How to Succeed as a Scientist From Postdoc to Professor

About this book

This unique, practical guide for postdoctoral researchers and graduate students explains how to build and perfect the necessary research tools and working skills to build a career in academia and beyond. How to Succeed as a Scientist is based on successful training workshops run by the authors: first, it describes the tools needed for independent research, from writing papers to applying for academic jobs; it then introduces skills to thrive in a new job, including managing and interacting with others, designing a taught course and giving a good lecture; and it concludes with a section on managing your career, from how to manage stress to understanding the higher education system. Packed with helpful features encouraging readers to apply the theory to their individual situation, How to Succeed as a Scientist is also illustrated throughout with real-world case studies to enable readers to learn from others' experience. It is a vital handbook for everyone seeking to make a successful scientific career.

Contents

Preface

Part I. Becoming an Independent Researcher
1. Managing your time
2. Giving a good research talk
3. Writing a quality research paper
4. Handling scientific criticism
5. Writing grant applications
6. Tools for managing research projects
7. Is there life beyond academia?
8. Applying for a job in academia
9. Applying for an independent research fellowship

Part II. Thriving in Your New Job
10. Handling new roles
11. Learning from other people
12. Managing people
13. Building a research group 1: doctoral students
14. Building a research group 2: recruiting and supervising postdocs
15. Interacting with others
16. Designing a taught course
17. Giving a good lecture
18. Beyond lecturing
19. Mentoring

Part III. Managing Your Career
20. Managing stress
21. Taking on new challenges
22. The higher education system

References
Index

Customer Reviews

Biography

Barbara Gabrys is an experimental physicist with expertise in the structure and dynamics of soft matter. She has substantial experience in exploring different science disciplines through research, teaching and learning activities. Dr Gabrys was appointed Academic Advisor for the Mathematical, Physical and Life Sciences Division at the University of Oxford in 2007. She is a Fellow of the Institute of Physics and a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.

Jane Langdale is a plant biologist with over 25 years' research experience in both UK and US universities. Her main research focuses on understanding the genetic basis of plant developmental processes and elucidating how those processes evolved. Professor Langdale was appointed as a University academic in 1994 and most recently has been Head of the Department of Plant Sciences at the University of Oxford. She was elected a member of the European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO) in 2007.