Erika Yashiro’s Post

The path to becoming a researcher may seem like a dream come true, but what is the reality of this career? Let's explore the expectations versus the reality of the life of a researcher. Expectation: Researchers spend most of their time conducting experiments and analyzing data in a lab. Reality: While some researchers do work in a lab, many spend a significant amount of time writing grant proposals, attending conferences, and collaborating with other researchers. Expectation: Researchers have complete control over their projects and experimental design. Reality: Research projects are often funded by external organizations and may have strict guidelines and requirements that must be met. Additionally, unforeseen obstacles can arise, requiring researchers to pivot their focus or approach. Expectation: Researchers work independently. Reality: Collaboration and teamwork are crucial in the world of research. Researchers often work in teams with other scientists, graduate students, and research assistants. While the life of a researcher may not always meet our expectations, it can still be a fulfilling and exciting career. What has been your experience in the field of research? Share in the comments below. #paruluniversity #ResearchLife #AcademicCareer #ScienceCommunication #LabLife #ResearchReality #STEMCareers #AcademicResearch #ResearchCollaboration #GrantWriting #ConferenceNetworking #SCOPEparuluniversity #SCOPE #SCOPEparul #parulSCOPE #paruluniversitySCOPE

Considering a career in research? It's a field that appeals to curious minds and problem solvers. From academia and government to industry and non-profit sectors, research offers diverse opportunities. In academia, researchers delve into fundamental studies, while industry experts focus on practical applications. Government labs prioritize national interests like public health and defense. Strong analytical skills, attention to detail, and perseverance are key in research. Researchers across fields must design studies, analyze data, and stay updated on advancements. Collaboration is vital, often involving experts from various disciplines. While demanding, research is rewarding and intellectually stimulating, requiring dedication to experimentation, documentation, and grant writing. Advanced education like a master's or Ph.D. is common for research careers. Starting as a research assistant, individuals progress to independent projects at the doctoral level. Despite slow growth, the potential for innovation and societal impact makes research fulfilling. Opportunities also exist in consultancy, science communication, and management roles, showcasing the dynamic and evolving nature of the field.

Looking back! As a fresh PhD student eons ago, after a discussion of the data I had generated over the weekend my professor (Vicki Wysocki) advised me that I should write it up for a publication. This would be my first foray into peer reviewed publication. I was overjoyed beyond over joy. I had only read some several hundred papers and was not sure when and if the day will come when I can author one. This was the day. I put my pen to paper (literally, computers were just emerging and I was particularly illiterate in computers) and for the next week or two I wrote, scratched, rewrote, wrote some more, typed it up with single finger taps and generated a print out and put in on the desk of my advisor on a fine morning. That evening when I got back to my desk I saw my printout sitting on my chair. I had submitted a print out in black ink. The print out sitting on my desk was mostly red in color. Almost every line was inadequate and insufficient! I recall two emotions going through my mind. -Will I ever be able to meet her standards for scientific communications? -Academics is not my forte. I am not sure if I can undertake this journey. As days/months and a year went by and she (and post doctoral scientist at that time Arpad Somogyi) continued to correct me, guide me and finally get the paper to a point where we could publish it, I had began to gain significant perspectives on scientific thinking and communication. During one of these sessions she had said to me that doing lab work is the easiest thing one can do; communicating value of what you do is the most difficult thing. I had not fully understood the value of that advise until later in life. Fast forward, I moved into industry, did not pursue academia but over years contributed to scientific conversations through peer reviewed articles, books and peer reviewing. I think my advisor would be some what happy with my later work in life. On the two emotions that went through my mind that day, by the time I graduated I got a much better handle on my scientific communication skills (her gift to me). But I never revisited the other emotional judgment I made that day - that academia is not my forte. If I had revisited that mindset after I had gotten better at the skill that initially scared me, and had I reconsidered academia, perhaps life would have taken me in a different path. I am quite happy where I am, standing in big part on the strengths gained from my graduate experience but I wonder if we should constantly reevaluate our past positions after we have travelled some distance and gained skills to alleviate our fears. I believe now that we should constantly reconcile (recalibrate) our past fears with our present capabilities. [https://lnkd.in/gnp_TiAz]

Blind review, or double-blind peer review, where both the reviewers and the authors are anonymous, is often critiqued for various reasons. Critics argue it can be inefficient, biased in other ways, or impractical in certain fields. However, there are notable advantages, particularly for PhD students and early-career researchers. Here are some 🛑: 👉Impartial Evaluation: Blind review ensures that the work is evaluated based on its merit rather than the reputation of the authors. This is especially beneficial for PhD students who may not have established a strong reputation yet. Their work stands a better chance of being judged fairly. 👉Confidence Building: Having the freedom to evaluate projects from leading tech companies can boost the confidence of PhD students. It validates their ability to critically assess top-tier research, reinforcing their own capabilities and encouraging them to aim higher in their own work. 👉Networking and Career Opportunities: Blind reviews can sometimes lead to opportunities for collaboration or future employment. If a PhD student provides a particularly insightful review, it could be remembered positively by senior researchers, even if anonymity is eventually lifted. 👉Encouragement of Rigorous Standards: Knowing that their work could be reviewed by anyone, including students, may encourage even established researchers to maintain high standards of clarity and thoroughness in their submissions. In summary, I wanted to say while the blind review process has its disadvantages, it provides significant opportunities for PhD students. It enables them to engage with high-level research objectively and build their own expertise and confidence, which can be incredibly empowering and beneficial for their future careers 😀 Do you agree? #research #PhD #ReviewProcess

A good way for early career researchers to pick which projects on which to work: "people, passion, publishable"! The authors recommend that you list each project you are working on, and for each of the following statements, rate the project on a scale of 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree). 1. This project is with people I trust to be good scientists or scholars. 2. I look forward to meetings with collaborators about this project. 3. The topic of this project is interesting to me. 4. This project fits with my desired professional identity. 5. Data collection for this project is going well or is likely to go well. 6. The results seem to be robust or are likely to be robust. Pick only the highest scoring ones! https://lnkd.in/e9yx6RUH AcademyHealth

Well, I have lots to say about WHY scientists leave academia! . My top 3 reasons when it comes to research careers: 1. Fixed-term contracts and no employment security (No matter how many years of experience, publications etc etc you have) 2. Ceiling to earnings - and being knocked down the scale every time you change institution (because you need to find another job as your project = fixed-term contract has finished and not because you love job/institution hopping). 3. High-pressure and unsupportive work environment within which the goal posts keep changing and there is sooooo much box-ticking. (I think modern academia is like corporate, just without the perks 🤷♀️). I now think my 18-year academic research stunt in academia was truly near miraculous 😆 https://lnkd.in/esspwy9J #careerchange #LeavingAcademia #academia #researchcareer

In all fileds of work it is believed that impactful contributions are done in one’s early age. This common nelief is the rationale for #agism. A recent scientific research finds out that sicgnificant scientific achievements can occur at any age. They call this the “random-impact rule.” Common beliefs are often rooted in bias and that is why we have science. “In most areas of human performance, from sport to engineering, the path to a major accomplishment requires a steep learning curve and long practice. We find that the highest-impact work in a scientist’s career is randomly distributed within her body of work. That is, the highest-impact work can be, with the same probability, anywhere in the sequence of papers published by a scientist—it could be the first publication, could appear mid-career, or could be a scientist’s last publication. “ https://lnkd.in/eQXEmxDV

Pathfinder Career Narratives 8 from the archives. 📚📓 These blogposts are written by doctorate holders who reflect on their journey from doctoral research towards the many fulfilling career pathways for researchers within and beyond academia. Dr Rosaleen O'Brien is a Qualitative Research Consultant. Find out more about Dr O'Brien's inspiring story; from being a teenage carer to completing a PhD in Social and Public Health at the University of Glasgow, to building a successful career in academia, followed by freelance research and analysis for the Civil Service, University-NHS partnerships, and the Third Sector, using her life experiences to include the perspectives of marginalised groups. “So far, I have completed a total of fourteen studies as a freelancer, which have mostly involved leading on the development of qualitative analysis and writing final reports on findings. Projects usually have quick turnaround, which I find enormously satisfying after a working on studies that took years to complete. I enjoy the variety of working across a range of different projects, disciplines, and contexts, and with the many teams involved. I have greatly valued opportunities to gain experience of working in settings outside of academia – particularly the Civil Service and Third Sector – which has taught me so much about producing fast-paced policy-relevant, and user-led research, as well as about different ways of collaborating on analysis and writing.” https://lnkd.in/exz74UXs #researchers #careers #universities #transitions

I recently realised that during the course of PhD program, many students realise that the whole point of pursuing a PhD is to have a job after getting a degree and the publications/degree is what matter the most in many cases. Although, students come to an institute to pursue science out of interest but later they start chasing wrong goals to keep them motivated. For instance, instead of working towards fueling their passion and curiosity (delayed gratification), they start chasing publications (instant gratification) as one of the wrong goals. It's because of any publications, they get appreciation on many social media platforms and from their close circle. Those who could not publish consider themselves loser, incompetent and fall for depression or other mental health issues. This public admiration motivates (cheap dopamine) them to publish more often but they hardly try to derive dopamine when working in the lab. Hence, at a very early age they start chasing the wrong goal of # of publications out of peer pressure. Sometimes, it is being fueled by the lab supervisors and institutions. Thus, begins the cut throat competition to publish to survive or perish (mental disorders) for young researchers. Nowadays, people are publishing scientific articles because it is serving as a means to achieve something. This something ranges from career growth, jobs, grants, awards, financial benefits, position in society or to inflate ones EGO (cheap dopamine) through public display. Very rarely, I come across that something like curiosity, passion or joy of knowing the workings of nature. Nowadays publishing a scientific article with a publisher has become synonymous of pursuing science or being a scientist. Hence, the meaning of pursuing a career in science is publishing articles. I too agree that in today's time, publications do play a role in deciding your career but not completely. There are other factors like communication skills, networking, technical and analytical skills, managerial skills and others which one can leverage to offset publications. So, when you are pursuing science, do not let go of the joy of knowing the unknown, due to unnecessary obsession for publications. Science and technology has advanced due to thirst for knowing the unknown and not due to publishing alone. I am not against publishing but publishing when you are confident that you are adding something new to knowledge space rather than a creative piece of writing. #publishing #research #scholars #phd #postdoc #goal

Dimensions, with its robust, interlinked data, provides a comprehensive, global view of researcher development, regardless of institutional affiliation. This enables a richer understanding of researchers' career paths and impact. Tracking career moves, research activities, and publication records is essential for institutions to attract funding, secure job opportunities for graduates, and adapt to evolving research and industry needs. Want to know more about how to use Dimensions to enhance research strategy, support alumni careers, and showcase your institution's global impact? Read the latest blog for details: https://gag.gl/I8gYHO #ResearchImpact #CareerDevelopment #DimensionsData