Perfect match: professional speed dating introduces science PhDs to more career options
A new event at the ISMB biannual research meeting increases young scientists' career opportunities.
This year’s ISMB retreat, which took place July 3-4 at Robinson College Cambridge, included talks by postgraduate students and young postdoctoral researchers working in molecular and structural biology and allied disciplines. It also introduced a new event aimed at giving researchers at the start of their careers a way to find out about potential areas of employment. Experts were drawn from both inside and outside the lab including representatives from science publishing, patent law, drug research and scientific administration, alongside lecturers and principal investigators from the Institute.
Find your perfect scientific career
The ‘dating’ format saw the industry experts seated at tables while the new scientists circulated among them, taking four minutes to talk about opportunities and career prospects in the field. The event proved both demanding, in terms of the focus required in a room where there were 20 simultaneous conversations, and enlightening, in terms getting to the heart of motivation for both experts and PhDs.
Some comments from participants:
The speed dating was surprisingly fun. It was partially about career perspectives, but often simply about science. Expert
The speed dating was a very useful exercise in career development. PhD
You can read the full report on this year's ISMB retreat here.