- Be generous with your efforts
- Join X/Twitter
- One paper a day keeps the supervisor away
- Back to biology basics
- Learn to structure your thoughts and projects
- Acquire some skills but avoid hyperspecializing
- Make sure you understand Bayesian reasoning
- Be generous with your efforts: Nothing disappoints me more in a scientist than seeing them rest on their laurels and take their foot off the pedal. I have even less patience for those who feel entitled and adopt a careerist calculating attitude. In the dynamic world of scientific research, there’s no room for complacency or self-satisfaction. Rest assured, the wheel of knowledge will continue to spin, with or without individual contributions. I’ve seen students and postdocs become complacent after publishing a major paper — as if the scientific enterprise will screech to a halt after their publication — and postdocs become lethargic after securing their independent positions, when in fact, having their own lab and the prospect of competing for grants should be driving them to achieve even more. It’s particularly disheartening considering that your output in the early phase of your career can disproportionately affect the rest of your professional life.
- Join X/Twitter: I often say I’m addicted to knowledge, and Twitter is my daily fix. You’re in the business of knowledge, and first things first — you need to know the current state of knowledge. There’s no better way to stay updated with the latest science than X/Twitter. Often, new papers are summarized in Twitter threads, which are a fantastic way to learn about new research without diving into the full paper. Plus, great science gets amplified through retweets and you get exposed to work that goes beyond your focused interests. You can also broadcast your own work, network with peers, and catch some funny tweets along the way.
- One paper a day keeps the supervisor away: Seriously, read the literature. Then, when you think you’re done, read some more. Knowing the papers in your field isn’t just a good idea — it’s essential. I can’t stress this enough. There’s nothing more embarrassing than coming across as unaware of the key papers in your field. And there is nothing more rewarding than making your colleagues aware of a new paper they may have missed.
- Back to biology basics: You can’t truly call yourself a biologist without a solid understanding of DNA, evolution, and biodiversity. Make sure you cover these areas thoroughly. Surprisingly, I know too many biologists who gloss over these fundamentals. (This advice applies across other fields of science too — know your basics!)
- Learn to structure your thoughts and projects: Students often struggle to articulate the goals and rationale behind their research projects. Too frequently, when I ask why are you conducting certain experiments, the answer is, “because I was told to.” You need to clearly understand and communicate the rationale behind your work — why are you dedicating so much effort to this specific project instead of another? Why climb this mountain and not another? It should be crystal clear in your mind. Tools like GOHREP and PLESI are popular and helpful guides to serve as beacons for your research projects and for navigating the day-to-day challenges of laboratory work. And don’t forget to BBQ!
- Acquire some skills but avoid hyperspecializing: It’s crucial to acquire technical skills and develop a deep understanding of specific topics, but beware of becoming too specialized. While hyperspecialization may be advantageous in some contexts, it generally makes you vulnerable to changes, and the reality is you never know what skills will prove useful in the future. Strive to be antifragile, as the ingenious Nassim Taleb puts it. Consider this: a metal cup will outlast one made of glass. Our world and our careers will inevitably encounter disorder, volatility, and turmoil. You want to increase your chances of not just surviving but thriving through such stresses with an eclectic mix of skills and expertise. When asked, “What should I study? What should I learn?” My response is always: anything.
- Make sure you understand Bayesian reasoning: Shockingly, I only became aware of Bayesian philosophy late in my career, a testament to the misguided and bland cookbook statistics many of us learn at university. Hopefully, you’ll get exposed to Bayesian reasoning earlier than I did. Consider how Bayesian convergence aligns with the scientific method, where unraveling the reality of the natural world through observation and experimentation is often a “path to less wrongness” rather than a revelation of absolute truth. The journey towards scientific truth should be viewed as becoming less and less wrong over time. Make this your journey.
Acknowledgements
I am grateful to the long list of friends and colleagues who have helped me shape my ideas into somewhat coherent thoughts. The article was written with assistance from ChatGPT.
This article is available on a CC-BY license via Zenodo.
Cite as: Kamoun, S. (2024) 7 random unsolicited tips for students and early career researchers. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.11431578
