Should you stay or should you go? The Careers in Academia panel discuss the merits of mobility within academia.

At the Naturejobs Career Expo in London this September, a panel of four academics got together to discuss their wildly different careers. Jim Usherwood from the Royal Veterinary College only spends his time doing research. Anita Hall from Imperial College London only does teaching. Lorraine Kerr and Louise Horsfall from the University of Edinburgh split their time (with different percentages) between research, teaching, business and management.

In this short Q&A film three of the panellists give their opinions (based on their experiences) about the challenges they’ve faced as women in academia.

Kerr has been at Edinburgh for a long time, due to personal constraints. She worked in different labs, with different colleagues and funders and never felt that she had to leave to gain more experience.

Hall went to the Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, but regrets not keeping up with the research discussions back home. “So they had forgotten about me.” If you go abroad, she suggests that you don’t lose the network you leave behind.

Usherwood suggests you go. “There will be a dip in productivity… but you’ll be doing something you didn’t do before and it makes you distinctive.” It’s an opportunity to meet new people and make new connections within your field, which can ultimately be beneficial in your future career.

Read more about How to navigate an academic career and about all the other conference sessions and workshops at the Naturejobs Career Expo in London.

Other Q&A videos from the Naturejobs Career Expo, London 2014

How important is having a mentor in your academic career?

How do you achieve work/life balance in academia?

Should I apply for a fellowship or a postdoc after my PhD?

what’s the biggest challenge you’ve faced as a woman in science?