Picks of the month: October 2014

Here are the top ten most read Naturejobs blog posts from October 2014. Happy Friday!

 

Life-after-the-lab

Illustration by Señor Salme

Life after the lab. An extra little nugget to Ewen Callaway’s feature article about the science stars that got away. This piece is about Jasveen Chugh, a life sciences and health care consultant at PA Consulting.

The postdoc decision. The results from a previous Naturejobs poll show that scientists chose to do a postdoc because 1) it’s the next step in their careers and 2) because they love science.

How to recognise your transferable skills. Anna Price and a panel of academics-turned-other-careers at the Naturejobs Career Expo in London this September demonstrated that all scientists in academia have transferable skills, but the trick lies in recognising and applying them.

How to build a career in the biomedical sciences. Professor Jim Smith, director of the National Institute of Medical Research in the UK, gave a keynote speech at the Naturejobs Career Expo in London this September.

How to succeed at a career in industry. Passion and hard-work are a winning combination here, say panellists at the Naturejobs Career Expo in London this year.

Working in industry: An academic-style postdoc. There’s a new postdoctoral fellowship on the block: the industrial one. Here’s an example from Roche.

Companies on campus: The blossoming relationship between academia and industry. This Naturejobs podcast explores the benefits and challenges of having companies on campus, and features a short snippet from the Nature podcast about cross-disciplinary research.

 

Justin-Jee

{credit}Image courtesy: Justin Jee{/credit}

I knew I wanted to be a scientist when… is the story of how Justin Jee decided he wanted to become a scientist. He’s still working on it, after all, life’s an experiment.

Research in Singapore: Bring the ideas and the family. Research in Singapore is getting a lot of attention and financial backing.

Ask the expert on Naturejobs: Meet Sarah Blackford. Vote in the Naturejobs poll for the question that you would like Sarah Blackford from the Society of Experimental Biology to answer!

Most read on the Naturejobs blog: August 2014

August has been a busy month for the Naturejobs team, especially as the Naturejobs Career Expo is coming up on September 19th in London (we hope to see many of you there). But we’ve still had plenty of time to bring you some great posts on the Naturejobs blog, and we wanted to share your 10 favourite posts from August.

PhD and coffee

Thesis writing tip for the I-left-it-to-the-last-minute PhD student {credit}Image credit: Daisy Hessenberger{/credit}

1. Thesis writing tip for the I-left-it-to-the-last-minute PhD student.You’ve read all the other writing tips and they all say the same thing: start earlier! Unfortunately, that’s no help to you. So here are some top tips for those who have left it a little later than planned. Good luck! 

2. I am a scientist because… shows just how diverse scientists are. Theconversation continues on Twitter with the #IAmAScientistBecause hashtag. 

3. A PhD is more than just research trainingAre there too many PhDs? Only if you consider a one-track career path in academia. But this post shows that academia and a PhD can provide you with a vast set of skills that set you on the right footing for many different career paths. Continue reading