55 applications later...

After countless alterations to my CV and a shameless outpouring of enthusiasm into numerous cover letters, I am finally about to start the next step of my career.

In my search for the perfect career move I sent out 55 applications in total. Many of these were actually for industry positions that I thought, "well I can do that, it would be ok and is kind of my skill set", and so I was not too surprised when I didn't get the job. But I was always optimistic and therefore always disappointed. I really wanted that perfect research position of five years to really develop a new idea that I was totally specialised for. But yeah, that doesn't actually happen.

In the meantime I began volunteering at a University. They were more than happy to have me work for free, which was very kind of them. In this time I did manage to get a couple small grants to help with the work and also to send me to talk at a conference. I did gain some great experience and some very helpful contacts. However, I learnt during this time that not having a stable, secure job is not something I would particularly recommend.

Out of all my 55 applications, I was invited six times for interviews. Three of which, much like the proverbial buses, came along at the same time. In the end I was in the most fortunate position of having a choice of where to go next and actually went to my final interview with an offer already in my pocket. I had been offered a position in industry (still in R&D), which was with a very exciting company and perfect for my expertise. My final interview was at a University and for a one year postdoc position. The research ideas were fantastic, the facilities amazing but the prospects and possibilities for the future were just that, prospects and possibilities.

After moving country a year ago and previously moving nine times in my eight years at University, I was ready to stay put for a change. I would love to continue research in a University atmosphere but not in the way that the traditional career path dictates or how the funding situation obliges people to continually move on after short projects. Therefore I said thank you very much, but no thank you to the academic path and willingly moved into industry.

I had already thought for a while that the long term academic plan was not what I wanted. I love research, I love exploring new ideas, discovering new things. But there are other options than the academic track. I like writing (obviously) and so publishing, editing and science communication is still something for future Tom to consider. But right now I still want to be part the doing science community not just the reporting about it part. So industry it is.

My final thoughts on the matter are on the similar difficulties facing other freshly graduated PhDs. In Holland, where I'm based, the funding situation in universities is not in good shape and industries are not doing much better either. I do feel that if I was able (and willing) to travel anywhere in the world, then I would have been much more likely to land something close to my dream job much more quickly. But the restrictions that come with staying put make things more difficult.

If you (like me) are intent on not moving then you better keep writing those applications and in the meantime improvise with what you do have, volunteer and ask for help. This last point being the most important. I wouldn't have got this far without a lot of support from friends and old colleagues.

Are there too many PhDs?

A recent competition from NatureJobs invited budding science writers to answer the above question. My (unsucessful and somewhat ranty) entry follows...

...

No, there are not too many PhDs. It’s that simple.

Can you imagine if everybody in the world studied for a PhD? The progress that would be made. The innovations in science and technology. The health benefits and developments in society would be beyond imagination. Everyone should be encouraged to do a PhD. The more PhDs there are, the better I would say.

In the current economic climate, the throng of PhDs fresh out of university are a beacon of hope for the future. More PhDs means, of course, more research. More research means greater advances and a push to really make a difference in the world. This can only be a good thing for society and for the individuals themselves. So let’s make everyone do a PhD.

But is this really practical? Sure, the advancement of knowledge and all that, it sounds fantastic. But can it be done, and then more importantly, how could it be done?

The reality of a PhD

If spending four years of your life obsessing over a tiny area of science until you are the world’s expert sounds fun to you, then go for it. But realistically, studying for a PhD is not everybody’s cup of tea. I’m sure there are many out there who would recoil at the thought. Some people are not cut out for the research life and many more simply have no wish to go down that road, so should I be so quick to encourage a worldwide research blitz? Probably not.

The number of PhD students has taken a sharp rise over the last 10-20 years. But what has the rise in numbers done for the current set that are studying? Having a PhD on your CV used to mean a more financially prosperous and successful career. It was the benchmark for a committed scientist and a firm footing for your future. However, this situation can only continue if, along with the rise in PhD numbers, there is an equal rise in the number of opportunities presented to these fresh PhDs. This is where the problem lies.

Keep the experts in science

The problem for a recently qualified PhD is where to go next. What options in science do these PhDs have after completing their research? The answer to that question is not very many. There is currently not the same level of investment in post-PhD options as there is in getting these students into the research faculties in the first place. This discrepancy leads to larger numbers of talented scientists leaving the area quickly after their hard fought efforts to perfect their research skills. Not everyone who completes a PhD wants to be a Nobel Prize winner but for those that do, the next steps are tricky. There are currently not enough jobs in science, not enough funding for further research and not enough support from governments.

The government has been promoting university more and more in recent years. If they want to encourage higher education and more people to study a PhD, or even keep the current set happy, there needs to be more of an investment in science. Everyone should be encouraged to learn and reach the best of their abilities. But more needs to be done to keep these young experts in science by putting a greater focus on funding further research. More needs to be done so that society can truly benefit from all these curious minds. Therefore, the answer to the question is simple. No, there are not too many PhDs, but we do need to do more to hold on to them.

That love-hate supervisor relationship

 
What? I've not even started this blog post yet and you've already got a problem.

Supervisors

A mentor, a role model, a leader, a helping hand. These are all terms that could describe that voice of reason encouraging your next step. But when it came to reports and manuscripts, my supervisor always made me see red. Red pen that is.

Just wait a minute I'll get on to it soon.

 

No, I'm saying what you did. That's the point.

My PhD supervisor kept a certain red pen that he saved especially for colouring in my reports. Don't get me wrong, I was very grateful for all the feedback and insightful comments. Only it was sometimes quite hard to pick out the wise words amongst all the scribbles that appeared in the margins, on the figures and generally in any part of the paper with the smallest bit of blank space available. I spent hours writing up my work and of course felt some pride when presenting good results. All I ever wanted was just the smallest sign of approval, a pat on the back, a simple 'well done'.

Thanks! Finally some approval.

Ok I'll move on.

Corrections

Thanks to comments from my supervisor, I have learnt the proper use of a semicolon and when it is wise to avoid 74 word sentences. I'm sure (I'm almost sure) that he always wanted the best for me, but the criticism sometimes gets hard to take. Yes, he has years more experience than me, but come on, when was the last time he did a real experiment? There's no way he could still actually get in the lab and create the data that I was producing, right?

What! But I think you actually mean "your data are crap"?

 Are you sure? It looks correct to me.

Ok, ok. Maybe I'll scrap it all. I should never have started this blog post in the first place.

I actually had a very good working relationship with my supervisor and he tells me it was only for this reason that he felt able to fully unleash when it came to marking my work. Likewise, I was comfortable taking the criticism, knowing (hoping) that it would only make my writing better in the end.

I wanted to end by pointing out your obvious superiority and how indebted I am for all your help...

Thanks, thought I would just give it a stab and see where it went.

What?!

Pint of Science

Last week the pubs were even more crowded than usual. Not because of a special drinks offer, but instead to meet a group of scientists. Across 6 countries and in 21 cities, everyone was enjoying their “Pint of Science”. Guest blogger Amanda helped organise the event in York and is here to explain all.

To the pub

Almost a year ago I received an email looking for volunteers to help organise an international outreach festival, Pint of Science. The event combined two of my favourite things, hearing about exciting new research and going to the pub! It later became apparent this wasn’t going to be a small event. The festival was running 12 events within each city involved, over 3 evenings. Last year, Pint of Science was run in London, Oxford and Cambridge, stimulating and engaging the public about current research and why science is relevant to their everyday lives. Now, a team of York postgraduates were challenged with extending the festival up to the north of England.

What really excited me about the festival was removing science outreach events from lacklustre venues and into a relaxed environment that is well known for fuelling the generation of many great scientific ideas. For example, James Watson admitted that many crucial discussions between him and Crick were at pubs in Cambridge during their discovery of the DNA alpha helix.

In the 10 months leading up to the event we put together a programme of talks covering all areas of science. The talks included mind reading using MRI, plasma science as sustainable energy sources and fish and (computer) chips for understanding Parkinson’s disease.

My personal highlight was a talk at Brigantes bar, given by Professor Dave Smith, a previous lecturer of mine and famous for his YouTube videos. In “From G&T to TLC – how chemistry helps you feel better”, he demonstrated the healing properties of tonic water, and his own research on gene delivery using self-assembly techniques in an engaging an interactive talk. Other highlights across the pubs in York included a very large and loud plasma reactor and a Gangnam Style dancing robot!

A great success of the festival was the interaction between the audience and the speakers. The informal environment really encouraged discussions around the topics being presented, with a pint in hand.

Musical science and mini engineering

They never disappoint. They never fail to impress. There's always one that will make a smile appear on the face of even the most miserable of chemists. Of course, I'm talking about the fabulous cover art of Angewandte. (I should get paid for saying these things, er hey Angewandte if you are reading this...)

If you ever tire of scanning through yet another table of contents, then pop over to Angewandte for a quick peek at their gallery of cover art. Every week they put out not just one, but five covers! Because as we all know, a magazine obviously has five fronts. Well, there's the actual front, the inside front, the inside out, the back, the front back, the back to front, oh and probably some others... But this week there were a couple that caught my eye and surely the eyes of every miniature scientist out there in journal land.

Musical chemicals

Firstly, there was the appearance of some wonderfully entertaining chemicals. Two pairs of blue and yellow guanine musicians just don't seem to be able to get the hang of their instruments. Struggling together, they are actually looking quite bored. Perhaps this is because they are only cartoons with no musical knowledge, or just maybe it is because they are missing the input of a little dancing blue circle! With the crowd now joining in, the duets bond together to form a quartet and everyone is happy again.

What a fantastic analogy this is for the conversion of GG base pairs into guanine-quadruplex structures after interacting with cations (our little blue friend). The best part of this cover by far is the couple of gate crashers at the bottom, trying to catch a glimpse of the show - but sorry, they've already bonded, no room for you guys.

Chemical engineering

The second cover this week showed off some little chemical builders. With their little hard hats, their little hammers and tiny walkie talkies, surely this is how synthesis will really happen in the near future. These engineers have been working away on an old worn out porphyrin ring and have converted it into a new shiny carbaporphyrinoid. Now take away that pyrrole ring and throw it on the molecular scrap heap. The first structure of its kind and made by mini (more like angstrom sized) scientists, what's not to love.