Seven Tips for Building Partnerships Across Disciplines and Campuses

“If you’re going to make a necklace of pearls, you have to first go around and gather the pearls.” 

Heather Whitson, Duke School of Medicine distinguished professor in neuroscience, used that metaphor to describe the process of building a research partnership that brings together leading researchers in Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias from Duke University, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and other institutions across eastern North Carolina.

During the Interdisciplinary Science Summit 2026 this summer, Whitson joined Duke faculty members Yiran Chen and Stephen L. Craig to discuss the opportunities and challenges of developing research collaborations that extend beyond a single institution.

Drawing on her experience co-leading the Duke-UNC Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center (ADRC), Whitson shared lessons for Schmidt Science Fellows and other early-career researchers.

1. Look for complementary strengths, not duplication.

When Whitson began building the center, she realized Duke didn’t have every resource needed for “world-class envelope-pushing Alzheimer’s disease research.” 

Rather than duplicate expensive infrastructure, she looked for partners to share resources.

“You guys have this. We have this. What if we put it all together, and then we do some major Alzheimer’s research together?” 

The collaboration paired UNC-Chapel Hill’s cyclotron facility with Duke’s internationally recognized brain bank, creating opportunities that neither institution could provide alone.

2. Treat differences as opportunities.

Cross-institution collaborations inevitably involve different policies, procedures and institutional cultures, and even longstanding rivalries. Whitson encouraged researchers to approach those differences with curiosity and respect. 

“Differences of opinion are actually a good thing because they’re a good starting point for a conversation and a dialogue.”

Comparing Duke and UNC policies revealed that practices one institution considered fixed were not necessarily written in stone. Bringing different bureaucracies together, she said, can help identify opportunities for improvement at both institutions. 

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3. Focus on what you bring to the table. 

When asked what early-career researchers can do to build collaborations, Whitson suggested focusing on mutual value. 

“Make a list in your head, like, what’s something of value that I could potentially use or learn from this person or their lab, and what’s something of value that I have that I bring in?” 

That value might be “an area of expertise” or “a piece of equipment that you have access to that they don’t.” 

4. Make responsibilities clear and keep communicating.

As collaborations grow, accountability becomes increasingly important.

“I found it’s usually helpful to have one person who’s in charge of a piece of the puzzle.” 

Whitson said leaders should be very clear when assigning responsibilities because “responsibility might mean something different in different disciplines.” She emphasized the importance of reporting to each other regularly and “open communication and transparency” among team members and leaders.

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5. Expect some storming.

Whitson said disagreement and friction are normal parts of building a team.

She and her co-leader, UNC Neurology Chair Gwenn Garden, agreed from the beginning to be “super honest” with one another about concerns they were hearing from their respective teams. Open communication helped them address assumptions and stereotypes that sometimes surfaced between Duke and UNC collaborators.

Drawing on a common team-development model, Whitson noted that teams often move through stages of forming, storming, norming and performing.

“It’s a normal cycle.” 

Recognizing those stages helped the team understand that conflict did not mean the collaboration was failing.

“We were able to be like, ‘Oh yeah, we were forming here and we have moved into storming.’”

6. Ask for mentorship. 

Whitson encouraged early-career researchers to seek formal mentorship opportunities. 

“Suggest a formal mentoring opportunity if one doesn’t exist.” 

She noted that centers are often receptive to these ideas, particularly when building leadership pipelines and planning for the future. The Duke-UNC Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center created a leadership program called Junior Associate Core Leaders to help emerging researchers become more involved.

“Suggesting it to them is low-cost, makes them look good and helps with succession planning. And it’s a good thing to do.”

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7. Don’t let rejection end a good idea.

Reflecting on unsuccessful grant applications and proposals, Whitson encouraged researchers to stay focused on work that aligns with their mission.

“A mission for me is very much ‘I want to prevent and find treatments for Alzheimer’s disease.’ I have Alzheimer’s in my family and it’s something that’s personally very important to me. But some people come in and they’re really curious about proteomics of amyloid plaques, and they’re super fired up … And I can resonate with that mission too.” 

She encouraged researchers to keep refining promising ideas that reflect their mission rather than abandoning them after an initial setback.

“If something is a good idea, if it didn’t work out the first time, it’s not the end, just repurpose it, repackage it. Find a different team, do whatever you need to do. Keep submitting it in a slightly pivoted different way.” 

From June 29 – July 1, Duke hosted the Interdisciplinary Science Summit 2026, which gathered more than 350 Schmidt Science Fellows, researchers and scientific leaders from Duke, North Carolina’s Research Triangle and the broader Schmidt Science community. 

Main image: Heather Whitson speaks on a panel during the Interdisciplinary Science Summit. From left: Moderator Elise Needham, a 2022 Schmidt Science Fellow at the University of Cambridge; Yiran Chen, Duke’s John Cocke Distinguished Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering; Stephen L. Craig, Duke’s William T. Miller Distinguished Professor of Chemistry; and Heather Whitson, Duke School of Medicine Distinguished Professor in Neuroscience. (Photo: Copyright © 2026 Claudine Gossett Photography)