Tag Archives: NJCE15

So you want to be a Nature journalist? Join us at the Naturejobs Career Expo!

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The Naturejobs Career Expo Journalism Competition is back!

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We’re thrilled to announce this year’s Naturejobs journalism competition, taking place in both San Francisco and Boston. This is a great opportunity for new and upcoming science journalists to work with a Nature editor, attend the Naturejobs Career Expo, and have their voice published on the Naturejobs blog. Winners will also be provided with a $100 Amazon voucher and a year’s personal subscription to Nature.

We’re looking for 10 new science writers, based in – or able to travel to – San Francisco and Boston, to cover our ever-popular career expos. The conferences will explore careers in academia and industry, the career paths of prominent scientists, and how to develop the all-important practical and soft skills you need to progress in your career.

Winners of the journalism competition will have the opportunity to visit and report on at least two sessions at the career expo, will be able to work with Springer Nature editors on their pieces, and have their winning entries and reports published on the Naturejobs blog.

 

All you need to do to be considered for the Naturejobs Career Expo Journalism Competition is to send us:

1) A cover letter explaining why you want to be considered and what would make you a good journalist.

2) Your CV.

3) A 600 word answer to one of the following topics:

  • Career paths: What do you need to think about before taking your next step?
  • Balance: Can scientists really have work/life balance?
  • Interviews: What’s the worst question to be asked, and how do you answer it?
  • Events: What are the best networking practises at a conference?
  • Attitude: How important is confidence in science?
  • Mobility: How far should you travel for your research?
  • Transferable skills: What are scientists good at (other than science)?

 

The prizes are:

1) The five winning and five runner-up entries will be posted on the Naturejobs blog before the event.

2) The reports of the Expo will be published on the Naturejobs blog after the event.

3) Winners will work with, and meet, Springer Nature editors.

4) The five winners will receive a one year personal subscription to Nature .

5) The five winners will also get a $100 Amazon voucher.

 

The things you need to know BEFORE entering the competition:

1) We cannot offer travel grants or cover travel expenses to the event of any kind. Instead we offer some great prizes, along with the opportunity of having your pieces published on the Naturejobs blog.

2) The competition entries and content created will be used on the Naturejobs blog and in marketing materials for the Naturejobs Career Expo.

3) The deadline for sending in your competition entries is 7th April 2016 at 9pm GMT.

4) You can send your competition entries to the Naturejobs editor at naturejobseditor [at] nature.com.

 

Good luck, and we’re looking forward to seeing your entries!

 

Links

Naturejobs Career Expo San Francisco

Naturejobs Career Expo Boston

Science communication: Do you struggle with staying impartial?

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Catherine Ball, a policy analyst at the House of Lords Science and Technology Select committee, talks about impartiality procedure at the Naturejobs Career Expo London 2015.

Watch more from the Naturejobs career expo here.

Science communication: Writing for scientific and policy audiences

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Catherine Ball, a policy analyst at the House of Lords Science and Technology Select committee, explains the difference in styles between writing for a scientific audience and writing for a policy audience at the Naturejobs Career Expo London 2015.

Watch more from the Naturejobs career expo here.

Science communication: What are the differences between working for parliament or a learned society?

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Catherine Ball, a policy analyst at the House of Lords Science and Technology Select committee, explains the differences between working for parliament and working for a learned society at the Naturejobs Career Expo London 2015.

Watch more from the Naturejobs career expo here.

Science communication: What is the organisational structure like in a company like Nature?

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Anke Sparmann, associate editor at Nature Structural & Molecular Biology, shares her insights on the company structure of Nature at the Naturejobs Career Expo London 2015.

Watch more from the Naturejobs career expo here.

Science communication: Why is the turn-over rate for editors so high?

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Anke Sparmann, associate editor at Nature Structural & Molecular Biology, shares her views on the turn-over rate for editors in scientific publishing at the Naturejobs Career Expo London 2015.

Watch more from the Naturejobs career expo here.

 

Careers in industry: How to transition into a new field

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Keeping an eye on the bigger picture in your field of research will enable you to see potential new avenues for research. If they line up with a company’s mission, then there’s nothing stopping you from pursuing them.

In the Careers in Industry panel at the 2015 London Naturejobs Career Expo, Steve Martin from GSK says that big pharma hires people with deep specialisms all the time, but after five or so years, many have moved into fields they haven’t experienced before. Simon Mosey from the University of Nottingham has made a living in moving between departments, and his advice is to keep an eye on the bigger picture.

In industry, as long as you keep the main vision of the company in mind, then there is a considerable amount of latitude to move fields within a company.

Top tips:

1) Express interest as soon as you come across an idea that is interesting.

2) Keep an eye on the bigger picture.

3) Network: You might meet someone who can be a great collaborator.

4) Find out if a company offers secondments to try a different area.

Further reading:

Careers in industry: The options.

Careers in academia: How to get a PhD position

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Regular, targeted applications and demonstrating how you can benefit a lab will go a long way to securing a PhD position.

Frances Aschroft, physiology professor at the University of Oxford, and James Hadfield, manager of the genomics core facility at the University of Cambridge, Cancer Research UK Cambridge Institute, tackle the question of how to get selected onto a PhD programme, as part of the 2015 London Naturejobs Career Expo panel on careers in academia.

Top tips:

  1. Look for advertised, four-year, PhD programmes offered by departments
  2. Look for PhD positions that aren’t part of larger programmes. Some principle investigators won’t have access to an official PhD programme, but will have funding for individual students.
  3. Write to the lab leaders whose work you’re really interested in. They might not be advertising a position, but they might have some funding available for enthusiastic students.
  4. Whilst looking, write to people who working on a subject you’re interested in, and ask if you can work for them on a short-term (six months – one year) basis. Labs might not have funding for a whole PhD, but they might for a little bit. This would allow you to build up work experience, and develop skills in a field that you want to be in during the long term, and who knows what other doors it might open in the future.
  5. Justify to your potential supervisor why you think you would be a good hire, whether for a full PhD or just for a short-term project. Even if you are volunteering, you are a cost to the supervisor in terms of time and effort they put in. If you can demonstrate what you can bring to the table that would benefit them, you’re in a much better position to get hired.

Further reading:

Careers in academia: The different options

Careers in industry: Is an industrial PhD worth it?

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A PhD with an industrial partner will give an indication of whether or not an industry-based research career is suitable for you.

If you want to work in industry, it isn’t necessary to do a PhD, says Steve Martin from GSK. If you have a passion for the science, then you could work your way up. However, a PhD can offer some training which is relevant to a specific role. Some researchers opt to take on a PhD in a part-time capacity whilst working in industry, but others, like Helen Pappa from Quintiles, start a PhD that is supported by industry. “I had the best of both worlds,” she said at the 2015 Naturejobs Career Expo in London. She spent half at Imperial College, London, and half in industry. The industrial contacts that she made through her PhD also helped carve out her future career path.

If you are contemplating a career in industry and you have the opportunity to do a PhD with an industry element in it, then “the answer is resoundingly yes,” said Martin. Understand what industrial research is like, and will give you an indication of whether or not it is suitable for you.

Further reading:

Careers in industry: The options.

Careers in industry: How to transition into a new field

Careers in industry: How to make a good elevator pitch

Scientific communities: How to avoid getting scooped on social media

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Being prepared before broadcasting is a sure way to avoid being scooped, says Jon Tennant at the 2015 London Naturejobs Career Expo.

Many scientists are nervous about sharing their scientific work before publishing. The fear of being scooped is there when it comes to social media, but it will be difficult for someone to scoop your work based on a 140-character sentence.

Sharing your science on social media is all about being selective. You can make data and methods open when you’re ready – there is no rush to get things out before you are prepared.

Further reading:

Scientific communities: Build your own.

Scientific communities: How to follow the right people on Twitter

Scientific communities: From Twitter to paper

Scientific communities: Membership at learned societies

Scientific communities: How to get your blog noticed