ONE NORMALLY BECOMES A SCIENTIST THROUGH A SERIES OF APPRENTICESHIPS, PURSUING
research in laboratories directed by established scientists. My own scientifi c mentors were
Jacques Fresco and Paul Doty at Harvard, where I learned not only technical skills but also
how to think and function as a scientist. Both from them, and by making my own mistakes,* I
learned how to identify important problems, how to think critically, and how to design effective
research strategies. Because so much of one’s scientifi c future is shaped by early experiences, it
is critical that beginning scientists select their mentors wisely. Unfortunately, what constitutes
a “good” choice is not always obvious. Here I offer some personal advice to help young scientists
make these tough decisions wisely.
The exact project pursued for a Ph.D. degree is not nearly as important as fi nding the best
place for learning how to push forward the frontier of knowledge as an independent investigator.
My fi rst piece of advice for graduate students is to begin research training in a laboratory
led by a person with high scientifi c and ethical standards. It is
by talking to people in that lab or those who have previously trained
there, and by consulting other scientists in the same fi eld, that one
can gain this important insight.
It is also important to fi nd an adviser who will pay close attention
to your development as a scientist. Brilliant scientists sometimes
make poor mentors. Often, an established leader who has no more
than about a dozen people to manage can best nurture a creative,
exciting, and supportive place to work. But carrying out research
with an outstanding new professor with a very small group can frequently
provide even better training.
Students enter graduate school both to learn how to do science well
and to discover where their talents and interests lie. Success at either
task requires that they be empowered to create new approaches and
to generate new ideas. In my experience, beginning scientists will
only gain the confi dence needed to confront the unknown successfully by making discoveries
through experiments of their own design. The best research advisers will therefore provide their
graduate students with enough guidance to prevent them from wasting time on nonproductive
pursuits, while giving them the freedom to innovate and to learn from their own mistakes.
In my fi eld of biology, two apprenticeships are standard for beginning scientists: fi rst while
earning a Ph.D. degree and then in a second laboratory in a postdoctoral position. The choice of a
postdoctoral laboratory is best made with a long-term career plan in mind. Scientists at this stage
should intentionally try to choose a laboratory where they can acquire skills that complement
those they already have. For example, a student whose Ph.D. thesis gave her strong skills as a yeast
geneticist might choose to do postdoctoral research with an expert protein biochemist, planning to
later use a combination of powerful genetic and biochemical tools to attack a biological problem
in an area where very few scientists have the same abilities.
But success as an independent scientist will require much more than technical skills. It is critical
to be able to design research strategies that are ambitious enough to be important and exciting,
innovative enough to make unique contributions likely, and nevertheless have a good chance of
producing valuable results. An enormous number of different experiments are possible, but only
a tiny proportion will be really worthwhile. Choosing well requires great thought and creativity,
and it involves taking risks.
Senior scientists have the responsibility of maintaining a system that provides talented
young scientists with the opportunity to succeed in whatever career they choose. My next editorial
addresses the importance of ensuring that innovation and risk-taking are rewarded for
those pursuing a life of independent research. Also, a new series in Science Careers highlights
conversations with audacious scientists who give their own advice about selecting institutions,
mentors, and projects.†
916 13 NOVEMBER 2009 VOL 326 SCIENCE www.sciencemag.org
EDITORIAL
CREDITS:
(TOP) TOM KOCHEL; (LEFT) GETTY IMAGES
– Bruce Alberts
10.1126/science.1184202
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