Breaking Down Disciplinary Boundaries in Astronomy: Inside UVA’s Interconnected Cosmos Initiative

At the University of Virginia, a new initiative is reshaping how scientists think about some of the universe’s biggest mysteries.

The Interconnected Cosmos Initiative brings together researchers and students from across disciplines with the sole purpose of creating unprecedented opportunities for discovery by breaking down traditional academic barriers.

The reason?

“The universe doesn’t respect disciplinary boundaries,” said chair of the Department of Astronomy, Steven Majewski.

That insight is driving a broader transformation in the department, fueled by significant investment from the College and a vision for the next decade of discovery.

“This is an initiative that recognizes that the bigger questions demand collaborative efforts across different disciplines like physics, chemistry, engineering, data science and beyond,” Majewski said. “It builds an ecosystem for that interdisciplinary interaction.”

Building a New Paradigm for Discovery

Led by faculty member Ilse Cleeves, the Interconnected Cosmos Initiative builds on years of groundwork at UVA, including earlier efforts to connect chemistry, astronomy and materials science.

“We have seen the success of bringing people together to work on inspiring and compelling problems,” Cleeves said. “If you bring scientists together from different disciplines, and especially if you bring junior researchers into that environment, you can create real collaboration, not just surface-level collaboration.”

A key feature of the program is its emphasis on early-career researchers. Postdoctoral fellows and graduate students are supported to work across disciplines, often with multiple advisors.

“These postdocs are the ones on the ground who are going to bring in that energy,” Cleeves said. “They have the technical skills and enough domain knowledge to talk across fields. They become the glue that helps faculty connect.”

The approach is already attracting attention. In its first hiring cycle, the initiative received more than 90 applications in just a few weeks.

“We didn’t know who would apply,” Cleeves said. “But we received amazing applications. It was actually really hard to choose.”

The goal is not only to generate new research, but to spark entirely new ways of thinking.

“The aim is that this seeds new ideas,” she said. “Junior researchers often find opportunities that we might have blind spots to.”

A New Model for Training Scientists

For students, the impact of programs like the Interconnected Cosmos Initiative is often immediate, and it can be transformative.

Rachel Gross, who received her Ph.D. this spring, works at the intersection of chemistry, engineering and astronomy. Her research embodies the interdisciplinary spirit the initiative’s leadership hopes to foster.

“I basically am cross-linked between chemistry, engineering and astronomy,” Gross said. “I’ve kind of wanted to do everything.”

That breadth, she said, is increasingly essential.

“Having perspective in a different area really makes you a better scientist,” Gross said. “If you don’t have the context around you for everything else, you get lost in the weeds.”

Gross will continue her work at UVA as a postdoctoral fellow supported by the Interconnected Cosmos Initiative, advancing laboratory research that complements observational and theoretical astronomy.

She sees the field itself evolving in the same direction.

“In previous decades, it was very much like you stayed in your lane,” she said. “Now everyone’s doing a little bit of everything. And it’s super beneficial.”

Cleeves agrees, noting that interdisciplinary fluency is becoming a defining skill of younger generations of scholars.

“The most creative people are those that know how multiple fields work and can talk across disciplinary lines,” she said. “That’s going to make our students and postdocs far more competitive.”

Momentum for the Future

The Interconnected Cosmos Initiative is part of a broader surge in activity within the department, including investments in postdoctoral fellowships, telescope access and emerging areas like artificial intelligence.

Majewski sees these efforts as mutually reinforcing.

“By supporting our fellows, we’re investing directly in creativity and the future of science,” he said. “It’s made the department incredibly exciting.”

For the College, the initiative aligns closely with its long-term vision.

“This type of interdisciplinary collaboration reflects the intellectual ecosystem that defines Arts & Sciences at UVA,” said Christa Acampora. “When disciplines come together in ambitious and creative ways, they expand opportunities for discovery, deepen graduate education, and prepare students to engage thoughtfully with the most pressing questions and challenges of our time.”

Ultimately, researchers say, the effort is about more than institutional growth. It is about expanding how humanity understands its place in the universe.

“To answer the big questions, like how planets form, how life emerges, what else is out there, you need every aspect of astronomy working together,” Gross said. “You have to put together a puzzle that you don’t have the box for.”