PhD candidates in interdisciplinary fields struggle to defend theses in departments misaligned with their research focus

PhD students conducting interdisciplinary research (particularly social sciences work) face institutional barriers when their primary department is in a different field (e.g., life sciences), leading to misunderstandings during thesis defense, lack of qualified committee members, and unclear evaluation criteria. Current academic structures are siloed by discipline, leaving students without proper guidance on how to position and defend work that bridges multiple fields.