Debate

Starting Careers

Category: Discussions

Date: 1 July 2020

Duration: 60 min

Quality: HD MD SD

Debate (2020) - Starting Careers

Abstract

A career in science, possibly in an academic position, is the dream of many young scientists. Yet it is widely known that academia itself needs only about 5% of the students it educates to fill open positions. That leads to two big questions: How to become one of the 5%? And: What will the remaining 95% do?

On their way, young scientists naturally encounter questions concerning how scientific excellence is achieved and evaluated by peers. Being at an age when starting a family, pursuing a career in science and striving for a healthy work-life balance is often experienced as stressful, if not frustrating. Moreover, in academic positions, one is often additionally burdened with funding problems, teaching duties and heavy administrative tasks, which make a successful career in academic science a complex and often wearing process.

But there are also many opportunities outside the academic world: A lot of research, for example, is done in industry. Yet many fear a certain lack of academic freedom when being part of a product and profit strategy of a major company. One option that combines both would be to become an entrepreneur early on and found your own start-up, which once again comes with its very own challenges: Funding, business logic, media scrutiny, to name a few.

Or how about: Science journalist, data analyst, policy advisor, youtuber, or teacher?

“Careers” has been a long-running issue discussed in many Lindau panel debates; this time, the participants will focus on academic and non-academic career paths for scientists, and show what alternative paths are available.

Panellists:

  • J. Georg Bednorz, IBM Fellow Emeritus, IBM Research GmbH, Zurich Research Laboratory, Switzerland
  • Serge Haroche, Professor Emeritus, Collège de France, Ecole Normale Supérieure, France
  • Sir Konstantin S. Novoselov, National University of Singapore, Department of Materials Science & Engineering, Singapore
  • Amy Shepherd, Postdoctoral researcher, Boston Children’s Hospital, USA
  • Lillian Tugume, Makerere University College of Health Sciences School of Medicine, Uganda


Moderator: Alaina Levine, President, Quantum Success Solutions, USA


Click on the Online Science Days logo to be forwarded to the full programme of the OSDs. The full programme of the OSDs will also lead you to the respective recordings of the different events.
Click on the Online Science Days logo to be forwarded to the full programme of the OSDs. The full programme of the OSDs will also lead you to the respective recordings of the different events.