We interviewed several Yale faculty members, noted both for their scientific expertise and their success as mentors and advisors. They provided nuggets of wisdom and advice for new scientists beginning to pursue careers in research. These interviews focused mostly on the postdoctoral stage of a research career, but the ideas are relevant to graduate students and junior faculty as well. These videos contain key excerpts from each interview.
Scroll through the videos below, or jump to a particular one: Richard Bribiescas; Priyamvada Natarajan; Marina Picciotto; Laurie Santos; Paul Turner; Meg Urry. Transcripts of the videos can be found at this link.
Dr. Richard Gutierrez Bribiescas
Dr. Richard Bribiescas, Professor of Biological Anthropology, discusses building confidence. He cautions against self-censorship. Positive collaborative relationships permit researchers to share their ideas without judgment. He also recommends getting to know potential advisors before choosing a research position.
Dr. Priyamvada Natarajan
Dr. Priyamvada Natarajan, Professor of Astronomy & Physics, discusses developing a sense of independence as a researcher. Early career scientists should be able to take intellectual risks and pursue original ideas in order to grow as scholars.
Dr. Marina Picciotto
Dr. Marina Picciotto discusses the value of internal motivation. Highly successful researchers have lives and relationships outside of the lab, and being an excellent parent is entirely compatible with being an excellent researcher. Excessive pressure to work constantly can undermine careful and efficient research decisions. Scientists should expect their ideas and experiments to fail, and understand that the endeavor is worthwhile regardless.
Dr. Laurie Santos
Dr. Laurie Santos, Professor of Psychology, discusses the formation of effective work habits. She suggests selecting a few academic tasks at a time and taking steps to make these tasks more habitual and less intentional, making it easier to maintain a high degree of productivity long-term.
Dr. Paul Eugene Turner
Dr. Paul Turner, Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, discusses structuring time with lab members in order to maintain a functioning research group. He recommends having a weekly meeting of the whole group as well as one-on-one meetings every week with each member.
Dr. Meg Urry
Dr. Meg Urry, Professor of Physics, discusses learning from one’s advisor how to effectively run a lab and paying attention to the actions of people at a more advanced career stage to help plan one’s own approach. Career success also depends on maintaining relationships with peers and exchanging ideas, and learning to present oneself and one’s work confidently.