So You Wanna Change the World?

A recent entry in AAAS' Science Careers blog featured a former classmate of mine who was trained as a molecular biologist and then became a social entrepreneur. The nonprofit she founded and heads provides recycled lab equipment to researchers in low resource settings and is based on an initiative she started while still in graduate school. This is an interesting example of branching out beyond the lab and doing something that has a very tangible and practical impact on society, particularly in developing world countries.

Embarking on this kind of endeavor didn’t occur to me when I was in graduate school. My research on phospholipid signaling didn’t pertain to global health or sustainability and so it wasn’t immediately clear how I could contribute to solving developing world problems in a way that utilized my training. But as the example above shows, we don’t have to be limited to the subject matter we studied or be tied to the lab bench to make a difference.

If you’re looking for inspiration on ways to get involved, a few things come to mind:

1. Check out Idealist.org - a fabulous resource to search for volunteer and work opportunities here and abroad. It’s also a clearinghouse for nonprofit organizations (e.g. here’s their page on the New York Academy of Sciences, which contains a short description and our latest job ads).
2. Join Scientists Without Borders - an online community dedicated to solving global challenges through science- and technology-based solutions. They are seeking scientists like you to lend your knowledge and problem-solving skills to challenges posted by individuals and organization from around the world. (e.g see these potential solutions for purifying water in response to a poster from Uganda).
3. Consider a postdoc or fellowship in international development. For instance, the D-Lab at MIT occasionally has postdoc, volunteer, and full-time positions and Columbia’s Earth Institute has an official Postdoctoral Fellows Program.

To help explore these various avenues Science Alliance is collaborating with Scientists Without Borders to co-sponsor Innovating on a Shoestring: Medical Technologies for the Developing World being held June 30 at the Academy and broadcast live via the web. If you can’t make the event, it will also be archived on the Science Alliance page as an eBriefing. This workshop will provide a case study of developing world innovations being carried out at MIT’s D-Lab as well as practical resources to help you get started in initiatives outside of the lab. What’s more, the presenter will speak about transitioning from a PhD into this field and starting her own nonprofit.

It’s nice to know that it’s never too late to try and change the world.

Target Practice for Scientists

When venturing into the non-academic world for the first time, it’s easy to be in the dark about how to 1) find the perfect career and 2) actually land a job in your field of choice.

One specific challenge is sifting through the seemingly endless possibilities for science PhDs seeking to work in business, government, and non-profit sectors. Reading job descriptions is a good place to start, but won’t give a complete picture on whether or not a particular career path is a good fit. The best thing is to talk to people in these fields by conducting “informational interviews.” These conversations will provide a better sense of whether the job meets your skills, values, and interests and is one you indeed want to pursue.

Before landing your desired job, though, it’s critical to master one of the basics for getting your foot in the door: crafting your CV and/or resume. Most of you are familiar with the traditional academic CV; however, for non-academic jobs 1-2 page resumes or CV-resume hybrids are preferred. You don’t want to be overlooked for a position because relevant skills and experiences aren’t effectively communicated or because the document wasn’t in the appropriate format. You need to know which one to use and how to tailor it to the job to which you’re applying.

To illuminate these initial steps for scientific job seekers, Dr. Laura Stark Malisheski, a neuroscientist-turned-career counselor for graduate students at Harvard University, will present the in-depth workshop The Non-academic Search: Target the Job, Tailor the Approach. She will cover how to craft your best CV or resume and network your way into a job through informational interviewing. The event will take place Thursday, May 12 at the Academy and will also be accessible by webinar.

The tools you pick up from this workshop can be applied to the subsequent event on Saturday, May 21 Careers in Bioinformatics: From the Lab to the Clinic and Beyond at the NYU-Poly Bern Dibner Library of Science and Technology in Brooklyn. You will be armed with the right kinds of questions to ask the panelists and approaches to make your application competitive for a career in this field.

Until next time, happy (job) target practice!

Managing Difficult Conversations

Think back to a time in lab when you had to face a difficult conversation. Perhaps you wanted to address a lab mate’s continual disregard for the signup sheet on the PCR machine, negotiate authorship on a paper, or inform your PI you’re applying for jobs outside academia. How did it feel- were you nervous and apprehensive? Did you postpone having the conversation or avoid it altogether? Now what if I told you there are strategies you can learn that could transform difficult conversations and make them more manageable and less daunting?

Last month Mike Blank, member of the law faculty at Georgetown University Law Center, led the workshop Bargaining for Success: Mastering the Science of Negotiations at the Academy for our Science Alliance members. He provided a systematic framework to turn negotiations, often referred to as an art, into a science. Turns out, the same can be done for approaching a conversation where, like in the above examples, the topic is stressful or your relationship with the other person is tenuous. You have the opportunity to learn how when Mike returns to the Academy May 9^th to teach Interpersonal Skills: The Keys to Effective Communication and Managing Difficult Conversations.

It’s inevitable you will endure difficult conversations throughout your life in both personal and professional settings. Better to be prepared and ensure a better outcome, like salvaging relationships with your lab mates, getting the authorship you deserve, and obtaining the support of your PI in your nonacademic career pursuits.

Making the Most of 10,000 Hours

Some scholars believe it takes 10,000 hours or 10 years to become an expert at anything. Indeed, the path to being a scientist, and eventual expert in a given field, involves years of work to gain a deep conceptual knowledge of a specific discipline and hone research skills. What tends to be missing in this arduous pursuit is an attention to attaining competency in other core areas that extend beyond the lab.

To address this omission, the National Postdoctoral Association (NPA) has compiled a list of core competencies across six areas that postdocs, and other scientists, should strive to obtain throughout their training. Three areas are specific to science but the remaining three involve acquiring general “transferable skills” that can be applied to careers outside research: communication skills, professionalism, and leadership and management.

How can you cultivate these skills as a graduate student or postdoc?

Take advantage of career and professional development programming offered by your institution and professional scientific associations. As an example of the latter, Science Alliance, a program of the New York Academy of Sciences, provides courses, workshops, and seminars covering a wide range of skill sets, like the art of networking and art of speaking science, negotiation strategies and leadership and personal success through self-awareness and emotional intelligence. Similar types of resources are available on your campus through career service centers and postdoctoral affairs offices with many providing one-on-one advising, as well.

In addition to formal training approaches, another way to develop the recommended core competencies, or any other skill you feel you are lacking, is to learn by doing. Need to improve your public speaking skills? Teach, volunteer to give extra departmental seminars, or join your local Toastmasters. Don’t have any leadership or management experience? Become the lab’s radiation safety officer, supervise a junior student, or head up a project for a school or community group. These are just a few examples- the main point is to be proactive and seek out opportunities that will expand your repertoire of functional skills.

No matter how rigorous the program, the journey towards becoming a scientist will not equip you with all the skills needed for future career success. Therefore, be sure to carve out time to develop your personal and professional self outside the lab. Not only will it make you a well-rounded individual prepared for a multitude of careers, these positive “distractions” may even help the 10,000 hours of pipetting and PubMeding go by faster.

Recap: Science, Technology, and Intellectual Property

Intellectual property (IP) is the foundation of technology ventures yet the laws governing and protecting IP rights are unfamiliar territory for most scientists. What should researchers know in order to protect their inventions and innovations? This question was addressed in the Science Alliance seminar Science, Technology, and Intellectual Property held November 2, 2010, at the Academy. Below I’ve summarized the main points presented by chemical engineer-turned-patent lawyer Jeffrey Rosedale.

What is patentable? Just about anything manmade. “And they weren’t kidding,” Rosedale added, listing several amusing patents like animal ear protectors and a high-five simulator. Laws of nature, natural phenomena, abstract ideas, and humans are not. Of note is that improvements to existing technologies and new uses for existing technologies are patentable.

What are the legal rights that a patent provides? It provides an exclusive property right preventing others from copying or practicing your invention for twenty years. It does not, however, give the owner the right to practice the invention. In the end, according to Rosedale, a patent is a business tool.

What are the requirements for patentability? Rosedale listed 5: it must be useful, novel, and non-obvious, and the description of the invention must indicate its best use and be detailed enough that others can reproduce and use it (like the results section of a manuscript).

What are some problems that can arise? Publishing or presenting your invention before filing a patent can void a patent claim. Not keeping clear, dated records of the work on your invention can cause you to lose out if a competing patent is filed and you are unable to demonstrate that you were first. (So if your lab notebooks are a disaster, this might incentivize you to get organized).

What is the process for patenting an invention? Draft a patent application and file it with the US Patent and Trademark Office. There is no fixed timeline but expect the patent process in the US to take several years or more.

To learn more about patenting and licensing, check out the case Intellectual Ventures (available for purchase at Harvard Business Review). Discussed by venture capitalist David Anthony in the second portion of the seminar, this reading examines a business that acquires patents and generates revenues through licensing deals.

If you are interested in hearing more, the eBriefing for this event including slides and audio has been posted here (NYAS membership required for access).

If you are interested in patent law as a career, check out Science Alliance’s career path video and resource page on careers in business and law.