Nature Articles -

Interdisciplinary studies: Seeking the right toolkit
* Bryn Nelson
http://www.nature.com/naturejobs/2011/110804/full/nj7358-115a.html?WT.ec_id=NATUREjobs-20110804

Barry Bozeman, a policy analyst at the University of Georgia in Athens who studies scientists' career trajectories, says that for now, an interdisciplinary background is “very rarely an advantage” when looking for a faculty position. Biotechnology and pharmaceutical firms might be more accommodating, as long as the applicant's unconventional research fits within the company's overall scientific aims. But formal interdisciplinary training may be less important than informal learning experiences in labs, institutes and universities that encourage the intermingling of a broad range of ideas.

“If you have ideas that the department likes and people think that what you're proposing to do is vigorous and interesting, then you will get a job,” says Anikeeva, who did her postdoctoral research at the Clark Center. “I don't think it really depends on if you have interdisciplinary training or not.”

it is much harder to get interdisciplinary faculty positions.

“gives them full citizenry in terms of access to financial and physical resources”, says the programme's website. And when they complete their graduate studies, students are “strongly advised to be strategic about their post-doctoral placement, since most must find a job in an existing more traditional field”.

“People who establish interdisciplinary degrees are also more likely to hire people with interdisciplinary degrees,” says Bozeman.

Scientists for sale:
http://www.nature.com/naturejobs/2011/110804/full/nj7358-117a.html?WT.ec_id=NATUREjobs-20110804

First, be realistic and make sure that your product fits the needs of your target audience.

Second, a sales meeting is a conversation. All the tips I found stressed that the salesperson must listen to potential buyers to understand their needs.

Finally, explain clearly what will happen after the sale. Buyers need to know how they will put you, the product, to use. Think of yourself as a new printer. Are you 'upgradable'? Be honest about what you need to get started. It's best to tell your department about the particle accelerator you'll need in your basement before the fleet of moving trucks arrives.

Of course, should everything else fail, you can always break out the car-salesman routine. Look the search-committee members squarely in the eye, give them your widest grin and ask, “Say, what will it take for me to get this job today?”


Graduate students: Aspirations and anxieties
* Gene Russo
http://www.nature.com/naturejobs/2011/110728/full/nj7357-533a.html?WT.ec_id=NATUREjobs-20110804

Across all disciplines, PhD students became less pleased with their experience as their degrees progressed. Of first-year students who responded to the survey, 76% were “satisfied” or “very satisfied”; that decreased to 66.8% for second-years and 61.3% for third-years, although the numbers varied with region (see 'Continental divide').

Hugh Kearns, a psychologist at Flinders University in Adelaide, Australia, who studies the graduate-student experience, says that the change could also be due to research results not turning out as expected. He notes that new students sometimes have unrealistically optimistic ideas about the feasibility of their research aims.

Also, getting a PhD typically takes three to four years in parts of Europe, whereas it can take five or more in the United States, which can cause dismay.

Adviser recognition is an “essential element” of quality supervision, says Marja Makarow

They have found that a lack of direction and clear advice from an adviser leads to significant declines in student satisfaction.

Thomas Skalak, vice-president for research at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, emphasizes the need to impress upon students that they are, in the end, responsible for their own education. He likes to suggest that they act as 'intellectual entrepreneurs' by fastidiously minding their own education, graduate project, research focus and career prospects.

The survey implies that the longer students spend in graduate education, the less attractive an academic career becomes.

Intense competition for original results, publications and jobs seems to be a major factor in this change.

Among the 469 respondents, 42% of first-years wanted to be a “principal investigator at a research-intensive institution”; that dropped to 25% for third-year students. Of those who gave reasons, many cited the long work hours required, the challenge of getting funding, a distaste for daily tasks such as grant writing and the slow pace of research, and the intense competition for tenure. Some also had what Fuhrmann terms “positive” reasons for their change of preference — such as learning about an exciting new job opportunity.