An interview with David Carr about his transition from academia to science policy.
David Carr, Policy Advisor at the Wellcome Trust
Staying in touch with science was the one thing David Carr wanted when he left academia in 1998. After spending a year working in a scientific consultancy organisation whilst also writing up his masters, Carr joined the Wellcome Trust. Since joining he has become more and more involved in science policy. In this interview I ask Carr why science policy is important, why he enjoys it and what advice he has to offer to those who wish to work in this field.
Why did you initially decide to pursue a PhD?
I was interested in and passionate about genetics (which I specialised in during the final year of my undergraduate degree), and at the time it seemed like the logical next step to continue to postgraduate research. Looking back, I really drifted into it – I didn’t really look enough at other options or really consider what the day-to-day work involved in doing a PhD would be. I thought that getting a PhD would be a good thing to do in terms of keeping open career options within science and outside, and that it would be a natural continuation of my undergraduate studies, but quickly discovered the reality was quite different! Continue reading →
It’s been another busy month for the Naturejobs team this month, but we’ve had some great stuff on the blog too. We’ve looked at funding cycles in academia, jobs for bioscience researchers, networking, event planning and much more. Here we’ve got a list of your favourite posts from this month, which includes some of our videos from the Naturejobs Career Expo! We’re really pleased that you like them and we’ll definitely be making more at Expos to come.
We also want to give a special thank you to all our guest authors too: Scott Chimileski, Samuel Brod, Sarah Blackford, Gary McDowell and Simon Hazelwood-Smith! If you think you have an idea for a blog post on the Naturejobs blog, an experience that you’ve learned from and want to share or a science-career related event you went to, please do get in touch with me by email at naturejobseditor [AT] nature [DOT] com.
How to get published in high impact journals: Big research and better writing{credit} Image credit, Macmillan Science Communication{/credit}
3. What isn’t science communication? Samuel Brod writes up the science communication panel from the Naturejobs Career Expo in London this year. It’s a frank insight into what to consider before diving into a science communication career. Continue reading →
“There is a whole infrastructure out there helping young people doing good science, to continue doing good science.”
Contributor Scott Chimileski
The collective infrastructure of science built over the past three hundred and fifty years is among the most remarkable of human achievements – yet we continue to work towards a sustainable model for funding research. We wonder, how much money should be spent on science, and who should pay for it? Which investigators should conduct the science that is paid for? And, what should we study: practical subjects, or anything interesting? Answers to these questions become even more important when funding opportunities seem to be drying up.
Jonathan Klassen is a new faculty member at the University of Connecticut. His lab (@KlassenLab) studies a network of symbioses within colonies of fungus-growing ants. The ants cultivate a particular fungal species as a food source and simultaneously utilize antibiotic-producing bacteria that colonize their exoskeleton to keep other fungal pathogens out of their gardens. But how did Klassen beat the odds, despite statistics that show very few trainees become professors? Continue reading →
Sarah Blackford, academic and science career specialist, shows that bioscience researchers and PhD students have opportunities in many different roles outside of academia.
Contributor Sarah Blackford
Thanks to everyone who voted – I’m not surprised that this was the highest scoring question. I’ll also incorporate a little bit about how to prepare and where to look, since these questions came a close second and third.
Here is a list of career areas which I present in my career workshops with PhD students and postdoctoral researchers. Researchers in scientific disciplines other the biosciences may also be able to see careers on this list of relevance and interest to them.The careers are ordered so that those at the top of the list are the closest and most familiar to PhD-qualified graduates and researchers.
Academic Research (universities, research institutes, government)
Research in industry/business (technology companies, bioindustry, food technology, policy think tanks, media)
Teaching (university, colleges, schools)
Scientific services (advisory, sales, data management, technical specialist)
This new series on the Naturejobs blog, called Ask the expert, is an opportunity for you, our readers, to chose what questions our experts answer. We’re still easing them in slowly, so this time they’ll still be given some questions.
{credit}Image courtesy: Sarah Blackford{/credit}
Meet our expert for this month: Sarah Blackford, Head of Education & Public Affairs at the Society for Experimental Biology.
What is your scientific background?
My scientific background is way back in the past, when I worked for three years at York University investigating calcium uptake in plants. Practical lab work was not for me; my specialities were more aligned with presenting data, designing posters, negotiating for equipment from other research groups and organising departmental socials. My communication and creative skills led me on to a 5-year career in scientific publishing as assistant editor at the Journal of Experimental Botany.
Why did you decide to take on the role you have now?
Whist working as assistant editor, I was based at Southampton University, where I took the opportunity to spend some of my spare time volunteering at the Careers Service. I enjoyed helping students and researching employers and careers information. When my job relocated to Lancaster University, I was offered a post as a Careers Adviser there and, subsequently, at Leeds University. After three years, I returned to Lancaster to set up the Society for Experimental Biology’s Education & Public Affairs office. My current role involves doing a variety of tasks such as science communication, management and supporting the career development of early career researchers and PhD students.
How do you want to help scientists in their careers?
I have had over 10 years’ experience in my role as academic and science career specialist, and have formalised this with a master’s in career education and guidance (Warwick University), as well as publishing a book entitled Career planning for research bioscientists. Therefore, I hope to be able to offer a breadth of support for scientists, encompassing most aspects of their career development and management, from personal and professional through to practical and transitional.
Tell us something interesting about yourself.
Working for the Society for Experimental Biology means I’m not restricted to supporting researchers in only one institution, so mobility is a big part of my work. This year I’ve delivered workshops and one-to-one career guidance in 20 different institutions and at three international conferences in 8 countries. Being a tea lover, I always take time out to try out one or two local cafés and tea shops when I’m in town. So far, top of my list are Gottingen, Germany and Portland, Oregon!
Sarah’s got such a vast experience in bioscience careers, so here are some bioscience questions for her. Vote in the poll to decide which one she will answer in November!
Professor Jim Smith at the Naturejobs Career Expo in London on September 19th 2014
Passion is the key to success, says Jim Smith in his keynote speech at the London Naturejobs Career Expo in September 2014.
Contributor Simon Hazelwood-Smith
Jim Smith is a successful scientist by anyone’s measure. The UK scientist helped discover key growth factors required for the early development of embryos, and has received numerous awards for his scientific contributions. Smith now juggles three high-level roles at the UK Medical Research Council (MRC), National Institute of Medical Research and the soon-to-be-opened Francis Crick Institute in London with the running of his own lab at the MRC.
Like many people who have excelled in their field, Smith’s career has the illusion of being planned from the start. However he says this was not the case. He didn’t study biology until he was persuaded to take a cell biology class at the University of Cambridge while studying for a degree in natural sciences.
He fell so in love with the subject that he progressed to a PhD studentship with the famous development biologist Lewis Wolport. “You should allow yourself to fall in love with your subject, become engrossed by it,” Smith says. This passion is a key to success he stresses, because it drives you to put the necessary effort in. “There are times in your career when you know that working twice as hard will produce double the results, at these times you should work 3 or 4 times as hard,” Smith says. Continue reading →
