Finding job satisfaction as a humanitarian researcher
Panagiotis Vagenas left Yale University to advise a non-profit on research design and quality. Read more
Panagiotis Vagenas left Yale University to advise a non-profit on research design and quality. Read more
Guest contributor Eli Lazarus … Read more
What is the most important skill to become a PI? An eye for numbers, an ability to perform repetitive tasks accurately, optimism in the face of relentless failure, the ability to play nicely with others, sheer bloody mindedness, self-belief? All of these skills will strap you into the driving seat but once there, you’ll need to press the pedals yourselves. The most vital skill is creativity; the ability to see new connections — linking old data in new ways and using what we do know to interpret what we don’t. Read more
That a career in science is demanding is unsurprising. But alongside long hours spent in the lab grappling with abstract concepts, the number of years of education it takes to enter the professional ranks and the increasingly unstable nature of such employment, exists a further demand: money. It’s no secret that science costs money — building the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) and sequencing the human genome cost around €3 billion each — but what is less obvious is that entry to a career in science often requires considerable personal financial sacrifice. Read more
Recently, more and more emphasis has been put on scientists to communicate their research to public audiences. National scientific organizations such as the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and the American Society for Cell Biology encourage their members to reach beyond the bench, and many blogs help scientists describe their research to wider audiences. At the University of Pittsburgh, where I’m working on my PhD, graduate student and postdoc organizations on campus share their excitement about science with the public through partnerships with local museums and school districts. Read more
Staying and working in academia is a good career choice but finding the right position in academia is still a tricky thing. Blanket-applying to as many positions as you can find and crossing your fingers isn’t going to cut it. Recently, I managed to crack some of my own postdoc interviews. Here’s what I learnt. Read more
NSF on 26 September announced US$94 million to support four new Science and Technology Centers (STCs). Each awardee will receive up to $24 million over a 5-year period, with the possibility of a continuation for 5 more years. In addition to these latest awards, NSF supports eight active STCs across the United States. Each STC involves partnerships across universities, federal labs, industry and other organizations. Read more
Yet researchers move routinely – in the midst of their PhD programme, for a new postdoc or another fellowship, for the next new position. Science is a mobile enterprise and if you haven’t moved lab or country yet, it’s likely to be in your future. Read more
We ask academics at the Naturejobs career expo, San Francisco, what’s changed. Read more
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