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Welcome to the Women in STEM podcast and boy oh boy today we have such an interesting

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episode we're going to be covering tips and techniques for early career scientists and

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how to navigate the process from research to publication.

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Would you like to introduce yourself please?

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I'm Dr Brooke Grindlinger, Chief Scientific Officer at the New York Academy of Sciences.

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I'm Australian, a microbiologist and the former science editor for the Journal of Clinical

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Investigation.

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Wow, I can definitely tell from your intro that you are definitely the right person for

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this topic.

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What are some of the tips and techniques that early career scientists can employ to effectively

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navigate the process from research to publication?

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Well allow me to begin with an encouraging word for early career scientists who may be

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at the beginning of their journey from research to publication.

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It's so key to remember that this journey, especially early in your scientific career,

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is a learning experience.

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While the manuscript preparation and review process may often feel as if you're running

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the gauntlet, the end goal of the peer review process is to guide you to the acceptance

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and publication of a scientifically rigorous and well-prepared research paper that advances

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knowledge in your field of research.

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So I encourage authors to embrace feedback from their mentors, reviewers and journal editors,

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be persistent and be patient through what can be a time consuming process.

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I'll share four specific tips for authors.

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My first tip is to start writing early.

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It's not uncommon for early career researchers to dread the writing up of a research manuscript,

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especially if it's your first attempt to do so.

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But you can begin writing draft sections of your manuscript as soon as you start your

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research project.

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And if you have trouble knowing where to begin, the materials and method section is often

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the easiest section to start with, and you can update it as new experiments are started

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and completed.

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It's like writing out the recipe for the cake that you've just baked.

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So create an outline of your experiments and results to help you organize your thoughts

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and your data effectively.

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And remember that your research paper is really a story that you need to tell logically for

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the reader.

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My second tip is to collaborate and seek feedback as you write.

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Ask your colleagues or mentors to read early drafts of sections or the entire manuscript

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and to provide feedback.

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This will help you to improve the clarity and the coherence of your writing.

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My third tip is to choose the right journal.

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While every scientist might aspire to one day be published in the journal's Science

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or Nature, consider which journals you read to keep up with your specific research field.

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And also ask the advice of well-published colleagues in your field who, through experience,

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may have a helpful perspective on which journal is the optimal fit for your manuscript.

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And you should also consult a journal's scope statement, which is always made publicly

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available and provides further guidance about the scientific scope, the target audience,

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and impact of research that each journal prioritizes.

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And you can also explore whether journals of interest to you might welcome a pre-submission

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inquiry.

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That is, a very short letter that provides an overview of your research discoveries and

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their impact.

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Most of the editorial board may be willing to provide a quick decision in just a matter

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of days on whether you should proceed with formal submission of the manuscript to their

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journal.

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This can save you weeks or even months waiting for the return of reviewer comments through

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official review channels.

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And you might also consider a journal's impact factor, which is often used as a proxy measure

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for the journal's reputation.

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You might consider the acceptance or rejection rate if that information is publicly available.

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And if you're in a race to publish your findings before another competing research group, consider

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the average length of the review period, which is often able to be determined from the dates

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of submission, acceptance, and publication that appear as part of the published manuscripts.

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The time from acceptance to publication and whether the journal offers swift, advanced

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online publication before the paper appears in a print issue, which may not be scheduled

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for printing for some months later.

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And remember, you can only have your manuscript under consideration at a single journal at

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any moment in time.

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So choose wisely.

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And my fourth tip is to consult the journal's guidelines for manuscript preparation and

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follow them meticulously.

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Every journal has very specific guidelines for the presentation of figures, the use and

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definition of acronyms, the formatting of referencing, and even how you collate and present

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any supplementary data.

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You should write in simple, direct, and logical sentences, define technical terms, acronyms,

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and abbreviations at first use.

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Do your best to avoid any unnecessary jargon.

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And of course, proofread, proofread, proofread.

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Wow, you've made some great points there.

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How can an early career scientist overcome common challenges and hurdles that they may

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encounter in the publication process?

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During my years as a member of the editorial board for the Journal of Clinical Investigation,

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I observed several common challenges or mistakes that could prevent further consideration of

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a manuscript.

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I'll mention four today.

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First and foremost is often priority.

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Authors should keep in mind that a single journal might receive thousands of manuscript

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submissions each year, but only publish a few hundred.

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So a common reason for rejection is simply that a study and its findings are just not

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of high enough priority and impact compared to other submissions currently under consideration

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by the same journal.

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A second hurdle is novelty.

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Your hypothesis and data must be novel.

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It's important to stay abreast of the literature in your field of research to ensure that another

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research group has not already published the same or similar findings elsewhere.

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A third challenge lies in the experimental design.

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Examples of flaws in the experimental design could include lack of appropriate controls

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or perhaps the experimental model used in the study is no longer considered to be the

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gold standard for modeling or mimicking human disease, for example.

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Perhaps your study sample is too small, your data lacks the appropriate statistical analysis,

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perhaps you've not provided any in vivo data, only in vitro data, and thus don't meet the

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experiment design requirements of the journal.

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That's another reason to read the scope statement very carefully.

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And a fourth challenge centers on the impact of your findings.

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At the Journal of Clinical Investigation, for example, the editors sought studies that revealed

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new knowledge about human physiology or disease and ideally provided detailed insight into

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the underlying cellular mechanism of disease.

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So studies that were purely descriptive, for example, the description of a new knockout

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mouse, were very rarely considered further.

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And also, studies that reported correlative, not causal relationships were often declined.

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So in summary, as you prepare your manuscript, you should carefully reflect on the novelty,

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experimental design, and impact of your work to ensure the study is as strong as possible

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for the submission as a research article.

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I can definitely relate to some of the common hurdles that you just mentioned, even though

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I'm not a scientist, but I definitely can see how a lot of the things that you mentioned

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are actually quite transferable.

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And I would love to know, are there any specific strategies or best practices you would recommend

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for an early career scientist to increase their chances of getting their work published

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in a reputable journal?

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Yes, I'll focus on three specific strategies to increase the chances of getting published

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in reputable journals, suggesting and excluding referees in your cover letter at the time

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of submission, how best to navigate revision and resubmission, and how to appeal a negative

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decision.

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Cover first, suggesting and excluding referees.

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Many authors think that the cover letter is a superficial obligatory letter that has very

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little utility or impact during the submission process.

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However, your cover letter can be an invaluable tool for guiding the editors toward the experts

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most suited to serve as referees of your manuscript.

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Remember, you may be equally or even better suited than the editors to know who in your

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field is best positioned to assess your research.

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Here is where you can provide the contact information for usually between three and

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five candidate referees, established investigators in the field who are well positioned to assess

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the rigor of your experimental approach and to appreciate the impact of your findings

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for the field.

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But keep in mind, you should not suggest researchers in your department, institution or company,

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your friends, recent co-authors or collaborators, or any individuals listed in the acknowledgments

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section at the end of your manuscript.

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Now what is also an often overlooked opportunity for authors in the cover letter is the option

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to request to exclude certain individuals from consideration as referees.

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And there are very valid reasons for keeping sensitive results confidential.

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So authors might consider a request to exclude specific competitors, individuals with a known

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bias against you, your research group or your research hypothesis, and anyone with a known

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conflict of interest, financial or otherwise.

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Now authors do need to be reasonable when exercising this request.

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Don't request to exclude more than five people, everyone in your field or entire institutions.

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And I recognise that this can be quite awkward to request in your cover letter, but you can

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keep the statement simple.

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For example, you might write, due to a conflict of interest, we request that Dr Smith be excluded

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from reviewing this manuscript.

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Or as the group led by Dr Smith are competitors in this area, we request that individuals

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from this group be excluded from reviewing this manuscript.

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Simple Diplomatic

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In sum, don't skip this opportunity to influence the review of your manuscript by external

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referees.

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The second strategy comes into play when you have received a decision letter and you wish

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to revise and resubmit your manuscript.

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Remember, very few papers are accepted upon initial submission.

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So please don't be discouraged if your manuscript isn't accepted.

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Even Nobel laureates get rejection letters.

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Don't take a rejection letter personally.

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And read the decision letter carefully.

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Determine if you can revise and resubmit the paper to the same journal.

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However, if you choose to submit your manuscript elsewhere, there are a few things to consider.

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First, did you send it to the wrong journal?

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Let me consider your second journal choice.

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And remember to change your cover letter.

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While I was an editor at the Journal of Clinical Investigation, I received many cover letters

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that read, We are pleased to submit this paper to Nature Medicine.

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Now, immediately the authors revealed to the editors that this paper had been rejected

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by a journal that we highly regarded.

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So already we were suspicious about what might be wrong with this manuscript.

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But before submitting to a new journal, you should recognise and fix any major flaws,

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including trying to incorporate any referee suggestions that you received with the decision

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letter.

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Now, you might ask why?

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Why bother revising the manuscript if I'm going to send it to a completely new journal?

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Well, the very same expert referees may be asked to review your paper once received by

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the new journal, and they will not be impressed to see that you've made no effort to address

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their earlier critiques.

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Now here are some tips for revising and resubmitting your manuscript to the same journal.

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Try to do so within three to six months.

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But remember, hasty revisions are likely to be rejected.

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You should address the major issues with substantial revisions, conduct all of the requested new

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experiments.

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But if a newly requested experiment is not possible, or you cannot fulfil a referee

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suggestion or request, get in touch with the editors and offer a valid reason about why

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the experiment is not possible, and ask for their guidance on the best way forward.

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Sometimes newly requested experiments are truly beyond the scope of the current study.

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They might require expensive research materials or equipment that's not feasible for your

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group to obtain, or perhaps take too long, such as breeding a new line of mice, and therefore

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jeopardise the novelty of your current findings.

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You should of course revise the text and figures as necessary.

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And very importantly, you should check the novelty of your results prior to resubmission.

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Have you been scooped in the interim?

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And then when submitting your manuscript, you should prepare a point by point response

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to all referee comments.

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Be very polite and respectful.

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And remember to thank the referees for their comments.

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Remember they're often donating their time and their intellectual capital for free.

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And clearly outline how you've addressed every criticism.

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And now the third and final strategy concerns how to appeal a negative decision, a rejection

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letter.

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So what helps?

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First, put that decision letter away for at least 24 hours.

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Don't write when you're angry.

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Then determine if an appeal is appropriate.

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Perhaps the editors and or the referees misunderstood your point.

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Or you can easily perform experiments to address the criticisms that they've raised.

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Perhaps you've already done these experiments while the manuscript was under review.

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Remember editors and referees are only human and they do make mistakes.

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And while all journals consider appeals, keep in mind that a few decisions are ultimately

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overturned.

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And what doesn't help?

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Don't try to guess at the identities of the referees.

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Or claim that the referees are unfair.

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Stay clear of what I like to call celebrity endorsements.

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For example, don't write that Albert Einstein told me my paper was fantastic.

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Now of course if Albert Einstein told you your paper would be fantastic, that would be a novel

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finding worth publication today.

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But don't cite celebrity scientists as part of your argument.

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Don't brag about your reputation or accuse the editors of publishing an even worse paper.

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Don't use inflammatory language.

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Call the editors or referee idiots.

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Deploy bribes or threats.

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And I will say these are all examples I've seen in the past.

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And finally, beware of hitting reply instead of forward on the decision letter email.

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I've been entertained to receive reply emails from authors that were in fact intended to

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be a forward of the decision to their co-authors with some fairly salty language about how

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the editors were idiots.

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It can be entertaining for the editors to point out the receipt of this email in error,

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but ultimately it will not further your appeal.

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Are there any key milestones or checkpoints that early career scientists could aim for

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as they progress towards publishing their research?

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I'm sure many of them would want to know if they're on the right track, if there is anything

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that they should be making sure that is really important as a milestone.

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I'll recommend four key milestones or checkpoints that early career scientists should keep in

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mind on their journey towards publishing their research.

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First, and critical, is establishing clear guidelines for authorship from the outset

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of the research project.

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Today, so much scientific progress is made not by lone geniuses, but by large teams of

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scientists.

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So for any single research project, there may be many individual contributors over many

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years.

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Now, there's no universally accepted system for determining authorship on a research

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manuscript, so you should openly discuss authorship at the beginning of and throughout

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the duration of a project.

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Now, according to the guidelines of the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors, authors

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must substantially contribute to project conception and design, critical intellectual content,

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the data acquisition, analysis and interpretation, manuscript drafting, review and revision,

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and approve the manuscript for submission and publication.

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In contrast, acknowledgement, not authorship, is warranted for individuals who have provided

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encouragement or advice, research space or reagents, financial or administrative support,

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occasional patient material, data collection or analyses, and medical or other ghost writers.

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And some journals actually now welcome open specification of each author's contributions

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in the manuscript.

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So I recommend that authors keep detailed notes about all collaborators on the project

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and the scope and scale of their contributions over time to support the fair and equitable

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determination of who on the team should be listed as an author on a manuscript.

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And remember, authorship equals responsibility.

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Yes, you receive the credit when it's published, but you're also subject to the blame should

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the results be questioned or retracted at a later date.

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And keep in mind that journals will not mediate authorship disputes.

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They will tell you to seek institutional oversight and adjudication.

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Perhaps I'll also take this moment to mention the use of large language models that power

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tools like chat GPT.

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Currently, journals can differ somewhat in their respective guidelines on whether and

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how these AI driven tools can be used in the preparation of research manuscripts.

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What's generally allowed is the use of natural language processing systems.

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However, the authors must disclose how they were used in the text.

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And the authors must accept full responsibility for factual and citation accuracy.

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Some journals require that the full prompt used in the production of the work also be

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submitted as part of the supplementary materials.

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What's generally not allowed is the listing of chat GPT or similar tools as an author

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or co-author on the paper.

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No AI generated images or multimedia are allowed without editorial permission.

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The authors must ensure there is no plagiarism.

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And ultimately, the editors may decline to move forward with manuscripts if AI is used

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inappropriately.

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And finally, reviewers may not use AI tools in generating or providing their reviews,

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as that is considered a breach of confidentiality of the manuscript.

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Second, establish a recurring schedule for reading the literature in your field.

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It's incredibly important to read widely and to keep abreast of developments in your

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field.

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You have to ensure that you haven't been scooped by another research group that have

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published findings that support the same conclusion as yours while you are working in parallel.

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So perhaps commit to devoting one morning or one afternoon a week to taking a deep dive

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into the latest relevant publications.

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Even consider collaborating with colleagues in your lab to share the reading burden.

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Third, take the time to celebrate each step of this process.

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From first draft to second draft to final draft and from submission through revision

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and acceptance, each is an important milestone that reflects your hard work and progress.

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So take a moment to celebrate.

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And fourth, talk to journal editors at scientific conferences that you attend.

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So journal editors are always on the lookout for exciting, unpublished research to invite

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for publication in their journal.

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And you can often find editors at publisher booths at major conferences or as speakers

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or panellists on the program.

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Ask if you can chat with them informally for a few minutes to discuss your findings broadly

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and gauge their interest in the study for publication in their journal.

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And if you are invited to submit your manuscript, be sure to remind the editors of your prior

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discussion in your cover letter.

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What are some common mistakes or pitfalls that early career scientists should be aware of

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when it comes to publishing their work and how they can avoid or overcome them?

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There are some common mistakes that early career scientists should be aware of when

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preparing their research manuscript for publication.

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The good news is, once you know what to look for, these mistakes are easy to avoid.

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Let's start with the manuscript title.

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So much hard work, dedication and time goes into completing a single research study and

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the writing up of the related research paper that as an author, you can feel compelled

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to convey as much information as possible in the title of your paper.

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But the best practice is to keep the title at 15 words or less, make it informative,

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but do not overinflate the findings.

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Be sure to mention the species that you studied, for example, was your study performed in humans

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or an animal model, and avoid excessive punctuation or jargon.

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In the methods and materials section, you should provide sufficient details of all research

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protocols and reagents such that the reader could reproduce your experiment as written.

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And be sure to include key details like N values, the magnification for any histological

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or other imaging that's included in your figures.

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Note the statistical analyses used on your data.

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Perhaps you've used the wrong analysis, and if you're not sure, consult a statistician

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before finalizing your manuscript for submission.

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Be sure to include IRCUC or IRB approval if you've conducted work with human subjects

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or animals, and include informed consent for any research involving human subjects.

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In the results section, it's critical that you do not manipulate your data.

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It can be tempting to utilize tools like Adobe to clean up images and make them look visually

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appealing and crisp.

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Even if well-intentioned, this is considered data manipulation.

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And journal editors now possess very sophisticated visual tools that can detect image manipulation

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down to the single pixel, which may warrant rejection of your manuscript.

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And please keep your data organized, labeled, and electronically archived at the highest

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resolution possible and in multiple locations.

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I have seen research papers be accepted, but the images turn out to be of too low a resolution

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for printing.

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The authors had not kept high resolution archives of their images and were required to redo

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the experiment in order to obtain sufficiently high resolution images, ultimately delaying

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publication of their paper.

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And if you have too much data, use the best representative figure and make use of the

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supplementary data section for additional supportive data and figures.

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And finally, in the discussion section, if there are inconsistencies or limitations in

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your data, don't ignore them.

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The reviewers and editors will notice.

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So do your best to acknowledge those inconsistencies or limitations and address these gaps in the

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discussion section.

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In addition to publishing in an academic journal, are there any other avenues or platforms that

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early career scientists can explore to share their research and gain visibility in their

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perspective fields?

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I have four suggestions for early career scientists to explore as they try to gain visibility

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in their field.

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First, consider creating a profile on research gate and similar platforms that serve as professional

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social networking sites for scientists and researchers.

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For example, with over 25 million researchers on the research gate platform, each user can

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share their work, research publications, ask and answer questions, even find potential

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collaborators and expertise.

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And people can find you.

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And of course, don't forget traditional social media channels, such as LinkedIn, Facebook,

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Instagram or X, formerly known as Twitter.

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These are channels through which you can network and find collaborators, share updates about

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your research, your conference presentations and publications.

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You can live tweet new breakthroughs from conferences you've attended.

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You can join discussions and groups with similar scientific interests to you.

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And even share your expertise and insights, starting to establish a professional online

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presence and establish yourself as a skilled contributor to new knowledge and skills in

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your field.

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Even early in your career, you can be a mentor or role model to the next generation, high

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school students and college undergraduates that have an interest in STEM.

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Third, submit your research, even early findings, to conferences for consideration as an abstract

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poster presentation or a short podium talk.

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You'll gain valuable exposure to senior scientists in your field, to people on the lookout for

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early career scientists to recruit to positions in their lab, as well as gain public speaking

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and science communication skills from having to whittle down your research hypothesis and

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discoveries to just a few minutes of a verbal presentation, slides or images.

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And conferences often present prizes and awards for the best posters and short talks,

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often one of the earliest forms of recognition for early career scientists, aside from traditional

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journal publications.

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And journal editors are often in the audience, looking for the latest unpublished research

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findings that they would like to solicit for publication in their journal.

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And lastly, offer to contribute to science communications initiatives like science blogs,

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campus or society newsletters, podcasts like this or YouTube channels.

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Visibility is extremely important, especially when it comes to academic journals.

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So I hope you are all taking notes.

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My next question is how can an early career scientist effectively communicate their research

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findings to a more broader audience beyond academia while maintaining their scientific

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rigor?

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I am so glad that you asked this question, as it is very important for scientists to

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engage with people beyond their academic peers to help boost the scientific literacy of the

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general population, to serve as role models across cultures, borders, genders and ages,

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to demonstrate the important contribution of scientific discovery and of scientists

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to the well-being of people on our planet and to convey why continued public investment

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in science is needed.

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So there are a few tips for how to effectively communicate your science to non-expert audiences.

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First, know your audience.

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Try and understand their background and interests and tailor your message to be accessible without

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compromising accuracy.

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For a general audience, a good rule of thumb is to aim for the level of a fifth grader.

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Second, use plain language and avoid jargon.

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Keep in mind that there is a difference between accuracy and precision.

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The average consumer doesn't need the same level of detail or precision as a fellow scientist

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or journal editor.

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So the trick is to hit the level of precision that is meaningful to the public without sacrificing

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accuracy.

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Third, use visual aids wherever you can.

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Create infographics, charts and diagrams that enhance understanding and capture attention.

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Fourth, use analogies and metaphors.

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They can help to bridge the gap between the unfamiliar and the familiar, making complex

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concepts easier to grasp for people with different levels of understanding or background knowledge.

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For example, I could describe or even show you an image of the complex crystal structure

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of the molecule in our immune system that binds to virus particles during infection.

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Or, I can describe that same molecule as being like two open halves of a hot dog bun, where

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the viral particle is the sausage that gets stuck in the groove between the two halves

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of the bun.

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Chances are most people can easily relate to the hot dog description.

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And lastly, try to tell a story that conveys relatable real-world impact.

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Think of how a scientific discovery might impact your listener's everyday life, or solve

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a problem that they have at work or in their home.

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If you can relate your research to everyday experiences, you'll make it more relatable.

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I love your hot dog analogy.

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I think I'm going to remember that forever.

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What resources or support networks exist for early career scientists seeking guidance

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and mentorship in the research to publication process?

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Early career scientists can access a variety of resources and support networks to seek

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guidance and mentorship in the research to publication process.

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First, ask for guidance from your academic advisors and mentors.

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They can share their experience and offer constructive feedback on your work.

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They might also consider sharing a manuscript with you that they themselves have been asked

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to review, in confidence of course, and invite your feedback as a learning exercise.

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Assessing and critiquing the work of other scientists will help you to learn the strengths

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and weaknesses of experimental design and of scientific writing for publication.

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Second, seek out publishing workshops and trainings.

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Many types of organisations in the science ecosystem, from journals to non-profits, scientific

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societies, even on-campus postdoctoral associations and funding agencies, often offer a workshop

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and trainings on academic publishing.

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For example, I encourage you to check out some of the courses offered by the New York

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Academy of Sciences.

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For example, my lecture, Editors' Guide to Writing and Publishing Your Paper, is freely

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available on demand at our website, www.nyas.org.

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And in February and March of this year, the Academy is offering our annual four-part online

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course titled How to Effectively Communicate Your Science to Any Audience.

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Participants in this course engage in really fun exercises, like creating and self-recording

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and 90-second video description of their scientific research for review, assessment and final

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revision by fellow participants.

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And in March and April of this year, we're offering a series of virtual leadership trainings

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to amplify beneficial skills like long-term planning in the lab, navigating conflict and

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even negotiation, all skills that will help early career scientists on the path to publishing

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their research.

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To learn more about our upcoming classes or to become an Academy member to gain access

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to our complete library of on-demand trainings, visit nyas.org.

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I'll also mention that the journal Nature offers on-demand online masterclasses on writing

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and publishing a research paper taught by their journal editors.

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And major national and international funding agencies like the US National Institutes of

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Health, the National Science Foundation and the European Research Council do the same.

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And also consider online learning platforms like Coursera and edX, which offer similar

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courses for self-directed learning.

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And standalone training centres like the Allen Alder Centre for Communicating Science at

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Stony Brook University, which offers classes and master's degrees in science communications.

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How can an early career scientist balance the demand of publishing their work while also

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maintaining a healthy work-life balance and pursuing additional career goals or aspirations?

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Well, in this modern society, I don't know how many of us, regardless of our role, career

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stage or organisation, could confidently say that we've identified the secret of perfectly

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balancing our personal and professional lives.

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We're all just doing our best, and we have to acknowledge that we may not be able to

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have it all all of the time.

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But there are some strategies that can help early career scientists manage the demands

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of their career.

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First, ask about work-life balance when interviewing for academic positions.

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Talk to current or past members of the prospective lab about their schedule, their supervisor's

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management style, and what the expectations are for time spent in the lab and the expected

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publication output that is deemed satisfactory.

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Watch and listen for early warning signs of a work environment that isn't healthy or

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sustainable.

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Second, prioritise and set realistic goals.

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This is the perfect time to set goals for the year to come, both short-term and long-term,

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for your research plan, your publication strategy and your personal life.

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I'll admit I'm a list-maker, and I'm such a nerd with my to-do list that I build my

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goals out for the coming year in Asana, the project management tool.

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I identify what I want to experience by the end of the coming year, and then I work week

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by week backwards to map out the small weekly tasks that I need to accomplish to move me

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forward towards those goals.

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For example, write-up manuscript is a task that I will run away from, but write-first

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draft of the abstract of manuscript is surmountable.

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I also take this approach for mapping out vacation and family time, time on hobbies,

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health check-ups and exercise, even concerts and entertainment throughout the year, and

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scheduling regular me-days, where I can do whatever I want for a day once a month.

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The tool sends me reminders of what tasks are coming up, and it helps me stay accountable

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to my larger goals.

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Third, celebrate your achievements along the way, and reward yourself by spending time

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on hobbies and interests outside of the lab.

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Take a moment, often, to celebrate your accomplishments, whether big or small.

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Find small ways to reward yourself at each of those milestones.

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It might be as simple as, I'm going to set up that experiment this afternoon, and then

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reward myself this evening by meeting up with a friend, taking the dog to the dog park, or

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relaxing at home watching a few episodes of your favourite TV show.

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Also effective time and productivity management is key.

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As a graduate student, unlike being in college or high school, you mostly get to set your

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own schedule, and that can be a fast track to losing your self-discipline.

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So develop a schedule that allocates dedicated time for research, for writing and for personal

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activities, and try to capitalise on the times of the day or the week that you know that

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you will be most productive at each of those things.

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For example, I know that my mind is sharpest in the mornings, and that my attention declines

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towards the end of the day, so I often block time on my calendar in the mornings to do

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deep work, writing critical thinking where I need to focus for uninterrupted periods

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of time to make meaningful progress.

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Then establish boundaries.

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I clearly communicate to my colleagues when I'm not going to be available for meetings,

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to respond to emails or phone calls, in those periods where I'm focused on time-sensitive

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tasks that require uninterrupted work.

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And that helps them to plan accordingly and allows me to respectively say no to competing

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activities, projects or responsibilities.

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I have a colleague who only checks work email twice a day at certain times, and she tells

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people this in her automatic reply message.

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It frees her up to be away from the computer and engage in lab work and sets expectations

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for colleagues, but they may have to wait a few hours to hear back from her.

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Now I know it can be hard to say no to a supervisor when you are an early career researcher,

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so I encourage young scientists to have open conversations with their supervisor about

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the responsibilities on their plate, how you would like to help with a new activity well

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00:44:00,160 --> 00:44:07,640
requested and ask for guidance on what current tasks could be put on hold, maybe delegated

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to other colleagues for the short term or as a learning experience, or otherwise shifted

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so that you are not over committed or at risk of failing to deliver.

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And lastly, embrace flexibility.

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Life and work never go 100% to plan.

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Sometimes unexpected events will require you to change your schedule, so focus on the outcomes

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rather than rigid timelines.

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And maybe I'll use this opportunity to reiterate that you have the agency to shape your professional

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journey.

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It's normal to reevaluate your career path as you gain more experience and exposure to

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00:44:49,360 --> 00:44:51,520
different opportunities.

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Your passions may evolve, your journey is unique, and it's okay to take detours or change

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00:44:58,200 --> 00:45:06,240
paths to find the right fit, to be happy, to find job satisfaction and wellbeing.

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When I decided to leave bench research and move into a career in science communications,

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I worry that I would no longer be considered, quote, a real scientist.

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But I've been incredibly happy in this non-traditional career path, using and continuing to build

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00:45:23,760 --> 00:45:30,680
my scientific skills and knowledge, but without having to put on a lab coat every day.

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Work-life balance can definitely be a tricky one, and yeah, I'm still working on work-life

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balance myself, but I'm really curious to know what projects are you currently working

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00:45:42,280 --> 00:45:43,280
on.

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I'm excited about a number of the scientific conferences that the New York Academy of Sciences

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00:45:50,000 --> 00:45:57,960
will present in 2024, covering breakthroughs in fields such as cancer immunotherapy, vaccines

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00:45:57,960 --> 00:46:04,400
for respiratory diseases, and even the use of artificial intelligence in healthcare.

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00:46:04,400 --> 00:46:09,880
And I'll also mention the incredible portfolio of prize and fellowship programs that we offer

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00:46:09,880 --> 00:46:15,640
for early career scientists across a multitude of STEM fields and working at institutions

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00:46:15,640 --> 00:46:17,440
around the world.

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We offer unrestricted funding for postdocs and early career faculty up to $250,000.

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00:46:26,560 --> 00:46:32,040
So check out what awards and fellowships you might be eligible for and mark your calendars

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for upcoming application deadlines.

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You can learn more at nyas.org.

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And last and not least, but where can people find you?

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00:46:44,200 --> 00:46:49,600
You've given so many grateful insights with all the answers to your questions, and I'm

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00:46:49,600 --> 00:46:54,040
sure people would love to know any social media, any websites where they'll be able

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00:46:54,040 --> 00:46:58,520
to find you.

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00:46:58,520 --> 00:47:06,800
You can contact me via the New York Academy of Sciences website nyas.org and on LinkedIn,

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00:47:06,800 --> 00:47:22,160
dot com forward slash in forward slash brook grindlinger.

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00:47:22,160 --> 00:47:27,440
Thank you for listening to this podcast episode with me, your host Kelly.

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00:47:27,440 --> 00:47:33,120
I hope you came away from this episode feeling inspired and gained so much more knowledge

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00:47:33,120 --> 00:47:35,080
about women in STEM.

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00:47:35,080 --> 00:47:40,200
Don't forget to check out all my other podcast episodes as they also have a wealth of knowledge

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00:47:40,200 --> 00:47:41,200
on different topics.

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00:47:41,200 --> 00:47:47,760
Please make sure to check out the description link for my social medias at Kelly underscore

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00:47:47,760 --> 00:47:54,600
engineer on Instagram, as well as there will be links for other podcasts as well as links

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00:47:54,600 --> 00:47:57,960
to the podcast guests information.

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Thanks for listening.