Is doing a PhD worthwhile? Why do a PhD? These questions might appear simple, and yet they may have many answers depending on our goals and motivations. Here, I will share what I find worthwhile in pursuing a PhD, what motivated me almost 20 years ago to perform PhD research. I always thought of doctoral … Continue reading Why do a PhD?
Career
Magnanimity pays off
Francis Crick exceeded the brilliance of his double helix model by this magnanimous act:
Honor or Disrespect
Before presenting, a scientist is introduced to a group of expert scientists with a list of prizes, awards, grants, titles and fellowships but no word of the research that led to these accolades. I have been in the audience many times, and every single time I felt disrespected. I also felt that the presenter's research … Continue reading Honor or Disrespect
Tell me about the science, not the prizes!
One might introduce Egas Moniz as the great Nobel laureate and Dmitri Mendeleev as a chemist with few great awards. Much more informatively, however, one should introduce Egas Moniz as an influential protagonist of lobotomy and Dmitri Mendeleev as the co-inventor of the periodic table of elements.