center working groups at this scale, with a sample of more than 500 teams. Once published this study will comprise one of the most comprehensive datasets to date on synthesis center team science. By comparing teams across centers, the project aims to move beyond single-center case studies and develop a broader understanding of how synthesis teams form, collaborate, and produce scientific and societal outcomes.

Study Design

The study is designed to ask how working group characteristics, center-level structures, and collaborative supports shape team processes and outputs. We are primarily interested in answering the following questions: (1) What team characteristics are associated with different kinds of outputs, such as publications, datasets, software, proposals, educational products, or policy-relevant outcomes? (2) How do factors such as team size, composition, leadership, and productivity, influence the impact of science from synthesis teams?