A Survival Guide for Research Scientists

Research scientists play a pivotal role in society. Their passion for science will drive them forward, leading to new discoveries that will ultimately make the world a better place. Unfortunately, as the professional environment becomes more and more competitive, research scientists today cannot just rely on technical knowledge to carve successful careers. Besides technical skills, they will need to acquire other skills, such as how to communicate their science to the outside world. A Survival Guide for Research Scientists is a one-stop-shop that will help you to develop those core skills not often taught at school or university.

The book has been written by an author with more than 20 years of scientific research experience (across different scientific disciplines). She has not only been a research scientist but also a writer, a consultant, a sole-trader and a project manager. 

A Survival Guide for Research Scientists takes on a holistic approach in order to help you pave the way for success. As such, it features practical guidelines on how to:

• conduct your scientific research (how to: do literature review, design experiments, adopt best practice, ensure health and safety, etc.).

• write and edit (reports, bid proposals, peer review publications, etc).

• interact with the outside world (be a team leader, manage a project, network, deal with difficult people, do presentations, organise meetings, etc.).

• look after your career (and get your dream job).

• look for a job (develop your CV, prepare for interviews, etc.).

• become self-employed (and achieve business success). 

• deal with redundancy (and move forward in life, etc)

Whatever your scientific background may be, this book is the perfect accompaniment, to guide you at every stage of your career.

• Experiment design
• Literature review
• Safe working practices
• Project management
• Interpersonal relationships
• Scientific ethics
• Career options
• Research science
• Practical skills
• Company culture

“I recommend Tantra’s book to all readers of PHYSICS TODAY. Group leaders will gain perspective on the difficulties novice researchers face and will perhaps also gain some empathy toward their junior colleagues. Graduate students will benefit from tips that could help them avoid painful learning from experience.” (Pedro C. Marijuán, Physics Today, June, 2020)

• Portsmouth, UK

  Ratna Tantra

Dr. Ratna Tantra has been a scientist for over 20 years. She has vast experience across different scientific disciplines, having worked in academia, industry and government research. She got her PhD. from University College London in electrochemistry. She then became a research associate specialising in microfludics, first at Imperial College London and then University of Glasgow. In 2002, she moved to the National Physical Laboratory (NPL), in which she worked in a biotechnology group before specialising in nanoanalysis. In 2016, after working at NPL for 14 years, she took redundancy and since then has become self-employed, with a portfolio of different activities, from launching a soap business (originating from her hobby) to working as a scientific expert for the European Commission. Her inherent passion for writing and genuine interest to help others has led her to write this book.

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