Ever wondered what it takes to be a Badass biomedical researcher? Bet you have – otherwise you wouldn’t be reading this blog post, right?
Aside from the clear need for a strong background in the fundamentals of your scientific discipline(s) of expertise (e.g. genetics, pharmacology, biochemistry, physiology etc.) and a good technical understanding of the experimental approaches needed (e.g. Next-Gen Sequencing, PK/PD models, x-ray crystallography, patch-clamp technique etc.), which define the ‘hard’ skills of the job, what are the additional (so-called ‘soft’ skills) that are essential?
In addition to a clear need for passion and flare in your research subject of interest, here’s my Top 10 soft skills in no particular order (as in my opinion a healthy dose of each is required):
1. Critical thinking and problem solving:
This requires an analytical approach towards your work and for most research scientists, critical thinking is seemingly intuitive. Difficult to teach, this is a skill that’s learnt largely through experience. Taking a critical approach to your work is an essential step in effective problem solving, the latter of which is a fundamental skill required for all jobs not just research-based ones.
2. Data analyst:
Well it’s hardly a surprise that a scientific researcher needs to be good at analysing the data they’ve generated, but solid, thorough analysis can be tricky. A key is understanding what it is that you are actually trying to accomplish through the analysis, i.e. what scientific question are you aiming to answer with this data? In addition, it is becoming more and more frequent that biomedical researchers are now being expected to work with large datasets (e.g. genomic and clinical big data), so at least a basic grasp of bioinformatics is becoming all the more critical…Top tip – get familiar with the R programming language.
3. Decision-making:
Related to problem solving, this skill is essentially the ability to effectively choose between multiple possible solutions to a problem. At its best it should involve a reasoned approach, based on sound data to help you make an informed decision. A critical decision point that most biomedical researchers will encounter numerous times during their careers, is the need to decide whether to continue with a particular project or axe it if clear goals are not being met within a reasonable time frame. Deciding this early on in a difficult project enables you to redirect resources elsewhere before it’s too late. An interesting read on this topic has previously been published last year in the context of biopharma projects (Science Translational Medicine).
4. Good communication:
Where to start with this one? You need to be a Badass at communication skills irrespective of the industry you work in. Without mastering these skills you’ll be at a huge disadvantage, unable to convey your discoveries with clarity, learn from others, encourage engagement from colleagues, deliver your expertise with confidence, appropriately give and receive feedback and write effectively. So acquiring these skills is clearly…E-SSEN-TIAL!
5. Inquisitive and a technophile:
Nurture your natural curiosity as a scientist, to help you think outside the box about your research interests and challenge the paradigm. A successful researcher will constantly step out of their comfort zone and keep learning new techniques, technologies and stay abreast of the recent developments in their field.
6. Logical approach:
Related to point 1, the ability to reason logically about your findings is a fundamental skill of the consummate researcher. Over the past century, logical approaches taken within biomedicine have afforded biologists to effectively answer fundamental questions about the development and treatment of disease. A logical approach is essential for determining appropriate biological questions to answer, establish testable hypotheses and design valid experimental set-ups to test these hypotheses.
7. Self-starting:
This is an obvious one I hope? Being able to undertake a project using your own initiative is a must for a successful career in biomedical research. No one should (or indeed will) be there to cattle prod you along your career path. Being a self-starter is a key part of the excellence selection criteria of badass researchers. Those who are proactive and generally optimistic tend to end up being high achievers who get things done, and they don’t need to be told/reminded to do these things either.
8. Time management:
Whether in academic or industrial research, productivity is the name of the game. Whether you are working towards getting the data for that key paper/just in time for the grant deadline or identifying that novel drug target/getting your drug to market before the competition, all biomedical researchers need to get things done in a timely manner. The two critical factors at play in excellent time management are; (i) the ability to prioritise urgent tasks above important ones and (ii) the ability to block out unimportant distractions. So keep a lid on your social media addiction in the lab if you want to remain productive!
9. Tenacity:
This is a biggie; every experimental approach poses its own challenges, projects are merely a catalogue of one challenge after another, and the ability to accept criticism and rejection are just part of the course. Building resistance to all this is essential for success, as it allows researchers to stay the course and remain in it for the long haul. Nasty reviews, negative feedback, paper/grant rejections and failed experiments all need to be sucked up and learnt from. Therefore a key skill to master early in the biomedical research game is the ability to learn from negative comments (or just shrug them off depending on how justified they are) and keep moving forward.
10. Team working:
Gone are the days where the loan wolf can keep producing high impact research in isolation. Modern day biomedical research involves teams of researchers working towards a common goal. These teams increasingly involve interdisciplinary collaborative researchers to tackle the most complex biomedical questions. To make such groups effective, all members need to have clear understanding of the overall goal(s) and their individual responsibility to the project. Clearly good communication skills (point 4) are also a key aspect of effective collaborative working.
In summary
Deciding these 10 was a tough call as there so many other important factors to excel in scientific research too, including confidence, self-criticism, open-mindedness, project management, measured risk-taking, attention to detail, not being in it for the money/glory, an outgoing personality and last but by no means least, the all important – integrity.
However if you master the 10 outlined above you’ll go far in biomedical research and indeed in any industry you decide to work in – after all, all 10 are highly sort after skills by all employment sectors.
Your turn
Do you agree? Which skills would you have included in the top 10 and are there any missing?
Let me know your thoughts. ‘Till next time, remember to stay focussed on your goals and keep learning how to be a badass in your biomed career.
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