Archive by tag | Australia

Done is better than perfect: overcoming PhD perfectionism

Posted by Jack Leeming | Categories: , , ,

Boy sitting at a table working on a jigsaw puzzle while holding the paper.

I submitted my PhD thesis on the evolution of jumping genes in December 2016, four days before Christmas. It wasn’t perfect — in many ways, it wasn’t even good. By the end of my graduate studies, I had hoped to be a proficient programmer and an established scientist with multiple high impact papers. At the bare minimum, I expected to find evidence to support my hypothesis. Instead, my thesis was largely unpublished, my coding was preliminary, and my results were inconclusive. In my eyes, it was a failure.  Read more

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A term at the museum

Posted by Jack Leeming | Categories: , , , ,

A term at the museum

Earlier last year, I attended the Week of International Scientific Talent in Paris, and found that museums can be excellent platforms for scientists eager to apply scientific knowledge outside of their labs. Curious to learn more about this avenue of science communication, I was pleasantly surprised to discover that there is growing interest in applying scientific concepts to museum settings.  Read more

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Reflections on the L’Oreal-UNESCO For Women in Science program

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Reflections on the L’Oreal-UNESCO For Women in Science program

Springtime in Paris seems a fitting backdrop for any awards ceremony but particularly so in the case of the L’Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science program. I recently had the honour of attending the 2017 International Awards along with 14 other early career researchers from around the globe, as part of the L’Oréal-UNESCO International Rising Talents Fellowship.  Read more

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Lost for words — the language of science communication

Posted by Jack Leeming | Categories: , , , , , , ,

Lost for words — the language of science communication

Naturejobs journalism competition winner Catherine Carnovale explores this distinction.  Read more

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Thinking of a PhD? This is the Australian story

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Thinking of a PhD? This is the Australian story

Research is fuelled by the energy of post-graduate students. PhD students contribute 57% of total university research output, according to a 2013 discussion paper from The Group of Eight Universities in Australia. In 2011 Nature published “The PhD factory,” which described the ongoing crisis caused by the oversupply of trained researchers and the inability of academia and industry to soak up the overflow.  Read more

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Finding a place to hang my lab coat

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Finding a place to hang my lab coat

When now ex-Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbot abolished the role of science minister in September 2013, members of Australia’s scientific community fastened our seat belts. This telling sign signalled the first of many cuts to science and innovation before the new government delivered their knock-out punch to the industry in the form of the 2014-15 budget.  Read more

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Most read on Naturejobs: October 2015

Posted by Julie Gould | Categories:

Most read on Naturejobs: October 2015

Thank you to everyone for reading our posts this month. We’ve been working closely with a lot of new writers, and we’re pleased that you’ve enjoyed what they have to say! Here’s a list of your top ten favourite reads from October.  Read more

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Naturejobs Career Guide: Asia-Pacific

Posted by Julie Gould | Categories: ,

Naturejobs Career Guide: Asia-Pacific

For anyone considering a career in science, the Asia-Pacific region might offer some interesting careers. Opportunities for scientific jobseekers in Asia-Pacific abound, especially as research and development (R&D) spending as a proportion of gross domestic product (GDP) has risen in all six countries since 2000. But moving overseas is a big decision. This first Naturejobs Career Guide provides practical advice, first-hand accounts and useful facts and figures for those considering a change.  Read more

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#ScientistOnTheMove: February 2015

Posted by Julie Gould | Categories:

Claire Haworth and Oliver Davis

Claire Haworth and Oliver Davis, who both work in behavioural and statistical genetics, met whilst they were studying for a PhD at the MRC Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre at King’s College London and “managed to squeeze in getting married between submitting our PhDs and starting fellowships!” After graduating from their PhDs in the summer of 2009, Oliver started a Wellcome Trust funded postdoc in Oxford and Claire, funded by the MRS and ESRC, stayed in London. After her second fellowship Claire moved to the University of Warwick to set up her own lab and Oliver moved to UCL to start his own group in January 2013.  Read more

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