Monthly Archives: September 2015

Most read on Naturejobs: September 2015

Posted on by
Reply

The top ten most widely read articles in September 2015 from naturejobs.com, including working environments, the plight of the postdoc, data misgivings and more!

naturejobs-readsThis month the Naturejobs team have been at their busiest, working hard to put together a successful Naturejobs Career Expo in London, which happened on 18 September 2015. In case you couldn’t join us, keep your eye on the blog as over the coming weeks we’ll be publishing a series of blogs and videos from the event.

But obviously there’s more to our blog & Nature Careers than the Expo. We’ve published some great articles this month, and to refresh your memories of some of them, we’ve pulled out the top ten most read ones from September! Happy reading.

1. Working environment: When labs go bad

2. Employee benefits: Plight of the postdoc

3. How to approach a PI with misgivings about data

4. Career paths: There’s no set route for scientists

5. Creative writing: A world of pure imagination

6. Networking for introverts

7. Science communication: A foot in the door

8. Turning point: Martin Jinek

9. Social media: The art of self-promotion

10. Spotlight on faculty positions: Formula for success

Thanks to all our contributors on the Naturejobs blog this month, without whom we wouldn’t have a blog to read! Samuel Van Ransbeeck, Zoe Self, Rachel Yoho, Monya Baker, Naoimh O’Connor, Nina Divorty, Lauren Emily Wright, Gaia Donati, Paul Brack, Steve Hurst, Catherine Seed, Payal Bhatia, Carina Dehner.

Nature Masterclasses: Writing for highly-selective journals

Posted on by
Reply

Publishing in a highly-selective, high-impact journal can make a researcher’s career. So what turns great science into a great manuscript?

Guest contributor Zoe Self

Nature-masterclasses-NJCE15-workshop-naturejobs-blog

Dr Peter Gorsuch presenting the Nature Masterclasses workshop at the 2015 London Naturejobs Career Expo{credit}Image credit: Nature{/credit}

A room packed full of PhD candidates and post-docs were given a taster of Nature Masterclasses at #NJCE15 London. The session was run by Peter Gorsuch of MSC Scientific Editing, who runs a pre-submission service that offers researchers Nature-standard editing on their manuscripts. Peter was previously an associate editor for the physical sciences team at Nature, so is a fountain of knowledge on scientific writing and publishing. Also offering wisdom via video were Nature manuscript editors Sadaf Shadan (Senior Editor, Biology) and Leonie Mueck (Associate Editor, Physical Sciences).

The science: what do editors at high-impact journals look for?

For a paper to get accepted, it should contain “novel conclusions that significantly advance our understanding of the field,” says Peter. The experts told the audience that a good paper might: Continue reading →

Data sharing: Why it’s all ‘mine’

Posted on by
Reply

Data sharing makes scientific sense, but the career-conscious nature of scientists may stand in the way.

Guest contributor Rachel Yoho

As with many aspects of society, human nature shapes interactions in science research. When we consider “data sharing,” the likely response is probably a shrug. We’ve all been there. Group work and competition at its finest. The increasingly competitive environment for grant funding, and the ‘publish or perish’ attitude promotes the “mine, mine, mine” attitude among scientists. To focus on the issue of overcoming career-protecting objections to data sharing however, we can focus on several trends.

Data ownership
With many factors, including budget cuts, sequestration and economic downturns, the current scarcity of grant funding creates financial stress in labs. ”Big grants” like the NIH R01, had lower success rates for new grants in 2014 as compared to the last four of five years. In turn, data ownership becomes possessive to the PI and lab, even beyond that of the funding agency or institution. Simply, it’s our grant money, it’s our data. By working for and finally achieving a grant, often after many attempts, a sense of accomplishment and pride in ownership develops. Continue reading →

Finding job satisfaction as a medical science liaison

Posted on by
1

David Crosby urges young scientists to take real advantage of the mentorship opportunities that abound everywhere.

David_CrosbyAfter completing a PhD at the University of California, Irvine and a postdoc at the University of California, San Francisco, David Crosby found job satisfaction teaching health care providers the latest information about hepatitis therapies. Here he describes how he founds this career, and the connections to land his first position.

Read more about David’s career transition here.

What’s the difference between medical science liaisons (MSL) and pharmaceutical sales reps?

In sales, they are principally involved in promotion. They spend a lot of time talking about the product, its utility within that physician’s practice, and strengths in comparison with the competition. My role, on the surface, it looks similar. I too go into the physician’s office and discuss the disease state and available medication. But my goal is not specifically to motivate the physician to use our product versus another product.

How did you learn that MSL jobs exist?

My sister-in-law has been in pharmaceutical sales for fifteen years. She asked me “did you ever think about becoming an MSL?” I said “what’s an MSL?” She plugged me in to some former colleagues who gave me more insight from the perspective of former bench scientists.

Then, I talked to a friend of mine from University of California, Irvine. She was a crystallographer, and she ended up going down the MSL route. I thought, “I’ve spent the last nine years working in infectious disease. That’s a little bit more closely related to the clinic than crystallography!” Continue reading →

Career planning: The next five years

Posted on by
2

Naoimh O’Connor recommends a three-step process to laying the foundations for the next five years of your research career.

Guest contributor Naoimh O’Connor

cross-roads

{credit}Ratch/Shutterstock{/credit}

It is becoming more and more apparent that having a doctorate and being an expert in your field does not automatically set you on a fixed career path. In fact, devising a focused career strategy is now becoming part of the job of successful researchers.

Many postdocs I work with find that, because of the need to focus on day-to-day activities, there is little time or mental energy to consider the future. So, when it comes to completing the Career Development section of a fellowship application or answering the ‘where do you see yourself in five years?’ question at an interview, they feel unprepared and uninspired.

One of the workshops I facilitate is called ‘Creating a Job-seeking Strategy for Researchers’. In it I recommend a three-step process for beginning to structure your career-plan. It’s not so different to a research project in that it involves your imagination, collecting and analyzing facts, and then creating a timeline with short and long-term goals. The earlier you start, the more comfortable the process will be for you, but even if you only have a few months left, this model helps put you more in control. Continue reading →

Data sharing: Why it doesn’t happen

Posted on by
Reply

The advent of big data has caused scientists to rethink data sharing, but several problems are preventing it from happening, says Nina Divorty.

Guest contributor Nina Divorty

Data-sharing-naturejobs-blog“If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants.”  – Isaac Newton.

This classic quote sums up the nature of scientific collaboration: only by building on the work of our predecessors can we make scientific advancements, and only by sharing our own discoveries can they be built upon by others. Most researchers understand this, but only since the recent surge in technologies that generate very large datasets have we begun to recognise the value of sharing raw data, in addition to publishing results in their processed and polished form. The advantages are clear: raw data offers complete transparency so that other scientists can compare their own results and analyses when attempting to replicate findings, and also allows others to ask novel questions of existing datasets. Despite this, the majority of researchers across a variety scientific disciplines report that lack of access to data detracts from the progress of research in their field, yet 64% admit to not making their data easily accessible. So what’s stopping them? Continue reading →

Career paths: Into the laboratory wild

Posted on by
Reply

Time away in a different environment can give young researchers new perspectives and challenges that could help them develop as scientists and people, says Lauren Emily Wright.

Guest contributor Lauren Emily Wright

balance-naturejobs-blog

{credit}iStock/Thinkstock{/credit}

‘Where there are experts there will be no lack of learners.’ -Swahili Proverb

Scientists know that any time away from academic data gathering and preparing the next publication is another nail in the coffin for a research career. The struggle for balance is a source of constant mental turmoil. Losing focus just a bit could mean losing the race for a faculty position.

I don’t want to believe that.

At the end of this year I will finish my first postdoc and embark on a project to counteract brain-drain in Ethiopia. I’m taking time away from the bench to work with a non-profit organisation called TReND (Teaching and Research in Natural Sciences for Development) in Africa. Continue reading →

Webcast: Writing a successful grant proposal

Posted on by
Reply

Naturejobs is hosting its first, free, live webcast on how to write a successful grant proposal on 30 September 2015.

webcast-funding-naturejobs-blog

Becoming an independent researcher in academia is crucial to achieving future success. Part of that journey starts with getting your own funding. Without funding, there is no science, no opportunity for developing skills and no opportunity to develop independence. As a result, we are hoping to provide some insights into how early career researchers can be more prepared, and more successful, in grant applications.

So on 30 September 2015 at 4pm BST (8AM PDT, 11AM EDT, 5PM CEST), in this first, free Naturejobs webcast, four speakers share their insights into how to be successful in your applications.

Susan Marriot (President of BioScience Writers, LLC and Professor at Baylor College of Medicine) gives advice on planning your funding applications; Dr Peter Gorsuch (runs MSC Scientific Editing, which offers Nature-standard editing and advice to researchers worldwide on their grant applications and research manuscripts) will talk about shaping the content for your application to catch the reviewer’s attention; Dr Alejandro Martin-Hobdey (Head of Unit for Call and Project Follow-up Coordination, European Research Council) will share insights into getting a grant from the European Research Council and Dr Michael Mishkind (programme director in the Symbiosis, Defense and Self-recognition program in the Division of Integrative Organismal Systems at the National Science Foundation) will talk about how to be successful in their applications.

After their presentations all participants will have an opportunity to take part in a live Q&A session, where you can ask any of the speakers your funding related questions.

To register for the free event, follow this link.

We look forward to seeing you there!

Career paths: Planning your route

Posted on by
Reply

Mixed impressions about your ‘dream job’ should not let you down when they do not match your initial expectations, says Gaia Donati.

Guest contributor Gaia Donati.

Dream-job-naturejobs-blog

Dream jobs might not always be what you expect.

Planning a career path is a bit like committing to a relationship – you go through phases. First comes the infatuation, leading you to enthusiastically catch any opportunity to establish contacts and gain experience in your chosen sector. As you discover previously unsuspected facets of your ‘dream job’, a few doubts arise: you may find out that the competition is fiercer than you expected, that permanent positions are scarce or that it will take years for you to earn a decent salary. All of a sudden you question your choice altogether, and you are left with a menacingly dark cloud over your head.

Having defended my PhD thesis in experimental quantum optics at the end of July, the idea of my ‘dream career path’ must now become real – it’s time to find that job. I decided I would look into a career in science publishing and journalism, but as I moved the first steps in this direction I found myself surrounded by doubts and unknowns: do I wish to leave academia? What if I keep hopping from one internship to another?

After a few years in the laboratory and a stint at cutting-edge research for my PhD project, I ruled out the postdoc option. My future occupation should combine my love for science with my passion for communicating scientific advances to wider audiences; as a journalist, Continue reading →