Last week Naturejobs joined more than 100 representatives of funding agencies, research councils, universities and research institutes from across the globe for a workshop on how to track researchers’ careers. The workshop, held in Luxembourg and coordinated by the European Science Foundation (ESF) and Luxembourg’s National Research Fund (FNR), covered a wide range of topics – including how success in a science career should be defined for the purposes of career tracking.
It’s an important issue for both decision makers and scientists to consider because career-tracking studies can be used to judge the impact of funding. And although there have been surprisingly few studies to date – primarily due to running costs – the profile of attendees at the workshop suggests career tracking will play a larger role in funding considerations in the future. So how would you, as a working scientist, define a successful career in science?
Several factors for defining success were put forward by the attendees at the workshop, shown below in no particular order. Please vote for your top three in our poll, and let us know what you think of the suggestions by leaving a comment below. What would you prioritise or dismiss? What is missing? And would you agree or disagree that there are a variety of successful careers for researchers, including those outside academia?
The results of the poll and comments posted below will be considered for inclusion in the final report of the ESF-FNR workshop, and may influence future career-tracking studies, so please feel free to make your views known.
Factors for defining success in science careers
- Generation of new research ideas (original research and methods)
- Production of research relevant to society
- The impact of research on society
- Personal satisfaction/quality of life
- (International) networking and professional contacts
- Diversity (including gender)
- Employment
- Leadership position
- Attractiveness to next generations
- Salary/income (in relation to national system)
- Independence
- Flexibility
- Security
- Quality of working environment
- Quality of research infrastructure
- Publications
- Awards
- Funding
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Some comments from Twitter:
@jasminhume says “one in which you are always mentally stimulated, working on technologies that’ll benefit society… & not starving!”
@LSU_FISH says “lots of highly-cited papers, lots of federal-funding, lots of students trained”
@Iteachscience2u says “teaching science to inner city youth and watching them go to college and succeeding in science! Very rewarding.”
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The quality and the quantity of alumnus may be one standard.
A scientist with so many outstanding students can contribute to the scientific development indirectly.
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Another measure of success in science is helping others to thrive – whether your role is hands-on mentoring, training in professional skills, or running a grant or fellowship program.
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INTEREST in the respective field of study is important. That in turn urges one to ask the Why? How? and What? questions, which i think form the foundation in any research.
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Success is science career is defined by the new knowledge created and intellectual satisfaction that follows
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A couple more from Twitter:
@spookspoon: “One that contributes even the smallest piece of new information to the world.”
@chukstweet: “Having widely cited papers with PhD n Post Docs getting hands on experience that wl brighten d academia in d future”