Interestingly, most young and often more mature researchers can not easily define what “a successful career in science” means. This question is highly relevant – for example, when looking for a new position, joining a scientific community, or hiring staff members. What is your idea of a successful career in science?
How to get more funding? Avoid these mistakes! Writing grant proposals in life sciences is tedious, and evaluating grant proposals is even more tedious. Quite often, the reviewers end up with a small number of outstanding proposals and a vast number of excellent proposals, which have to be ranked based on tiny differences in quality.
If you feel like you’re always walking on eggshells, your supervisor may be a narcissist and abuse you emotionally. Narcissists often use manipulation, control, and gaslighting to keep their staff members in line. Characteristic signs include micromanagement, excessive control, constant criticism, and put-downs. What can you do to get over narcissistic abuse?
When discussing success in science, there is a vast number of success parameters that are mostly incompatible with each other. I have listed below – in random order – several success indicators in science that may help characterize a person, a group, or an institution as “successful in science.”
There are many science job websites where scientists can upload their CVs to find a job. Thus, should you create and upload several professional CVs on these job websites?
Probably not!
Young scientists often get the advice that they *must* work abroad for several years to pursue a career in science. However, is this really true? There are multiple arguments for and against this often-heard advice.
Many young scientists fear that they are not investing enough in their scientific career, however, it is often not clear what exactly they should do and how important different aspects are such as publications, grants, teaching, mobility, technical skills and just being a good scientist. Find some directions here.
Everybody will tell you that going to a famous university is essential for a successful career in science. Important arguments are the network you build (for example, via alum associations), the excellent infrastructure, and the great scientists you might connect with. However, is it real – or is it a myth?
During the last decade, I have interviewed hundreds of candidates applying for positions as PhD students, postdocs, or professors. Most of them made the same costly mistake – and, as a result, did not get the job!
Among the many researchers I know, many people have adopted either a purely cynical attitude toward the scientific establishment or struggle with an intensive love-hate relationship with science (in academia and industry). Several painful dilemmas cannot be solved, and you must learn to handle them.