Scientists often shy away from discussing money and salary, considering it a taboo topic that distracts from pursuing knowledge and discovery. However, the reality is that salary plays a substantial role in job satisfaction and overall career success for scientists in academia and industry. What should you do?
Academic tenure is fundamental to higher education, offering professors permanent employment and job security to protect academic freedom. This status allows professors to explore, teach, and publish without fear of repercussions and promotes an environment for innovative and potentially controversial research. Achieving tenure involves a rigorous review of teaching, research, and service contributions.
Scientists are often excellent in their fields of expertise, but they may lack the leadership skills necessary to lead teams and manage projects. A leadership action plan is an efficient method to develop the necessary skills to become a group leader and pursue a successful career in science.
Reading books on metaphysics is essential for scientists because it broadens your understanding of the conceptual foundations underlying your field. Metaphysical inquiry can lead to more profound scientific concepts and theories, challenge unreflected assumptions, and inspire innovative approaches to scientific problems. However, what are the best books on metaphysics for scientists?
Choosing the best postdoc position for your future career in science is essential. However, most young scientists have no plan for finding the position(s) that fit best and choosing with care. Several key questions will help you find the postdoc position that fits your needs, talents, and skills.
Young scientists often think that a long publication list is crucial for an academic career, and that obtaining multiple co-authorships is a clever strategy to make their publication list longer. Is this true?
We all know that scientific fraud is bad for science and society in general. However, apart from these general considerations, it is necessary and effective to make young scientists aware that scientific misconduct ruins their personal integrity and destroys their careers. The following 16 personal reasons will convince most young scientists that scientific misconduct is a bad idea.
Young scientists often struggle with the problem of being obliged to include authors in the author list who may not have contributed substantially – or not all. In particular, partners who only provide technology, patient samples, genetically modified organisms, or general infrastructure may be a reason for debate, although the research would be impossible without their contribution. How can you handle this problem?
Many PhD students and most postdocs want to pursue a career in academia. However, is it a good idea to admit that you want to become a professor? Would you appear overambitious or pretentious? Or does it ruin your career to hide your ambitions from potential mentors and decision-makers? What should you do?
Many young researchers struggle with their work-life balance. Especially for researchers with a family, it is challenging to divide their time and energy between home and work. The question, “Is it possible to be a parent and have a career in research?” keeps many researchers up at night.