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<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss version="2.0" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:wfw="http://wellformedweb.org/CommentAPI/" xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" xmlns:sy="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/syndication/" xmlns:slash="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/slash/" > <channel> <title></title> <atom:link href="https://blogs.nature.com/naturejobs/feed/" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml" /> <link>https://blogs.nature.com/naturejobs</link> <description>a blog from Naturejobs</description> <lastBuildDate>Wed, 01 Aug 2018 13:31:10 +0100</lastBuildDate> <language>en-US</language> <sy:updatePeriod>hourly</sy:updatePeriod> <sy:updateFrequency>1</sy:updateFrequency> <generator>https://wordpress.org/?v=4.9.25</generator> <item> <title>Announcement: The Naturejobs blog is moving house</title> <link>https://blogs.nature.com/naturejobs/2018/08/01/announcement-some-of-the-naturejobs-blog-is-moving-house/</link> <comments>https://blogs.nature.com/naturejobs/2018/08/01/announcement-some-of-the-naturejobs-blog-is-moving-house/#respond</comments> <pubDate>Wed, 01 Aug 2018 13:30:11 +0000</pubDate> <dc:creator><![CDATA[Jack Leeming]]></dc:creator> <category><![CDATA[Admin]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Blog]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Announcements]]></category> <category><![CDATA[blog]]></category> <category><![CDATA[community]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Nature careers]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Naturejobs]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Naturejobs blog]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">https://blogs.nature.com/naturejobs/?p=18151</guid> <description><![CDATA[We’re no longer publishing career stories from our global community of scientists on this platform. Instead they’ll be posted in a shiny new home at nature.com/careers alongside the latest print news and features from Nature’s careers section. We believe this will better serve our authors and audience.  <a href="https://blogs.nature.com/naturejobs/2018/08/01/announcement-some-of-the-naturejobs-blog-is-moving-house#more-18151" class="more-link">Read more</a>]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[We’re no longer publishing career stories from our global community of scientists on this platform. Instead they’ll be posted in a shiny new home at <a href="https://www.nature.com/careers">nature.com/careers</a> alongside the latest print news and features from Nature’s careers section. We believe this will better serve our authors and audience. If you have a careers story to tell, you can get in touch with the editors <a href="mailto:naturejobseditor@nature.com?subject=Here%20is%20my%20career%20story">here</a>. The blog will continue to be home to more than 1000 posts dating back to 2011, including advice on how to <a href="https://blogs.nature.com/naturejobs/category/cv/">polish your CV</a>, how to answer <a href="https://blogs.nature.com/naturejobs/category/how-to-answer/">tricky interview questions</a>, the <a href="https://blogs.nature.com/naturejobs/tag/mentoring/">best way to mentor colleagues</a>, and how to thrive in careers both <a href="https://blogs.nature.com/naturejobs/2015/11/17/career-paths-the-future-for-young-people/">inside and outside academia</a>. We plan to migrate some of this important content over to <a href="https://www.nature.com/careers">nature.com/careers</a> in due course, along with our monthly podcast about careers in science. <a href="https://www.nature.com/naturejobs/science/static/naturejobs-newsletter">Subscribe</a> to our weekly <a href="https://www.nature.com/naturejobs/science/static/naturejobs-newsletter">newsletter</a> — or follow our <a href="https://www.nature.com/subjects/careers.rss">RSS</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/NatureJobs">Twitter</a>, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/naturejobs/">Facebook</a> or <a href="https://www.instagram.com/naturejobs/">Instagram</a> — for regular updates and to get the latest careers advice and information. If you have any questions or comments please feel free to email the editors <a href="mailto:naturejobseditor@nature.com">here</a>. The Naturejobs team.   Suggested posts <a href="https://blogs.nature.com/naturejobs/2016/04/20/how-to-answer-why-do-you-want-to-work-for-us/">How to answer: Why do you want to work for us?</a> <a href="https://blogs.nature.com/naturejobs/2018/07/09/done-is-better-than-perfect-overcoming-phd-perfectionism/">Done is better than perfect: overcoming PhD perfectionism</a> <a href="https://blogs.nature.com/naturejobs/2018/07/06/why-scientists-should-communicate-hope-whilst-avoiding-hype/">Why scientists should communicate hope whilst avoiding hype</a> <a href="https://blogs.nature.com/naturejobs/2014/02/28/make-your-cover-letter-and-cv-stand-out/">Make your cover letter and CV stand out</a> <a href="https://blogs.nature.com/naturejobs/2016/03/02/how-to-answer-what-is-your-greatest-weakness/">How to answer: What is your greatest weakness?</a>   Follow us <a href="https://twitter.com/NatureJobs">Twitter</a> / <a href="https://www.facebook.com/naturejobs/">Facebook</a> / <a href="https://www.instagram.com/naturejobs/">Instagram</a> / <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/groups/4149665">LinkedIn</a> / <a href="https://www.nature.com/naturejobs/science/static/naturejobs-newsletter">Newsletter</a> / <a href="https://www.nature.com/subjects/careers.rss">RSS</a> / <a href="https://www.nature.com/subjects/careers.atom">Atom</a> / <a href="https://feeds.nature.com/naturejobs/podcast/magazine">Feedburner</a>     ]]></content:encoded> <wfw:commentRss>https://blogs.nature.com/naturejobs/2018/08/01/announcement-some-of-the-naturejobs-blog-is-moving-house/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>0</slash:comments> </item> <item> <title>How to track the “lost generation” of scientists</title> <link>https://blogs.nature.com/naturejobs/2018/07/30/how-to-track-the-lost-generation-of-scientists/</link> <comments>https://blogs.nature.com/naturejobs/2018/07/30/how-to-track-the-lost-generation-of-scientists/#respond</comments> <pubDate>Mon, 30 Jul 2018 16:31:52 +0000</pubDate> <dc:creator><![CDATA[David Payne]]></dc:creator> <category><![CDATA[Academia]]></category> <category><![CDATA[PhD]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Podcast]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Postdoc]]></category> <category><![CDATA[academia]]></category> <category><![CDATA[ESOF]]></category> <category><![CDATA[postdoc]]></category> <category><![CDATA[science careers]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">https://blogs.nature.com/naturejobs/?p=18133</guid> <description><![CDATA[“We should not consider it a disaster that someone trained to a high level doesn’t remain in academia,” Jean-Pierre Bourguignon, president of the European Research Council, told a panel discussion about science’s “lost generation” last month.  <a href="https://blogs.nature.com/naturejobs/2018/07/30/how-to-track-the-lost-generation-of-scientists#more-18133" class="more-link">Read more</a>]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<a class="wpn-image-link" href="https://blogs.nature.com/naturejobs/files/2018/07/d41586-018-05745-2_15958714.jpg"><img class="wpn-alignleft wpn-size-medium wp-image-18141 wpn-image" title="d41586-018-05745-2_15958714" src="https://blogs.nature.com/naturejobs/files/2018/07/d41586-018-05745-2_15958714-300x210.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="210" srcset="https://blogs.nature.com/naturejobs/files/2018/07/d41586-018-05745-2_15958714-300x210.jpg 300w, https://blogs.nature.com/naturejobs/files/2018/07/d41586-018-05745-2_15958714-768x537.jpg 768w, https://blogs.nature.com/naturejobs/files/2018/07/d41586-018-05745-2_15958714.jpg 800w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px"/></a>“We should not consider it a disaster that someone trained to a high level doesn’t remain in academia,” <a href="https://erc.europa.eu/erc_member/jean-pierre-bourguignon">Jean-Pierre Bourguignon</a>, president of the European Research Council, told a panel discussion about science’s “lost generation” last month. In this podcast Bourguignon and two of his fellow panel members tell Julie Gould how better career tracking data from universities and other institutions would show how few achieve staff positions, challenging the perception that academia is the only worthwhile career option.  <audio class="wp-audio-shortcode" id="wpn-audio-18133-1" preload="none" style="width: 100%;" controls="controls"><source type="audio/mpeg" src="https://media.nature.com/original/nature-assets/multimedia/podcast/naturejobs/naturejobs-2018-08-01.mp3?_=1"/><a href="https://media.nature.com/original/nature-assets/multimedia/podcast/naturejobs/naturejobs-2018-08-01.mp3">https://media.nature.com/original/nature-assets/multimedia/podcast/naturejobs/naturejobs-2018-08-01.mp3</a></audio> The discussion took place at the biennial <a href="https://www.esof.eu/en/">Euroscience Open Forum</a> (ESOF) meeting, held in Toulouse, France. Bourguignon is joined on the podcast by <a href="https://www.eua.be/about/who-we-are/governing-bodies/Rolf.aspx">Rolf Tarrach</a>, President of the European University Association, and <a href="https://programme.esof.eu/index.php?onglet=1&idUser=2091610">Renée Schroeder</a>, head of the Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology at the Max F. Perutz Laboratories of the University of Vienna. See also: <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-018-05745-2">Track the fate of postdocs to help the next generation of scientists</a> ]]></content:encoded> <wfw:commentRss>https://blogs.nature.com/naturejobs/2018/07/30/how-to-track-the-lost-generation-of-scientists/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>0</slash:comments> </item> <item> <title>TechBlog: PacBios are hackable, too</title> <link>https://blogs.nature.com/naturejobs/2018/07/24/techblog-pacbios-are-hackable-too/</link> <comments>https://blogs.nature.com/naturejobs/2018/07/24/techblog-pacbios-are-hackable-too/#respond</comments> <pubDate>Tue, 24 Jul 2018 12:00:07 +0000</pubDate> <dc:creator><![CDATA[Jeffrey Perkel]]></dc:creator> <category><![CDATA[Blog]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Technology]]></category> <category><![CDATA[jeffrey perkel]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Joseph Puglisi]]></category> <category><![CDATA[next-gen sequencing]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Pacific Biosciences]]></category> <category><![CDATA[techblog]]></category> <category><![CDATA[technology]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">https://blogs.nature.com/naturejobs/?p=18125</guid> <description><![CDATA[Sometimes, a DNA sequencer is more than it seems. In this month’s Technology Feature, I talk to the researchers who have figured out ways to squeeze new life from an outdated DNA sequencer, the Illumina GAIIx. That’s a popular choice for sequencer-hackers, but not the only one. Stanford structural biologist Joseph Puglisi uses a PacBio RSII from Pacific Biosciences to plumb the biochemistry of protein translation.  <a href="https://blogs.nature.com/naturejobs/2018/07/24/techblog-pacbios-are-hackable-too#more-18125" class="more-link">Read more</a>]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<div id="wpn-attachment_18127" style="width:1200px" class="wpn-caption wpn-aligncenter"><a class="wpn-image-link" href="https://blogs.nature.com/naturejobs/files/2018/07/PacBio_RS_II_Angle_High.jpg"><img class="wpn-image wp-image-18127 wpn-size-full" title="PacBio_RS_II_Angle_High" src="https://blogs.nature.com/naturejobs/files/2018/07/PacBio_RS_II_Angle_High.jpg" alt="" width="1200" height="813" srcset="https://blogs.nature.com/naturejobs/files/2018/07/PacBio_RS_II_Angle_High.jpg 1200w, https://blogs.nature.com/naturejobs/files/2018/07/PacBio_RS_II_Angle_High-300x203.jpg 300w, https://blogs.nature.com/naturejobs/files/2018/07/PacBio_RS_II_Angle_High-768x520.jpg 768w, https://blogs.nature.com/naturejobs/files/2018/07/PacBio_RS_II_Angle_High-1024x694.jpg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px"/></a><div class="wpn-caption-text">Pacific Biosciences Inc.</div> </div> Sometimes, a DNA sequencer is more than it seems. In this month’s <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-018-05769-8" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Technology Feature</a>, I talk to the researchers who have figured out ways to squeeze new life from an outdated DNA sequencer, the Illumina GAIIx. That’s a popular choice for sequencer-hackers, but not the only one. Stanford structural biologist <a href="https://www.puglisilab.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Joseph Puglisi</a> uses a PacBio RSII from Pacific Biosciences to plumb the biochemistry of protein translation. The RSII was designed as a single-molecule DNA sequencer, in which powerful cameras capture the flashes of light that result when a DNA polymerase molecule tethered to the base of a microscopic well inserts a fluorescently labeled base into newly synthesized DNA. But according to Jonas Korlach, the company’s chief scientific officer, that’s just one of its applications. “Yes, it’s a sequencer, but at the same time it’s also the world’s most powerful single-molecule microscope.” All that’s required to make that microscope record something other than DNA synthesis, fundamentally, is for researchers to replace the tethered DNA polymerase with another enzyme, and to add the appropriate fluorescent reagents. To alter the running conditions, researchers also need PacBio to ‘open’ its system software to afford them greater control — for instance, to adjust experimental temperature, imaging conditions, and fluid addition. According to Korlach, just four instruments worldwide have been tweaked in this way. (As with the Illumina hardware discussed in the Technology Feature, such hacks only work on PacBio’s older RSII; the newer Sequel is not hackable, Korlach says.) The company offers these researchers what support it can, but because they are pursuing home-brew applications, Korlach says, researchers who run into technical issues must solve them in-house. “They are mostly on their own.” Researchers have used these modified systems to address the biophysics of cell-cell interaction, transcription, splicing, and in Puglisi’s case, translation. Puglisi’s is a structural biology lab, and structural methods tend to provide static pictures. But biology is dynamic. So, his team typically pairs the methods up. “We always like to couple structural investigations with some way to animate the structure and bring it to life,” Puglisi says. Since 2014, the lab has published some 25 studies using the RSII to study the ribosome. In one <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41594-018-0030-z" target="_blank" rel="noopener">recent study</a>, for instance, Puglisi’s team studied the impact of modifying one particular carbon atom in the backbone of RNA. That modification, they found, causes the ribosome to pause, possibly in order to allow ancillary biological processes, such as protein folding or protein processing, to occur. “The biology of the system really still needs to be worked out, but the dynamic behavior and structural signatures that we saw were so striking that … there has to be some neat biology here,” Puglisi says. Korlach, who worked with Puglisi on some of his earliest efforts on the RSII, says the team, with Puglisi’s postdoc Sotaro Uemura (now at the University of Tokyo) worked out these methods on nights and weekends, when the laboratory was otherwise unoccupied. And he recalls the excitement of getting the system to work that first time. “It was pretty thrilling when we saw the first traces of real-time dynamics of ribosome translation,” he says. “That was the first time any human had ever seen a ribosome make a protein in real time on a single-molecule level, with codon resolution. Those are the types of milestones that as a method developer you live for.” Jeffrey M. Perkel is Technology Editor, Nature Suggested posts <a href="https://blogs.nature.com/naturejobs/2018/05/07/lattice-light-sheet-microscopy-gets-an-ao-upgrade/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Lattice light-sheet microscopy gets an AO upgrade</a> <a href="https://blogs.nature.com/naturejobs/2018/01/24/techblog-carbon-rainbow-enables-highly-multiplexed-microscopy/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">‘Carbon rainbow’ enables highly multiplexed microscopy</a> <a href="https://blogs.nature.com/naturejobs/2017/12/18/new-instruments-advance-mass-spec-imaging/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">New instruments advance mass spec imaging</a>]]></content:encoded> <wfw:commentRss>https://blogs.nature.com/naturejobs/2018/07/24/techblog-pacbios-are-hackable-too/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>0</slash:comments> </item> <item> <title>Writing an academic CV in English: 7 tips</title> <link>https://blogs.nature.com/naturejobs/2018/07/17/writing-an-academic-cv-in-english-7-tips/</link> <comments>https://blogs.nature.com/naturejobs/2018/07/17/writing-an-academic-cv-in-english-7-tips/#respond</comments> <pubDate>Tue, 17 Jul 2018 15:00:54 +0000</pubDate> <dc:creator><![CDATA[Jack Leeming]]></dc:creator> <category><![CDATA[Advertorial]]></category> <category><![CDATA[CV]]></category> <category><![CDATA[cv writing]]></category> <category><![CDATA[elliot brooks]]></category> <category><![CDATA[english language editing]]></category> <category><![CDATA[sponsored post]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">https://blogs.nature.com/naturejobs/?p=18115</guid> <description><![CDATA[This is a sponsored post from Nature Research Editing Service, part of Springer Nature  <a href="https://blogs.nature.com/naturejobs/2018/07/17/writing-an-academic-cv-in-english-7-tips#more-18115" class="more-link"> … Read more</a>]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<a class="wpn-image-link" href="https://blogs.nature.com/naturejobs/files/2016/10/writing-1043622_1920-smaller.jpg"><img class="wpn-image wpn-aligncenter wp-image-11063 wpn-size-large" title="writing-1043622_1920-smaller" src="https://blogs.nature.com/naturejobs/files/2016/10/writing-1043622_1920-smaller-1024x528.jpg" alt="" width="620" height="320" srcset="https://blogs.nature.com/naturejobs/files/2016/10/writing-1043622_1920-smaller-1024x528.jpg 1024w, https://blogs.nature.com/naturejobs/files/2016/10/writing-1043622_1920-smaller-300x155.jpg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 620px) 100vw, 620px"/></a> By Elliot Brooks This is a sponsored post from Nature Research Editing Service, part of Springer Nature A well-written cover letter and CV are both crucial in securing an interview. It is the first opportunity in any job application for you to impress your prospective employer, and therefore it is vital that you present yourself well on paper. When writing your CV, it’s important to adapt your writing to the format and expectations of the job application process – to give a brief but engaging account of relevant qualifications, skills and experiences. For many researchers, however, writing style isn’t the only hurdle when it comes to building an effective CV. Now, more than ever, research is takes place in a truly global environment – research collaborations and education programmes are shared across continents. English frequently is referred to as the “universal language of research” (over 80% of journals indexed in Scopus are <a href="https://www.researchtrends.com/issue-31-november-2012/the-language-of-future-scientific-communication/">published in English</a>) – and it is therefore becoming more common for prospective employers to request job applications written in English. This can be an obstacle for researchers who don’t speak English as a first language. For researchers who don’t feel confident writing in English, we at the Nature Research Editing Service have compiled a few quick tips below to help with English CV writing. For more general tips on writing academic CVs, see <a href="https://blogs.nature.com/naturejobs/2011/09/27/38-tips-on-writing-an-academic-cv">here</a>. <h2>7 tips for English CV writing</h2> <ol> <li>Keep your sentences short and clear. Avoid writing complex sentences as these can be confusing and you may lose the attention of your prospective employer.</li> <li>Write in past tense. The one exception might be when describing your current role – you may prefer to describe tasks that you’re still doing using the present tense.</li> <li>Use ‘dynamic’ and ‘action’ verbs such as attained, accomplished, conducted, established, facilitated, founded, managed, etc (or attaining, accomplishing, etc if you are describing your current role). See more here.</li> <li>Use abbreviated sentence construction. This is acceptable for CV writing in order to save space. Where possible, you can leave out sentence subjects (“I”, “my”), possessive pronouns (“my/mine”) and even articles (“the”, “a”). You can use lists – replacing “and” with a semicolon. Make sure to have a friend or colleague whose native language is English to check that your sentences are clear and easy to read.</li> <li>Spacing, aligning and layout are very important when you write your CV, in order to create a positive and professional impression.</li> <li>Use a thesaurus to help you improve vocabulary and avoid repetition.</li> <li>Proofread. Look out for grammatical and spelling errors, as well as sentences that are not clear. You could also ask a colleague whose native language is English to proofread your CV.</li> <li style="list-style-type: none"/> </ol> As well as following these tips, you may wish to use a professional editing service to polish the your written English in your CV and job application documents. Professional editors will, for a fee, edit your documents to ensure the English is well-written and error-free. Nature Research Editing Service is one such editing service. It is provided by Nature Research and available to all researchers — whether they’re publishing with Springer Nature or elsewhere. It offers English editing for all academic documents, including CVs and covering letters. <a href="https://www.springernature.com/cv-editing">See here for 10% off your first CV edit.</a> Notes Nature Research Editing Service is part of Springer Nature Author Services. It is a service provided by Nature Research, publisher of Nature and Scientific American, and available to all researchers. Reference Van Weijen, 2012 The Language of (Future) Scientific Communication. Research Trends<a href="https://www.researchtrends.com/issue-31-november-2012/the-language-of-future-scientific-communication/"> https://www.researchtrends.com/issue-31-november-2012/the-language-of-future-scientific-communication/</a> Elliot Brooks is an Associate Publishing Manager with the Researcher Services team at Springer Nature. Suggested posts <a href="https://blogs.nature.com/naturejobs/2015/01/23/dont-panic-how-to-make-your-cv-look-its-best/">Don’t Panic! How to make your CV look its best</a> <a href="https://blogs.nature.com/naturejobs/2011/09/27/38-tips-on-writing-an-academic-cv/">38 tips on writing an academic CV</a> <a href="https://www.nature.com/naturejobs/science/career_toolkit/cvs">Career toolkit: CVs and resumes</a> ]]></content:encoded> <wfw:commentRss>https://blogs.nature.com/naturejobs/2018/07/17/writing-an-academic-cv-in-english-7-tips/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>0</slash:comments> </item> <item> <title>University drops test scores from graduate-admissions criteria</title> <link>https://blogs.nature.com/naturejobs/2018/07/13/university-drops-test-scores-from-graduate-admissions-criteria/</link> <comments>https://blogs.nature.com/naturejobs/2018/07/13/university-drops-test-scores-from-graduate-admissions-criteria/#respond</comments> <pubDate>Fri, 13 Jul 2018 07:00:59 +0000</pubDate> <dc:creator><![CDATA[Karen Kaplan]]></dc:creator> <category><![CDATA[Academia]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Collaboration]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Communication]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Diversity]]></category> <category><![CDATA[PhD]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Postgraduate]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Relationships]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category> <category><![CDATA[US]]></category> <category><![CDATA[activism]]></category> <category><![CDATA[admissions]]></category> <category><![CDATA[diversity]]></category> <category><![CDATA[graduate programme]]></category> <category><![CDATA[GRE]]></category> <category><![CDATA[minority]]></category> <category><![CDATA[PhD student]]></category> <category><![CDATA[recruitment]]></category> <category><![CDATA[underrepresented minority]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">https://blogs.nature.com/naturejobs/?p=18103</guid> <description><![CDATA[Joining the ranks of more than 60 institutions and graduate programmes across the United States, the biological sciences division of the University of Chicago in Illinois has cut a standard test from its graduate admissions requirements. The decision aims to boost the likelihood of admission for minority and female applicants by levelling the playing field.  <a href="https://blogs.nature.com/naturejobs/2018/07/13/university-drops-test-scores-from-graduate-admissions-criteria#more-18103" class="more-link">Read more</a>]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<h4>PhD students have led a successful push for greater inclusivity of under-represented groups in science, technology, engineering and maths.</h4> <div id="wpn-attachment_18109" style="width:851px" class="wpn-caption wpn-alignnone"><a class="wpn-image-link" href="https://blogs.nature.com/naturejobs/files/2018/07/GRIT.jpg"><img class="wpn- wp-image-18109 wpn-image" title="GRIT" src="https://blogs.nature.com/naturejobs/files/2018/07/GRIT-300x283.jpg" alt="" width="851" height="803" srcset="https://blogs.nature.com/naturejobs/files/2018/07/GRIT-300x283.jpg 300w, https://blogs.nature.com/naturejobs/files/2018/07/GRIT-768x725.jpg 768w, https://blogs.nature.com/naturejobs/files/2018/07/GRIT-1024x966.jpg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 851px) 100vw, 851px"/></a><div class="wpn-caption-text">Cody Anthony Hernandez</div> </div> <h6>Above, GRIT co-founders Cody Hernandez, Christina Roman, and Mat Perez-Neut, PhD students at the University of Chicago in Illinois, take a break.</h6> By Kendall Powell Joining the ranks of more than 60 institutions and graduate programmes across the United States, the biological sciences division of the University of Chicago in Illinois has cut a standard test from its graduate admissions requirements. The decision aims to boost the likelihood of admission for minority and female applicants by levelling the playing field. The division — which includes 16 graduate programmes with about 400 doctoral students, and admits about 75 students annually for PhD study — decided on 9 July to drop its application requirement for Graduate Record Examination (GRE) standardised test scores. The move results from a 6-months-long campaign and a 25 June letter by a group of biological-sciences PhD students at the university who maintain that GRE scores damage opportunities to include and engage prospective PhD students from underrepresented backgrounds. The student group, the Graduate Recruitment Initiative Team (GRIT), argues that GRE scores do not measure the ability to thrive in PhD studies. “Our goal is to ensure that prospective students have the resilience and perseverance factor that’s really needed to survive in graduate school,” says Cody Hernandez, a GRIT co-founder and third-year PhD student in molecular genetics and cell biology at the university. He says that the traits cannot be measured by standardized test scores, but instead must come from a more holistic review of graduate applications. The move makes the university the first major US research institution to largely drop requirements for all standardised test scores from both its undergraduate and graduate applications, starting this academic year. In June, the university announced it would <a href="https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/ct-university-chicago-sat-act-20180614-story.html">no longer require SAT or ACT scores</a> for undergraduate admissions. In their letter, GRIT noted that the GRE is known to be <a href="https://www.nature.com/naturejobs/science/articles/10.1038/nj7504-303a">biased against women, minorities and people from underprivileged backgrounds</a>. They also pointed out that GRE scores <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0166742">fail to accurately predict graduate student success</a> as measured by time to degree and total number of publications. Vicky Prince, dean for graduate affairs for the division, says that the division faculty members who are involved in admissions had already been discussing dropping the GRE requirement and had placed less emphasis on test scores during the last two admissions cycles. But she says that GRIT members have changed the division’s culture and approach to recruiting graduate students from underrepresented groups. Hernandez formed GRIT in 2016 with colleagues Mat Perez-Neut and Christina Roman. “There weren’t a lot of graduate students from marginalised backgrounds at the university,” Hernandez says. “Rather than just being upset about it, we wanted to learn why that was and find ways to solve the issue by working with faculty members.” The group, which includes 36 students from 15 biology graduate programmes, facilitates “difficult conversations” between faculty members and students about the barriers to entry that minority students face and about their ongoing challenges, such as implicit bias. GRIT also personally recruits candidate PhD applicants at national and local conferences and mentors and guides applicants throughout the admissions process. Their efforts directly helped recruit 8 of the 12 underrepresented-minority students who will begin graduate studies this autumn, according to Prince. “The challenges that minority students have had to face, such as working to pay university tuition, leave less time to do the other things that make you an attractive applicant,” including extensive research experiences, says Nancy Schwartz, former dean for graduate affairs and a faculty adviser to GRIT. She notes that the students recruited by GRIT are highly successful by any metric even if their academic records at the outset may be less strong than those of non-minority applicants. Prince says that the quick success of GRIT is due largely to the students taking the lead on how best to recruit, welcome and support underrepresented students. “We’ve been letting the bottom-up approach set the strategy,” she says. “The students are the people on the ground who know what’s really going to work.” National doctoral fellowship programmes at the US National Institutes of Health, US National Science Foundation and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute have also dropped the GRE requirement. Kendall Powell is a freelance writer in Lafayette, Colorado. Suggested posts: <a href="https://blogs.nature.com/naturejobs/2018/07/02/lowering-the-stakes-on-exams-could-help-close-the-gender-gap-in-stem-classes/">Lowering the stakes on exams could help close the gender gap</a> <a href="https://blogs.nature.com/naturejobs/2018/05/23/last-author-spot-tough-to-nail-for-scientists-who-are-not-white-or-male/">Last-author spot tough to nail for students who are not white or male</a> <a href="https://blogs.nature.com/naturejobs/2017/08/04/to-improve-reproducibility-listen-to-graduate-students-and-postdocs">To improve reproducibility, listen to graduate students and postdocs</a>]]></content:encoded> <wfw:commentRss>https://blogs.nature.com/naturejobs/2018/07/13/university-drops-test-scores-from-graduate-admissions-criteria/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>0</slash:comments> </item> <item> <title>Done is better than perfect: overcoming PhD perfectionism</title> <link>https://blogs.nature.com/naturejobs/2018/07/09/done-is-better-than-perfect-overcoming-phd-perfectionism/</link> <comments>https://blogs.nature.com/naturejobs/2018/07/09/done-is-better-than-perfect-overcoming-phd-perfectionism/#respond</comments> <pubDate>Mon, 09 Jul 2018 12:00:58 +0000</pubDate> <dc:creator><![CDATA[Jack Leeming]]></dc:creator> <category><![CDATA[Academia]]></category> <category><![CDATA[People Management]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Perspectives]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Research]]></category> <category><![CDATA[adelaide]]></category> <category><![CDATA[atma ivancevic]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Australia]]></category> <category><![CDATA[completion]]></category> <category><![CDATA[finishing PhD]]></category> <category><![CDATA[hand in]]></category> <category><![CDATA[jumping genes]]></category> <category><![CDATA[perfect vs done]]></category> <category><![CDATA[perfectionism]]></category> <category><![CDATA[PhD]]></category> <category><![CDATA[PhD submission]]></category> <category><![CDATA[thesis submission]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">https://blogs.nature.com/naturejobs/?p=18055</guid> <description><![CDATA[I submitted my PhD thesis on the evolution of jumping genes in December 2016, four days before Christmas. It wasn’t perfect — in many ways, it wasn’t even good. By the end of my graduate studies, I had hoped to be a proficient programmer and an established scientist with multiple high impact papers. At the bare minimum, I expected to find evidence to support my hypothesis. Instead, my thesis was largely unpublished, my coding was preliminary, and my results were inconclusive. In my eyes, it was a failure.  <a href="https://blogs.nature.com/naturejobs/2018/07/09/done-is-better-than-perfect-overcoming-phd-perfectionism#more-18055" class="more-link">Read more</a>]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<h2>The most important thing a PhD will teach you is how and when to stop.</h2> By Atma Ivancevic <div id="wpn-attachment_18081" style="width:724px" class="wpn-caption wpn-aligncenter"><a class="wpn-image-link" href="https://blogs.nature.com/naturejobs/files/2018/07/GettyImages-175973673.jpg"><img class="wpn-image wp-image-18081 wpn-size-full" title="Boy working on Puzzle" src="https://blogs.nature.com/naturejobs/files/2018/07/GettyImages-175973673.jpg" alt="" width="724" height="482" srcset="https://blogs.nature.com/naturejobs/files/2018/07/GettyImages-175973673.jpg 724w, https://blogs.nature.com/naturejobs/files/2018/07/GettyImages-175973673-300x200.jpg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 724px) 100vw, 724px"/></a><div class="wpn-caption-text">Sometimes ‘OK’ is OK enough</div> </div> I submitted my PhD thesis on <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2017/10/how-a-quarter-of-the-cow-genome-came-from-reptiles/542868/">the evolution of jumping genes</a> in December 2016, four days before Christmas. It wasn’t perfect — in many ways, it wasn’t even good. By the end of my graduate studies, I had hoped to be a proficient programmer and an established scientist with multiple high impact papers. At the bare minimum, I expected to find evidence to support my hypothesis. Instead, my thesis was largely unpublished, my coding was preliminary, and my results were inconclusive. In my eyes, it was a failure. I submitted my thesis purely because I wanted to enjoy a stress-free Christmas, for the first time in years. Since then, I’ve learned a thing or two about post-PhD life. Turns out, nothing is ever perfect. It’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking that perfection is just around the corner, and if you keep trying for another six weeks (or months, or years), you’ll solve everything. We all want to change the world — but realistically, that’s not going to happen during a graduate degree. It’s probably not going to happen during a postdoc, either. Major discoveries are characterized by many small stepping stones of success and failure. Knowing when to close each chapter and move on is a crucial part of the process. Completing a PhD within the specified time frame shows that you can set realistic goals and meet deadlines. This opens up your options to many post-PhD careers. Industry leaders will not care about whether or not you’ve published a paper as much as they care about your ability to take action and produce timely results. Academic labs are usually more lenient, but even they will notice the warning signs of a perfectionist. Academia requires regular publications, which means that at some point you have to let go. Seeking perfection will only result in endless delays and constant guilt, or worse, complete burnout from too much self-imposed pressure. It’s also important to remember that science is a rapidly changing field. Every day, we gain knowledge that builds upon or contradicts previous ideas. The purpose of your thesis is to demonstrate that you can conduct independent research and think like a scientist. You need to ensure that you present an accurate summary of current knowledge and new ideas. But you cannot ensure that your theories won’t be refuted sometime in the future. Your PhD is still valid and well-deserved, regardless of whether it holds true for the next hundred years. Moreover, there’s always time to make changes afterwards. The end of your PhD is just that: the end of your PhD. It’s not the end of your scientific journey. It’s taken almost two years for my unpublished thesis chapters to become published manuscripts. I could have continued my PhD: obsessing over details, waiting for reviewer responses, fretting over typos. My thesis would look a lot better (though I definitely would not). Instead, I’ve been able to use that time to start a postdoc in a new field, gain experience and develop new skills. There’s always time to learn and improve – you don’t have to do it all during your degree. So if you’re at your wits end, over-stressed and over-tired, trying to complete one last analysis, just remember: nobody ever feels ready. Your PhD will only get finished when you make a conscious decision to stop. It may not be perfect, or even complete; but there’s nothing better than a submitted thesis.<a class="wpn-image-link" href="https://blogs.nature.com/naturejobs/files/2018/01/bioPic_AI.png"><img class="wpn-size-medium wp-image-16535 wpn-image wpn-alignright" title="bioPic_AI" src="https://blogs.nature.com/naturejobs/files/2018/01/bioPic_AI-300x300.png" alt="" width="300" height="300" srcset="https://blogs.nature.com/naturejobs/files/2018/01/bioPic_AI-300x300.png 300w, https://blogs.nature.com/naturejobs/files/2018/01/bioPic_AI-150x150.png 150w, https://blogs.nature.com/naturejobs/files/2018/01/bioPic_AI.png 350w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px"/></a> Atma Ivancevic is an aspiring writer and perspiring scientist. She works at the Adelaide Medical School in South Australia, using bioinformatics to investigate junk DNA and neurological disorders. You can connect with her on <a href="https://twitter.com/jumpin_genes">Twitter</a>, <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/atma-ivancevic-42aa4342/">LinkedIn</a>, <a href="https://github.com/atmaivancevic">GitHub</a>, or her new blog <a href="https://jumpingenes.com/">Jumpin’ Genes</a>. Suggested posts <a href="https://blogs.nature.com/naturejobs/2016/07/11/balance-can-scientists-really-have-worklife-balance/">Can scientists really have work/life balance?</a> <a href="https://www.nature.com/naturejobs/science/articles/10.1038/nj7090-252b">What makes a good PhD student?</a> <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/537034a">Scientific advances: Fallacy of perfection harms peer review</a>]]></content:encoded> <wfw:commentRss>https://blogs.nature.com/naturejobs/2018/07/09/done-is-better-than-perfect-overcoming-phd-perfectionism/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>0</slash:comments> </item> <item> <title>Why scientists should communicate hope whilst avoiding hype</title> <link>https://blogs.nature.com/naturejobs/2018/07/06/why-scientists-should-communicate-hope-whilst-avoiding-hype/</link> <comments>https://blogs.nature.com/naturejobs/2018/07/06/why-scientists-should-communicate-hope-whilst-avoiding-hype/#respond</comments> <pubDate>Fri, 06 Jul 2018 12:00:10 +0000</pubDate> <dc:creator><![CDATA[Jack Leeming]]></dc:creator> <category><![CDATA[Career paths]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Communication]]></category> <category><![CDATA[In the news]]></category> <category><![CDATA[news]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Perspectives]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Research]]></category> <category><![CDATA[communicate]]></category> <category><![CDATA[eileen parkes]]></category> <category><![CDATA[impact]]></category> <category><![CDATA[post truth]]></category> <category><![CDATA[public trust]]></category> <category><![CDATA[research]]></category> <category><![CDATA[science and society]]></category> <category><![CDATA[science communication]]></category> <category><![CDATA[trust in science]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">https://blogs.nature.com/naturejobs/?p=18039</guid> <description><![CDATA[“Exciting new line of attack for aggressive breast cancer”  <a href="https://blogs.nature.com/naturejobs/2018/07/06/why-scientists-should-communicate-hope-whilst-avoiding-hype#more-18039" class="more-link"> … Read more</a>]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<a class="wpn-image-link" href="https://blogs.nature.com/naturejobs/files/2018/07/GettyImages-808812624.jpg"><img class="wpn-image wp-image-18047 wpn-size-full wpn-aligncenter" title="Left right human brain concept. Creative part and logic part with social and business doodle" src="https://blogs.nature.com/naturejobs/files/2018/07/GettyImages-808812624.jpg" alt="" width="1029" height="340" srcset="https://blogs.nature.com/naturejobs/files/2018/07/GettyImages-808812624.jpg 1029w, https://blogs.nature.com/naturejobs/files/2018/07/GettyImages-808812624-300x99.jpg 300w, https://blogs.nature.com/naturejobs/files/2018/07/GettyImages-808812624-768x254.jpg 768w, https://blogs.nature.com/naturejobs/files/2018/07/GettyImages-808812624-1024x338.jpg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 1029px) 100vw, 1029px"/></a> <h2>How we communicate our research is important in maintaining public trust in science</h2> By Eileen Parkes “Exciting new line of attack for aggressive breast cancer” I read that headline recently. “Fantastic” I thought, quickly followed by, “How have I missed this?”. My disappointment as I read the article (the new treatment had only been shown to work in cells in the lab, not in humans) turned to anger as I thought what someone with breast cancer might think whilst reading this. Someone who had coped with bad news and difficult treatments, hoping for a cure only to be disappointed again and again by overblown headlines. As scientists, we want our work to make an impact; to be a positive force in the world around us. Many of us chose to work in research in the hope of making the world a better place and advancing the sum of human knowledge — from finding our place in the universe, to understanding the intricacies of our DNA. We care about the planet, people and patients. That passion drives us, but there is a <a href="https://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v500/n7460/full/nj7460-113a.html">fine line</a> between our understandable desire to promote our research and the slippery slope of hype. I once tried to sell my second hand car – I did a terrible job. I declared every flaw: dodgy door handle, substandard paint job, temperamental sound system. Unsought, the car eventually found its way to auction. Sometimes when I’m communicating research to the media, it can feel a bit like selling that car again. Tempted to ignore the caveats and gloss over the limitations, we might be encouraged to overstate the impact, or the potential impact, of our work. We might find ourselves making statements on our “ground breaking” or “game changing” research that in reality, like most research, is more like finding another small piece of an enormous jigsaw than producing a finished masterpiece. It’s not just the media space where we find the temptation to exaggerate and claim greater significance than is truly warranted. Funders expect impact statements on our grant applications. We want the money so we play along, suggesting potential impacts that may be years down the line and a long way from making a significant difference. Funders want to demonstrate the impact of the research they fund, which the public have paid for, and will encourage us to promote our work publicly. In this context, it can be difficult to explain the gap between an important discovery about cell division, and the impact this may have on treating an illness one day — but not yet. We want to improve lives or make significant discoveries, and we want our research to infect others with the same excitement we have — in communicating with the public we should be able to communicate our excitement and hope without overselling our results. Published papers may include a “significance” paragraph. This is where we find phrases like “paradigm shifting” and “considerable conceptual advances” only to read a paper that promises more than it delivers. The paper may still be great research, but the overstatement of the findings in this initial paragraph can only disappoint and an otherwise interesting work may leave a sour taste in the mouth. Put yourself in the shoes of someone clinging to hope. An overhyped headline may lead them to invest their hope into a transformative treatment that, in reality, doesn’t exist. Building a career (<a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-018-05149-2">or a fortune</a>) on hype without substance leads only to disappointment. Hyped and oversold research is dangerous and damaging to science and scientists’ public reputation. In today’s post-truth world science faces heavy scrutiny, and public trust in science should be valued. Reciprocating that confidence by communicating the nuances of research, as well as being <a href="https://www.nature.com/news/openness-in-science-is-key-to-keeping-public-trust-1.16371">open</a> and honest about our findings, may prove to be the best way to maintain public trust in scientific research.<a class="wpn-image-link" href="https://blogs.nature.com/naturejobs/files/2017/12/Parkes.jpg"><img class="wpn-size-medium wp-image-16241 wpn-image wpn-alignright" title="Parkes" src="https://blogs.nature.com/naturejobs/files/2017/12/Parkes-225x300.jpg" alt="" width="225" height="300" srcset="https://blogs.nature.com/naturejobs/files/2017/12/Parkes-225x300.jpg 225w, https://blogs.nature.com/naturejobs/files/2017/12/Parkes-767x1024.jpg 767w" sizes="(max-width: 225px) 100vw, 225px"/></a> Eileen Parkes is a clinical post-doctoral researcher at Queen’s University Belfast, exploring the immune response to DNA damage. A terrible used-car salesman, outside the lab she loves spending time with family and using social media to talk science. Find her on <a href="https://twitter.com/eileen_parkes">Twitter</a> and <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/eileenparkes/">LinkedIn</a>. Suggested posts <a href="https://blogs.nature.com/naturejobs/2017/11/20/why-scientists-should-communicate-science-getting-to-the-heart-of-the-matter/">Why scientists should communicate science – getting to the heart of the matter</a> <a href="https://blogs.nature.com/naturejobs/2015/10/26/science-communication-sculpting-your-role/">Science communication: Sculpting your role</a> <a href="https://blogs.nature.com/naturejobs/2015/07/08/science-communication-science-in-the-media/">Science communication: Science in the media</a> ]]></content:encoded> <wfw:commentRss>https://blogs.nature.com/naturejobs/2018/07/06/why-scientists-should-communicate-hope-whilst-avoiding-hype/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>0</slash:comments> </item> <item> <title>How to run a creative and diverse PhD programme</title> <link>https://blogs.nature.com/naturejobs/2018/07/04/how-to-run-a-creative-and-diverse-phd-programme/</link> <comments>https://blogs.nature.com/naturejobs/2018/07/04/how-to-run-a-creative-and-diverse-phd-programme/#respond</comments> <pubDate>Wed, 04 Jul 2018 17:20:32 +0000</pubDate> <dc:creator><![CDATA[David Payne]]></dc:creator> <category><![CDATA[PhD]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Podcast]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">https://blogs.nature.com/naturejobs/?p=18097</guid> <description><![CDATA[Julie Gould discusses problem solving, research integrity, and the importance of feedback in PhD programmes at the 2018 ORPHEUS conference, held in Iceland in May.  <a href="/naturejobs/2018/07/04/how-to-run-a-creative-and-diverse-phd-programme#more-18097" class="more-link">Read more</a>]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[Julie Gould discusses problem solving, research integrity, and the importance of feedback in PhD programmes at the 2018 ORPHEUS conference, held in Iceland in May. <audio class="wp-audio-shortcode" id="wpn-audio-18097-2" preload="none" style="width: 100%;" controls="controls"><source type="audio/mpeg" src="https://media.nature.com/original/nature-assets/multimedia/podcast/naturejobs/naturejobs-2018-07-05.mp3?_=2"/><a href="https://media.nature.com/original/nature-assets/multimedia/podcast/naturejobs/naturejobs-2018-07-05.mp3">https://media.nature.com/original/nature-assets/multimedia/podcast/naturejobs/naturejobs-2018-07-05.mp3</a></audio> <div id="wpn-attachment_18099" style="width:620px" class="wpn-caption wpn-alignleft"><a class="wpn-image-link" href="https://blogs.nature.com/naturejobs/files/2018/07/41729527274_82b1456dae_o.jpg"><img class="wpn-size-medium-large wp-image-18099 wpn-image" title="41729527274_82b1456dae_o" src="https://blogs.nature.com/naturejobs/files/2018/07/41729527274_82b1456dae_o-768x265.jpg" alt="" width="620" height="214" srcset="https://blogs.nature.com/naturejobs/files/2018/07/41729527274_82b1456dae_o-768x265.jpg 768w, https://blogs.nature.com/naturejobs/files/2018/07/41729527274_82b1456dae_o-300x103.jpg 300w, https://blogs.nature.com/naturejobs/files/2018/07/41729527274_82b1456dae_o-1024x353.jpg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 620px) 100vw, 620px"/></a><div class="wpn-caption-text">University of Iceland/Dagbjort Gretarsdottir</div> </div> ]]></content:encoded> <wfw:commentRss>https://blogs.nature.com/naturejobs/2018/07/04/how-to-run-a-creative-and-diverse-phd-programme/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>0</slash:comments> </item> <item> <title>Lowering the stakes on exams could help close the gender gap in STEM classes</title> <link>https://blogs.nature.com/naturejobs/2018/07/02/lowering-the-stakes-on-exams-could-help-close-the-gender-gap-in-stem-classes/</link> <comments>https://blogs.nature.com/naturejobs/2018/07/02/lowering-the-stakes-on-exams-could-help-close-the-gender-gap-in-stem-classes/#respond</comments> <pubDate>Mon, 02 Jul 2018 12:00:40 +0000</pubDate> <dc:creator><![CDATA[Jack Leeming]]></dc:creator> <category><![CDATA[Academia]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Career paths]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Competition]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Data]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Diversity]]></category> <category><![CDATA[diana crow]]></category> <category><![CDATA[gender]]></category> <category><![CDATA[gender gap]]></category> <category><![CDATA[high-stakes exams]]></category> <category><![CDATA[plos one]]></category> <category><![CDATA[STEM]]></category> <category><![CDATA[teaching]]></category> <category><![CDATA[training]]></category> <category><![CDATA[undergraduate classes]]></category> <category><![CDATA[women in science]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">https://blogs.nature.com/naturejobs/?p=18025</guid> <description><![CDATA[In many undergrad STEM courses, high-stakes exams — such as mid-terms and finals — determine as much as 60-70% of the student’s overall grade. However, this emphasis on tests may be inadvertently putting some students at a disadvantage.  <a href="https://blogs.nature.com/naturejobs/2018/07/02/lowering-the-stakes-on-exams-could-help-close-the-gender-gap-in-stem-classes#more-18025" class="more-link">Read more</a>]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<h3>Women tend to underperform in introductory STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) courses, but tweaking how courses are graded could help change that.</h3> By Diana Crow In many undergrad STEM courses, high-stakes exams — such as mid-terms and finals — determine as much as 60-70% of the student’s overall grade. However, this emphasis on tests may be inadvertently putting some students at a disadvantage. <div id="wpn-attachment_18035" style="width:682px" class="wpn-caption wpn-aligncenter"><a class="wpn-image-link" href="https://blogs.nature.com/naturejobs/files/2018/06/GettyImages-95012082.jpg"><img class="wpn-image wp-image-18035 wpn-size-full" title="College students taking test in classroom" src="https://blogs.nature.com/naturejobs/files/2018/06/GettyImages-95012082.jpg" alt="" width="682" height="512" srcset="https://blogs.nature.com/naturejobs/files/2018/06/GettyImages-95012082.jpg 682w, https://blogs.nature.com/naturejobs/files/2018/06/GettyImages-95012082-300x225.jpg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 682px) 100vw, 682px"/></a><div class="wpn-caption-text">An emphasis on high-stakes exams at undergraduate level may be a contributor to the gender gap</div> </div> A <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/authors?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0189610">study published in </a><a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/authors?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0189610">PLOS ONE</a> late last year found that in introductory biology classes where homework assignments and smaller quizzes made up a larger percentage of the grade (and exams only accounted for about 40%), the gender gap decreased or disappeared. In these courses, women tended to perform better not just in terms of overall grade but also on the exams themselves. Aside from the way exam grades were weighted, the exams didn’t change, says study co-author <a href="https://cbs.umn.edu/contacts/sehoya-cotner">Sehoya Cotner</a> of University of Minnesota. The tests were the same length and the questions were just as difficult. “This isn’t about watering things down,” she says. “It’s about reducing anxiety.” When Cotner presents this idea, some STEM instructors are reluctant to de-emphasize exams. Often, their argument is that working scientists are expected to perform in high-stakes situations, but Cotner counters that high-stress exams may not be the most accurate predictors of who does well later on. “There’s a need to make sure that the scientists we graduate are competent,” she says. “But…I think there are a lot of ways we can reveal competence and nurture competence without giving developing scientists these really high-threat testing environments.” She points out that de-emphasizing exam grades is a relatively low-effort intervention to try. In many undergrad STEM classes, weekly homework assignments, lab reports, and class participation are already part of the overall course grade; all the instructor has to do is make those non-exam assignments a larger chunk of the grade. Cotner says it’s not entirely clear why women tend not to do as well on high-stakes exams. One hypothesis is that women may be experiencing <a href="https://diversity.arizona.edu/sites/default/files/stereotype_threat_overview.pdf">stereotype threat</a>, a psychological phenomenon where members of a group become preoccupied with a stereotype that ostensibly describes that group. Women who have repeatedly received the message that “women aren’t good at math and science” may be more anxious and distracted during high pressure tasks that remind them of that stereotype — like exams — <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0193397307001244">even if they are highly proficient</a>. Lowering the stakes on exams may reduce that anxiety and allow students to focus more easily. Stereotype threat isn’t the only possibility. “The differences we see could be driven by women doing better when it’s lower-stakes, but it could also be driven by men doing worse when it’s lower stakes,” says Cotner. “It could be our male students who are just phoning it in when they don’t perceive [the small assignments] being that important.” Without further research, though, this remains speculative. Psychologist <a href="https://psych.ubc.ca/persons/toni-schmader/">Toni Schmader</a> of the University of British Columbia, who was not involved in the study but who <a href="https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=toni+schmader+stereotype+threat&hl=en&as_sdt=0&as_vis=1&oi=scholart">studies stereotype threat</a>, says that since the study did not measure whether students felt self-conscious about stereotypes going intothe exam, this study by itself doesn’t show whether stereotype threat is the cause. However, the idea of women feeling heightened stereotype threat on higher stakes exams is plausible, given the existing literature, she says. One of the most pernicious stereotypes about women and minorities in STEM is<a href="https://www.pnas.org/content/113/31/8664.short"> the belief that success requires innate talent or natural genius</a>. Fields where belief in “fixed ability” is more prevalent, such as maths, physics, and philosophy, <a href="https://science.sciencemag.org/content/347/6219/262">tend to have wider achievement gaps</a> for women and minorities. While reading Cotner’s paper, Schmader wondered whether high stakes exams might inadvertently send the message that the instructors are looking for “raw talent” rather than effort and growth. “If that’s the case, then perhaps high stakes testing is bringing to mind those kinds of beliefs,” Cotter says. In other words, students who see exams as rewarding raw talent over growth might be primed to suffer from stereotype threat. Schmader is quick to point out that “the evidence isn’t there to connect all those dots.” But, she says, “that would certainly be an interesting avenue for further research.” Cotner is following up the study with further work through a<a href="https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1729935&HistoricalAwards=false">National Science Foundation-funded collaborative network</a> that will test out and collect data on strategies designed to lower barriers for women and minorities in STEM classes. In one experiment, they’ll see whether bringing in therapy dogs for students reduces stress and improves exam performance. In another, they’ll see whether allowing students to choose between grading schemes at the beginning of the semester (before exams) helps improve performance. In theory, students who tend to lose track of small assignments could choose to have their exams weighted more heavily, while students who tend to psych themselves out on high-stakes exams could choose the opposite. Whether this strategy works would depend on whether students know themselves well enough to accurately choose the grading scheme that is best for them. Cotner’s long term goal is to identify strategies that make a quantitative difference for students. “If it doesn’t close the gap, I’m not going to recommend it,” she says. However, re-weighting grades isn’t the only strategy for boosting engagement and performance in STEM class that Cotner recommends. Here are a few other tweaks that instructors can make without changing exam content: <ul> <li style="list-style-type: none"> <ul> <li class="wpn-s6">Hire a diverse set of teaching assistants. <a href="https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/guest-blog/under-represented-and-underserved-why-minority-role-models-matter-in-stem/">Research has </a><a href="https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/guest-blog/under-represented-and-underserved-why-minority-role-models-matter-in-stem/">shown </a>that students with<a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0361684315608842?journalCode=pwqa"> access to role models </a>from the same minority groups tend to do better.</li> </ul> </li> </ul> <ul> <li style="list-style-type: none"> <ul> <li class="wpn-s6">Don’t “spread out” women and minorities between groups. Some instructors try to set up small groups such that women and minorities are distributed across all the groups (rather than all sitting together), but being the only woman and/or only person of color in the group can make students feel tokenized and self-conscious.</li> </ul> </li> </ul> <ul> <li style="list-style-type: none"> <ul> <li class="wpn-s6">Give students time to discuss material in small groups. Fear of asking a stupid question in front of a large class can hit students from under-represented groups especially hard. (Even among professional scientists, <a href="https://www.timeshighereducation.com/news/men-much-more-likely-ask-questions-seminars-women">men are more likely to ask questions at conference seminars</a>.) Cotner finds that letting students bounce ideas off each other in small groups before starting the full-class discussion helps students feel more confident in their questions and comments.<a class="wpn-image-link" href="https://blogs.nature.com/naturejobs/files/2018/06/DSCN3420_edited_aboutme-1024x648.jpg"><img class="wpn-size-medium wp-image-18033 wpn-image wpn-alignright" title="DSCN3420_edited_aboutme-1024×648" src="https://blogs.nature.com/naturejobs/files/2018/06/DSCN3420_edited_aboutme-1024x648-300x190.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="190" srcset="https://blogs.nature.com/naturejobs/files/2018/06/DSCN3420_edited_aboutme-1024x648-300x190.jpg 300w, https://blogs.nature.com/naturejobs/files/2018/06/DSCN3420_edited_aboutme-1024x648-768x486.jpg 768w, https://blogs.nature.com/naturejobs/files/2018/06/DSCN3420_edited_aboutme-1024x648.jpg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px"/></a></li> </ul> </li> </ul> Diana Crow is a freelance science writer in Providence, Rhode Island. Suggested posts <a href="https://blogs.nature.com/naturejobs/2017/05/08/gender-gap-in-us-science-phd-degrees-persists/">Gender gap in US science PhD degrees persists</a> <a href="https://blogs.nature.com/naturejobs/2018/03/22/fewer-women-helm-top-universities/">Fewer women lead top universities</a> <a href="https://blogs.nature.com/naturejobs/2015/11/10/equal-opportunities-women-in-science/">Equal opportunities: Women in science</a>]]></content:encoded> <wfw:commentRss>https://blogs.nature.com/naturejobs/2018/07/02/lowering-the-stakes-on-exams-could-help-close-the-gender-gap-in-stem-classes/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>0</slash:comments> </item> <item> <title>How could universities and funders improve the situation for postdoctoral scientists?</title> <link>https://blogs.nature.com/naturejobs/2018/06/27/how-could-universities-and-funders-improve-the-situation-for-postdoctoral-scientists/</link> <comments>https://blogs.nature.com/naturejobs/2018/06/27/how-could-universities-and-funders-improve-the-situation-for-postdoctoral-scientists/#respond</comments> <pubDate>Wed, 27 Jun 2018 12:00:36 +0000</pubDate> <dc:creator><![CDATA[Jack Leeming]]></dc:creator> <category><![CDATA[Academia]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Ask the expert]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Career paths]]></category> <category><![CDATA[In the news]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Postdoc]]></category> <category><![CDATA[better postdoc]]></category> <category><![CDATA[david bogle]]></category> <category><![CDATA[funding]]></category> <category><![CDATA[postdoc]]></category> <category><![CDATA[postdoc experience]]></category> <category><![CDATA[research institutes]]></category> <category><![CDATA[research system]]></category> <category><![CDATA[researcher training]]></category> <category><![CDATA[universities]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">https://blogs.nature.com/naturejobs/?p=18007</guid> <description><![CDATA[I’ve already written about how PhDs can prepare for and decide whether or not they should pursue a postdoc. Here, I will discuss what more universities and funding agencies should be doing as stakeholders in training and employing researchers.  <a href="/naturejobs/2018/06/27/how-could-universities-and-funders-improve-the-situation-for-postdoctoral-scientists#more-18007" class="more-link">Read more</a>]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<h2>What the research system needs to be doing to improve the world that postdocs face</h2> By David Bogle <a href="https://blogs.nature.com/naturejobs/2018/06/25/what-should-you-get-from-being-a-postdoc/">I’ve already written</a> about how PhDs can prepare for and decide whether or not they should pursue a postdoc. Here, I will discuss what more universities and funding agencies should be doing as stakeholders in training and employing researchers. <div id="wpn-attachment_18015" style="width:4000px" class="wpn-caption wpn-aligncenter"><a class="wpn-image-link" href="https://blogs.nature.com/naturejobs/files/2018/06/GettyImages-846334702-smaller.jpg"><img class="wpn-image wp-image-18015 wpn-size-full" title="GettyImages-846334702-smaller" src="https://blogs.nature.com/naturejobs/files/2018/06/GettyImages-846334702-smaller.jpg" alt="" width="4000" height="1998" srcset="https://blogs.nature.com/naturejobs/files/2018/06/GettyImages-846334702-smaller.jpg 4000w, https://blogs.nature.com/naturejobs/files/2018/06/GettyImages-846334702-smaller-300x150.jpg 300w, https://blogs.nature.com/naturejobs/files/2018/06/GettyImages-846334702-smaller-768x384.jpg 768w, https://blogs.nature.com/naturejobs/files/2018/06/GettyImages-846334702-smaller-1024x511.jpg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 4000px) 100vw, 4000px"/></a><div class="wpn-caption-text">Universities must be doing more to ensure the postgraduate experience is a positive one</div> </div> Employers, both at universities and elsewhere, need a range of sophisticated research skills at their institutions. Early career researchers have already shown themselves to be incredibly talented; and society needs them to drive innovation in the economy. This is all the more important in the context of an ongoing <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_for_talent">war for talent</a>. Researchers must have the opportunity to develop as ‘creative critical autonomous intellectual risk takers’ <a href="https://www.leru.org/publications/doctoral-degrees-beyond-2010-training-talented-researchers-for-society">for the sake of society</a>. However, there are various barriers that make it difficult for postdocs to develop the skills needed to succeed both in and outside of academia. Postdocs are vital for universities to deliver ambitious research agendas but are too often treated as paper-writing machines rather than as truly independent scientists. For many, writing papers and focusing on the science might be exciting and personally satisfying, but this will have limited benefit in the long term for a future career beyond academia. Too often, research staff are recruited to deliver a specific project and spat out at the end without thought as to their future beyond having more papers to support an application for another postdoc position. Since <a href="https://www.nature.com/naturejobs/science/articles/10.1038/nj7508-256a">most postdocs are heading for positions outside of academia</a>, the postdoctoral period needs to be a time where scientists develop a <a href="https://blogs.nature.com/naturejobs/2018/05/04/science-careers-are-careers-that-involve-science/">deeper</a> and more sophisticated set of skills than the doctorate. Researchers need time to reflect on their development needs, and to spend time developing these skills, all within a working week that still <a href="https://blogs.nature.com/naturejobs/2018/04/24/time-management-stressed-science-needs-to-slow-down/">gives time for a decent work/life balance</a>. Right now, a constant pressure to produce more research prevents postdocs from finding time to contemplate personal development or to spend time with friends or family. It’s no coincidence that so many <a href="https://www.nature.com/naturejobs/science/articles/10.1038/nj7654-375a">postdocs burn out</a>. So what more do universities and funding agencies need to be doing? First, we need to articulate a clear set of skills that every postdoc should develop during this stage in their careers, and make sure that PIs, postdocs and universities provide the opportunity to develop these skills. We must also provide access to training and financial resources to support postdocs’ personal development. But this is useless if postdocs are too busy elsewhere to take part in training or development curricula. Most of all, the research system needs to provide postdocs with their most valued commodity: time. Funded grants for postdocs must carve out the time for them to reflect, plan, and pursue experience that will help progress their career. We must also begin to change the research culture. Too many PIs see postdocs as a mechanism for delivering research results. They must also see them as a person they are carefully mentoring and training through research. We must see the role of university research as developing people as much as providing results. Those taking up a postdoctoral position will all have done a PhD (or have equivalent experience). Most universities in Europe now have transferable skills training for doctoral candidates. All postdoc candidates have experience in tackling a large complex uncertain project which constitutes their PhD. If a postdoc comes from other parts of the world they may not and might need some basic skills training. I find the <a href="https://www.vitae.ac.uk/researchers-professional-development/about-the-vitae-researcher-development-framework">Researcher Development Framework</a> used in the UK a useful taxonomy for the skill areas that researchers need to develop. PhD candidates will develop some or all of these skills to some degree but many only superficially as they must concentrate on their specific research project. What deeper skills should universities be developing in their postdocs that make him or her more valuable to the workforce – both inside and outside academia? As research leaders they need to be looking into society’s future needs to identify new fruitful research areas that will make an impact: <ol> <li>Broaden their research perspectives and explore new research areas particularly through crossing disciplines to tackle societal challenges</li> <li>Develop skills for strategic thinking and developing systematic research road-maps</li> <li>Demonstrate the ability to think independently to develop major new research lines that are realistically deliverable and will have impact</li> </ol> Learning to lead the business of research and innovation across society: <ol start="4"> <li>Understanding of financial management, grant getting (from sources internal to an organisation as well as external sources), exploring varied funding sources (from venture capital or crowdsourcing, for example)<a class="wpn-image-link" href="https://blogs.nature.com/naturejobs/files/2018/06/Screenshot_3.jpg"><img class="wpn-size-medium wp-image-18011 wpn-image wpn-alignright" title="Screenshot_3" src="https://blogs.nature.com/naturejobs/files/2018/06/Screenshot_3-264x300.jpg" alt="" width="264" height="300" srcset="https://blogs.nature.com/naturejobs/files/2018/06/Screenshot_3-264x300.jpg 264w, https://blogs.nature.com/naturejobs/files/2018/06/Screenshot_3.jpg 677w" sizes="(max-width: 264px) 100vw, 264px"/></a></li> <li>How to pitch ideas, influence others and negotiate their stance</li> <li>Advanced public engagement skills to interact effectively with society</li> <li>Understand and support intercultural perspectives (in society’s research needs and fears and also within research teams)</li> </ol> Learning the business of research management <ol start="8"> <li>How to deliver on multiple projects</li> <li>Legal obligations</li> <li>(Team) Leadership and management skills – including the adoption of a coaching style</li> <li>How recruiting is done and used to build teams and expertise</li> <li>How to mentor others and support career objectives</li> </ol> Communication of ideas and building working practices both within academic and outside: <ol start="13"> <li>Teaching and facilitation skills which are useful in almost all professional occupations for developing others and in complex decision making well beyond the world of research</li> </ol> Universities need to be sure that opportunities to develop these skills are available to all postdocs, both through formal courses and also through on-the-job experience. Key to this is ensuring that researchers have time within a normal working week to do training courses and to put into practice the four skill areas listed above. We must not put extra burdens on postdocs since there is already evidence of overload and difficulty in maintaining a <a href="https://www.nature.com/naturejobs/science/articles/10.1038/nj7464-613a">balanced family life</a> — developmental time must be provided for within their contracted hours. There is a conflict at the heart of our research process: that the grant holder is put under vast pressure to deliver what they have promised in technical terms, and so not enough priority is given to the development of the people employed on those grants. Any significant change is going to require a culture change within our universities. This will require more universal leadership training for PIs with a strong focus on the specific aspects of developing research staff and allowing them freedom while delivering project goals. It also requires funders to be explicit about expectations for the personal development of research staff employed on their grants in their terms and conditions and in their peer review processes. We know that much research in industry is not used and <a href="https://fortune.com/2014/09/25/why-startups-fail-according-to-their-founders/">nine out of ten start-ups fail</a>. It stands to reason that these odds should be even longer for fundamental research. Whilst lots of the research might not be going anywhere, the newly trained postdoc will. Every postdoc must eventually move on to a new position and will make a difference there. We need them all to be given skills and confidence to do this for the benefit of us all, whether in business, industry, academia and society in general. Funders have a responsibility to ensure that funds awarded for great science also ensure full development for the people involved. A measure of success must be the extent to which this has succeeded for the researchers being trained. In particular, there needs to be real scope within grants for researchers to have time to develop their own ideas as well as developing ideas within the funded project. In this way we will be developing the sharp, independent minds that both the academic world and the world beyond need to drive crucial innovation in our society.<a class="wpn-image-link" href="https://blogs.nature.com/naturejobs/files/2018/06/DavidBogle24-smaller.jpg"><img class="wpn-size-medium wp-image-17993 wpn-image wpn-alignright" title="DavidBogle24-smaller" src="https://blogs.nature.com/naturejobs/files/2018/06/DavidBogle24-smaller-300x199.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="199" srcset="https://blogs.nature.com/naturejobs/files/2018/06/DavidBogle24-smaller-300x199.jpg 300w, https://blogs.nature.com/naturejobs/files/2018/06/DavidBogle24-smaller-768x511.jpg 768w, https://blogs.nature.com/naturejobs/files/2018/06/DavidBogle24-smaller-1024x681.jpg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px"/></a> David Bogle is Pro-Vice-Provost of the Doctoral School and Professor of Chemical Engineering at UCL and chair of the LERU (League of European Research universities) Doctoral Studies Policy Group Suggested posts <a href="https://blogs.nature.com/naturejobs/2018/06/25/what-should-you-get-from-being-a-postdoc/">What should you get from being a postdoc?</a> <a href="https://blogs.nature.com/naturejobs/tag/postdoc/">Postdocs on the Naturejobs blog</a> <a href="https://blogs.nature.com/naturejobs/2018/03/26/the-autopilot-postdoc/">The autopilot postdoc</a> ]]></content:encoded> <wfw:commentRss>https://blogs.nature.com/naturejobs/2018/06/27/how-could-universities-and-funders-improve-the-situation-for-postdoctoral-scientists/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>0</slash:comments> </item> </channel> </rss>