Research Career Research Articles

Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning in Dermatological Research and Healthcare: British Society for Investigative Dermatology Skin Club Report - Southampton April 2024.

The British Society for Investigative Dermatology champions the development of clinical trainees and early career researchers and convenes the UK skin research community at its annual meeting. It is the privilege of the meeting organiser (Dr. Chester Lai) to invite key opinion leaders to speak at the “Skin Club” section of the meeting, a forum for dialogue with this young audience on disruptive advances that stand to shape skin science. This year in Southampton, the topic “Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning in Dermatological Research and Healthcare”, was selected.

A Worked Example of Qualitative Descriptive Design: A Step-by-Step Guide for Novice and Early Career Researchers.

To provide a worked example informed by relevant literature and related studies that novice and early career researchers may use to reflect on, prepare and conduct a thoughtful and rigorous qualitative descriptive study. Methodological discussion of qualitative descriptive design. Seminal work and recent related literature were reviewed to situate the discussion and identify the concepts and steps to conduct a qualitative descriptive study. Qualitative descriptive design is widely used in nursing and health science research. This design offers flexible use of qualitative methods, which presents a double-edged sword, posing challenges in preparing a well-developed study and achieving methodological rigour. The design often borrows methods from other qualitative traditions, which may need to be clarified for novice and early career researchers, wherein studies may be conducted using a mix and match of methods without giving justice to the heart of qualitative descriptive design. In this paper, we present a step-by-step guide, using a worked example, to demonstrate how to conduct a qualitative descriptive study. Qualitative descriptive design may be confusing due to its flexibility, which may limit the scope of research and subsequently, the quality and impact of the findings. With the appropriate application of research methods producing high-quality and relevant findings, qualitative descriptive design is a valuable qualitative method in its own right. Novice and early career researchers may increase the impact of their findings through rigorously conducting their studies. Clarifying steps for thoughtful execution may inform novice and early career researchers, allowing for a rigorous application of the method, which, in turn, may contribute to impactful findings. A clear presentation of steps, supported by a worked example and related studies, may support novice and early career researchers in conducting a qualitative descriptive study with methodological rigour. Not applicable. No patient or public contribution.

Pengaruh Analisis Jabatan dan Pengembangan Karir terhadap Kinerja Pegawai Melalui Kepuasan Kerja Pegawai Dinas Pengendalian Penduduk dan Keluarga Berencana (DPPKB) Kabupaten Tanjung Jabung Timur

This research aims to find out a description of job analysis, career development, job satisfaction and employee performance at the Population Control and Family Planning Service (DPPKB) of East Tanjung Jabung Regency as well as to find out and analyze the influence of job analysis and career development on employee performance through job satisfaction at the Control Service Population and Family Planning (DPPKB) East Tanjung Jabung Regency. This type of research uses descriptive verification research. This research uses the PLS analysis method. Based on the results of the questionnaire regarding job analysis, it is 2,876 in the quite good category. Then, the description of the career development variable shows that the career development of employees at the Population Control and Family Planning Service (DPPKB) of East Tanjung Jabung Regency is quite good with a score of 1653. Furthermore, the description of the job satisfaction variable shows that the job satisfaction score is 1849 in the quite high category. Meanwhile, the description of employee performance variables shows that the score is 2850 in the quite high category. Based on the research results, job analysis and career development have a positive and significant effect on job satisfaction, job analysis, career development and job satisfaction have a positive and significant effect on employee performance, position analysis and career development have a positive and significant effect on employee performance, mediated by job satisfaction in Tanjung East Jabung.

Use your power for good: Collective action to overcome institutional injustices impeding ethical science communication in the academy

Abstract Science communication (scicomm) shapes our world by helping people use science to make societal and personal decisions. Supporting and doing ethical scicomm requires valuing diverse perspectives and the people who do scicomm. Unfortunately, institutional hurdles ingrained in academia impede and undermine ethical scicomm. The injustices impeding scicomm stem from the prestige paradigm of academia (articulated in the present article), which reinforces hierarchical relationships in an exclusionary and exploitative system. To move academia forward, we name and review these injustices through the lens of five realms of scicomm (scientific communication, teaching scicomm, academics engaging in scicomm, scicomm research, and scicomm careers beyond academia). We then provide a novel framework, helping readers identify axes of influence and how they can leverage their intersectional, academic capital to take concrete action to remove the hurdles impeding ethical scicomm in academia.

The association between gender and industry payments to minimally invasive surgeons.

It is unknown if there are differential industry payments to surgeons based on gender. This study aims to examine differences by gender for industry relations with minimally invasive surgeons, using speakers at the SAGES Annual Meeting as a proxy for key thought leaders in minimally invasive surgery. We queried the Open Payments Database for payments made to US speakers from the 2023 SAGES meeting. All payments from the prior fiscal year prior were collected. The National Provider Identity (NPI) Registry was cross-referenced to determine surgeon's self-reported gender. Industry sponsors were analyzed based on differences in payments made. A total of 305 speakers were assessed, with 175 (57.4%) males and 130 (42.6%) females. Of the 305 speakers, 246 were listed in the OPD. There were 145/175 (82.8%) males who were received general payments, compared to 101/130 (77.6%) females (p = 0.326). The total amount of industry payments was $2,894,287 for males and $1,539,481 for females. Median payments were 2.8X higher for males ($4657, IQR $422-$15,798) than females ($1651, IQR $299-$9005) (p = 0.05). Despite efforts to decrease gender bias in surgery, there remains a significant and substantial difference in payments towards male and female surgeons via industry relationships. This has potential downstream effects on career development, consulting and research opportunities, and development of new devices.

Perspectives of an NCI T32 Training Program Designed to Train a Diverse Workforce in Cancer Health Equity Research.

With cancer health disparities on the rise in the United States (USA), there is an increased need for novel approaches to address these challenges. One such approach that may help address these disparities is increasing diversity in the biomedical research workforce. The Cancer Health Equity and Career Development Program (CHECDP) embodies this approach by recruiting and training underrepresented minorities in cancer research to develop the skills and training needed to be competitive for independent research careers, thus diversifying the biomedical research workforce. The training model that CHECDP employs is unique with its funding through the NCI training mechanism, its strong institutional support, and its participant-driven curriculum. The curriculum includes educational, career, and leadership opportunities that are continuously evaluated for sustained impact. The program has been comprised of mostly under-represented minorities that have been propelled to independent careers with a high rate of funded career development awards. Our T32 program serves as a model of success for other programs seeking to diversify the biomedical research workforce and reduce cancer health disparities.

Family medicine research in Kazakhstan: challenges, needs and support

Family medicine (FM), a relatively new speciality, has actively addressed the issue of research, despite the fact that, until recently, the majority of family doctors defined themselves in terms antithetical to research. Initial attempts in developing countries have typically concentrated on clinical care and teaching, with engagement in research being less common. The aim of the study is to investigate family the FM specialists’ perspectives on research engagement in Kazakhstan employing a mixed-methods research design with the collection of both quantitative and qualitative data. We surveyed 83 FM specialists to better understand the needs and barriers faced by this community in conducting research. Semi-structured interviews were conducted to obtain an in-depth picture of the issues. Understanding these issues is central to developing informed policies for promoting FM specialists’ research engagement, as well as taking steps to build their research capacity. The study resulted in important findings in understanding the specialists’ challenges in conducting research, and the needs and support provided to researchers in FM in Kazakhstan. The research barriers are a lack of time to conduct research, difficulty in publishing research, and a lack of cooperation between peers and research mentoring from experienced professionals. Specialists’ needs include specialized training programs and internships, a team of like-minded people and research partnerships, and access to patient databases and archived data. The specifically targeted policies should be undertaken to facilitate the specialists’ research careers by promoting research engagement, fostering research capacity, and recognizing FM as a specialty. Bangladesh Journal of Medical Science Vol. 23 No. 04 October’24 Page : 1197-1205

How has scientific performance of distinguished young scholars in China changed compared to their early careers?

PurposeThis paper aims to conduct a comparative analysis of the scientific performance of distinguished young scholars in China during the pre-award and early stages of their research careers, aiming to provide insights into their growth pattern.Design/methodology/approachSpearman correlation was used to analyse the correlation between various academic ages and awarding age of the distinguished young scholars. The Wilcoxon matched pairs test was used to analyse variations in their scientific performance across different research stages.FindingsThe findings showed that: a) early successful research experiences significantly impact their emergence as outstanding scientists. While a low correlation exists between publication ages and awards, perseverance proves crucial for later-stage academic achievements; b) productivity increases before awards, with notable variations between first-author and non-first-authored publications; c) collaboration intensifies before awards, particularly in non-first author roles. However, discipline-specific variations highlight the importance of smaller teams and first-author roles, especially in the early career stage; d) the correlation between collaboration and productivity depends on research roles, emphasizing the evolving nature of collaboration dynamics as scholars progress in their careers.Originality/valueThis study could offer a reference for formulating well-founded talent training programs and reward mechanisms.

Pressure to publish introduces large‐language model risks

Abstract Large‐language models (LLMs) have the potential to accelerate research in ecology and evolution, cultivating new insights and innovation. However, whilst revelling in the plethora of opportunities, researchers need to consider that LLM use could also introduce risks. An important piece of context underpinning this perspective is the pressure to publish, where research careers are defined, at least partly, by publication metrics like number of papers, impact factor, citations etc. Coupled with academic employment insecurity, especially during early career, researchers may reason that LLMs are a low‐risk and high‐reward tool for publication. However, this pressure to publish can introduce risks if LLMs are used as a shortcut to game publication metrics instead of a tool to support true innovation. These risks may ultimately reduce research quality, stifle researcher development and incur reputational damage for researchers and the entire scientific record. We conclude with a series of recommendations to mitigate the magnitude of these risks and encourage researchers to apply caution whilst maximising LLM potential.

Investigating Co‐Authorship Networks of Academic and Industry Researchers in Artificial Intelligence

ABSTRACTResearch teams from the industry, especially big technology companies, have been pushing impactful research work in the field of artificial intelligence (AI), changing the prospects of the field and the careers of many researchers. Research teams from big technology companies usually possess more data, bigger computing infrastructure, and research talent, granting them the advantages in advancing AI research. While most previous work focuses on investigating the advantages the industry has in the field of AI, and how their research publication is different from those published by academic teams, few research has been done to investigate whether working as an industry researcher is beneficial at the individual level. In this work, by analyzing co‐authorship networks of researchers published in AI conferences, we investigate whether working in the industry gives researchers advantages in “intangible” forms, such as social capital, represented by the collaborative relationships they gained or maintained. Our result shows that the many advantages industry researchers possess correlate with the social capital they have, measured by degree centrality, eigenvector centrality, betweenness centrality, and effective size.

Identifying Predictors of Successful Conversion from OREF Grants to Extramural Federal Funding Among Orthopaedic Surgeons

Background: Musculoskeletal diseases are a major contributor to global human disability, but research in this area of medicine contends with chronic underfunding in the United States, receiving <2% of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) budget. The Orthopaedic Research and Education Foundation (OREF) serves as a vital nongovernmental organization, providing essential support for orthopaedic research. This study investigated the translation of various OREF grants into successful extramural federal funding discerning the clinician demographics and OREF award characteristics associated with increased chances of securing federal grants. Methods: We included OREF data from 1994 to 2020, and federal funding from the NIH, the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD), the National Science Foundation (NSF), and the Agency of Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) was queried using publicly available databases: the NIH RePORTER, the DoD Defense Technical Information Center, the NSF search engine, and the AHRQ search engine. Clinician demographics and training were collected from the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons roster and institution departmental websites. The successful translation of OREF grants into federal awards was assessed based on clinician gender, training, and specialty, as well as OREF grant mechanisms and characteristics; multivariable logistic regression was used to determine the likelihood of federal translation based on these predictor variables. Results: Three hundred and forty-eight OREF grants were awarded to 319 different clinicians, 23.5% of whom successfully translated their award into a federal grant. Notably, recipients of the OREF Career Development Grant (CDG) demonstrated a 48.4% translation rate to federal funding. The federal return on investment for all of the OREF grants averaged 503%, translating approximately $34 million in OREF awards into >$200 million in federal funding. Logistic regression revealed that recipients who received CDG funding, as well as orthopaedic oncologists, were more than 3 times as likely to secure federal funding than those who received grants with other mechanisms and those in other subspecialties. Conclusions: OREF fills a vital role in supporting budding orthopaedic research careers, ensuring the field’s competitiveness for federal awards on a national scale. The success rates, particularly for CDG recipients, highlight OREF’s effectiveness in identifying promising surgeon-scientists.

Are early career researchers feeling the consequences of the COVID pandemic?

AbstractDuring the COVID pandemic, some commentators thought that early career researchers (ECRs) would become a ‘lost generation’. Yet the Harbingers (H‐2) longitudinal study, which followed ECRs for 2 years during the pandemic found that ECRs took things in their stride. More than 2 years on, we returned, as part of the AI stage of the Harbingers study (H‐3), to see what has transpired and interviewed nearly 70 ECRs from six countries as part of an exploratory study. We found that: (1) only one in six ECRS thought they were suffering from the residual impacts of the pandemic, with increased workload creating the greatest stress; (2) working remotely, digitally and more flexibly was thought by many to be the biggest dividend delivered, making the job more desirable and competitive; (3) an apparent growth in jobs and promotions (tenures) confirmed the bounce‐back. Given the modest size of the study, analysis by country has to be undertaken with caution, but China, where political and economic factors have stifled any bounce‐back, stands out for special attention in a future full‐blown study. Finally, the study yielded informed and considered views that the long‐term impact of the pandemic appears to be beneficial rather than disadvantageous.

Conference Report: Challenging Construction Grammar: New Insights from Morphology (8–12 April 2024; Monte Verità, Switzerland)

As reflected in its title, this workshop, which took place from the eighth to the twelfth of April 2024 at Monte Verità, Ascona, Switzerland, focused on constructional perspectives in their application to morphology (Hoffmann & Trousdale 2013). As Construction Grammar has become an important theoretical framework within linguistics, it has been applied in morphological studies from both synchronic (e.g., Booij 2010; Jackendoff & Audring 2020) and diachronic perspectives (Hartmann 2019; Van Goethem & Norde 2020). Nevertheless, Construction Morphology is a comparatively young branch of Construction Grammar that poses many open questions and challenges. The questions that were asked within this workshop relate to the connection between morphology and Construction Grammar as a framework, the handling of phenomena situated at the interface of morphology and syntax, and how phenomena that are specific for the scope of morphology can be captured from a constructional point of view. To address this issue, young and early career researchers were invited to present their current work. These contributions were complemented by the contributions of the invited plenary speakers Muriel Norde (Humboldt University of Berlin), Francesca Masini (University of Bologna), Livio Gaeta (University of Turin), Kristel Van Goethem (University of Louvain) and Steffen Höder (University of Kiel). The workshop was organised by Elena Smirnova (University of Neuchâtel), Martin Hilpert (University of Neuchâtel) and Jenny Audring (University of Leiden), and made possible with the generous support of SCF (Congressi Stefano Franscini, https://csf.ethz.ch), the SNF (Swiss National Science Foundation, Programm Scientific Exchanges, Grant Nr IZSEZ0_221843) and the FLSH (Faculty of Arts and Humanities) of the University of Neuchâtel.

The impact of generative AI on the scholarly communications of early career researchers: An international, multi‐disciplinary study

AbstractThe Harbingers study of early career researchers (ECRs), their work life and scholarly communications, began by studying generational—Millennial—change (c.2016), then moved to pandemic change (c.2020) and is now investigating another potential agent of change: artificial intelligence (2024–). We report here on a substantial scoping pilot study that looks at the impact of AI on the scholarly communications of international ECRs and, extends this to the arts and humanities. It aims to fill the knowledge gap concerning ECRs whose millennial mindset may render them especially open to change and, as the research workhorses they are, very much in the frontline. The data was collected via in‐depth interviews in China, Malaysia, Poland, Portugal, Spain and (selectively) the United Kingdom/United States. The data show ECRs to be thinking, probing and, in some cases, experimenting with AI. There was a general acceptance that AI will be responsible for the growth of low‐quality scientific papers, which could lead to a decline in the quality of research. Scholarly integrity and ethics were a big concern with issues of authenticity, plagiarism, copyright and poor citation practices raised. The most widespread belief was AI would prove to be a transformative force and would exacerbate existing scholarly disparities and inequalities.

Training and Developing Physician-Scientist Careers to Enhance Medical Research in Ghana

Summary A physician-scientist is a medical doctor who combines clinical practice with research. They often work in academic medical centers, research institutions, or hospitals, where they split their time between treating patients and conducting research to advance medical knowledge, develop new treatments, and improve public health. Their work is well recognized as they are reported to constitute 37% of Nobel Prize winners in Physiology or Medicine, and several prize winners in Chemistry. However, regardless of how inherently fulfilling this may be, in Ghana and many other regions of the world, increasingly fewer doctors aspire to become physician-scientists. Currently, there is a lack of clarity regarding the path to becoming a physician-scientist in Ghana and other African nations. So, for the young doctor of today who wishes to embark on a research career, there are more questions than answers. The authors emphasize the need for structured programs, early commitment, and resource allocation to nurture the next generation of physician-scientists. They also examine the potential of integrating research-focused training into existing medical programs and the role of various stakeholders, such as universities and the Ministry of Health, in supporting these initiatives. The authors call for innovative approaches and strategic planning to enhance the capacity of Ghanaian doctors to pursue careers in medical research, ultimately contributing to global scientific advancement and improving healthcare in low and middle-income countries. They conclude that more needs to be done to develop more physician scientists.

Effective Science Communication — A practical guide to surviving as a scientist

Scientists in academia, particularly early career researchers, are required to master a multitude of practices in a higher education context, often learning on the job by a process of incidental osmosis rather than structured training. For example, success in writing grant proposals, presenting and networking at conferences, journal publication, teaching, engaging with publics ‘beyond the ivory tower’, and demonstrating the ‘impact’ of research are essential skills to master to progress an academic career. Training and support in these areas can often be fragmented and/or dependent on good fortune with respect to suitable mentors.

Mini-Worskhop: Artin Groups meet Triangulated Categories

Artin and Coxeter groups are naturally occurring generalisations of the braid and symmetric groups respectively. However, unlike for Coxeter groups, many basic group theoretic questions remain unanswered for general Artin groups – most notably the K(\pi,1) -conjecture for Artin groups remains open except for certain special families of Artin groups. Recently, Artin groups have also appeared as groups acting on triangulated categories, where the associated spaces of Bridgeland’s stability conditions provide new realisations of the corresponding K(\pi,1) spaces. The aim of the workshop is to bring together experts and early career researchers from two seemingly different areas of research: (i) geometric and combinatorial group theory and topology, and (ii) triangulated categories and stability conditions, to explore their intersection via the K(\pi,1) -conjecture.

Journeying Through Journals: The Publishing Process and How to Maximise Research Impact.

Publication is essential to share new ideas, knowledge, or recent findings with those who have an interest in a particular area. Selecting the most appropriate format and timing for dissemination is critical to ensuring the long-term impact of research. However, many researchers, particularly those in the early stages of their career, are unaware of how the publication process works and the different options available for promoting research to maximum effect. Understanding how to maximise impact is particularly important for research using animal models or alternative methods, to make the best use of any animal data generated and reduce animal testing in future. Herein, different publishing models are explained, including anonymised peer review, open review and data sharing initiatives. An overview is given of key resources available to assist authors, reviewers and editors in the process of writing, presenting, reviewing and publishing research. New challenges and opportunities in publishing are discussed, including the potential influence of Artificial Intelligence. A list of 'ten top tips' in publishing for early career researchers is presented, providing advice and recommendations for ensuring a successful and impactful publication record.

Academic return migration amidst North-to-South trend: an integrative inquiry into the case of Chinese international STEM researchers

ABSTRACT Set against the booming reverse migration of scientific talents from developed nations to newly-emerged advanced economies, this study particularly examines the return of Chinese early career researchers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Deploying a mixed research design that integrates quantitative and qualitative traditions, it aims to address three prominent knowledge gaps surrounding this emergent pattern of transnational academic migration. According to survey results, caring duties, career prospects, and cultural attachments have consistently emerged as the primary drivers for returnees who received PhD training in various host destinations. In contrast, economic and lifestyle concerns were of much less import to those completing the doctorate in leading Anglophone countries. Stark gender disparities were also observed, with male returnees’ desire to secure cultural familiarity and upward mobility especially evident and their use of transnational academic networks more prevalent. Moreover, participants who made the decision to return toward the end of their overseas sojourn and whose doctoral education was sponsored by the Chinese government demonstrated a significantly higher likelihood of considering onward migratory movement. While largely corroborating the quantitative findings, interview data further highlights the vital role of a justice-oriented university environment in attracting high-skilled talents from across different axes of social disadvantage. Throughout, it points to the prospective stickiness of return migration instigated amidst the radical shifts in global science. We conclude the paper with critical reflections on our empirical and methodological focus.

What Are the Challenges Ahead for Training the Present and Next-Generation Microscopists in the Life Sciences (a.k.a. Structural Cell Biologists)?

Abstract Becoming a life scientist microscopist involves earning a bachelor’s degree in biology, biomedicine, or a related education program, specializing in microscopy-related areas. Advanced degrees (B.A. Hons., M.A. Res., or Ph.D.) enhance hands-on proficiencies and lay the foundation to become a microscopist or structural cell biologist. Staying updated on technological advancements, networking, and attending relevant microscopy conferences and workshops are central to the success of becoming an established, competent microscopist. Building an academic career in microscopy includes showcasing skills and proficiency in a research field. This involves teaching, scholarly dissemination, and achieving success in awards and grants, which are crucial for entry-level positions in academia. Continuous professional development in specific microscopy interests through workshops, self-education, online resources, or attaining additional certificates or diplomas is essential for academic career advancement, as the science of microscopy is not characterized by a status quo but is evolving at unprecedented speed. Tailoring education and understanding job requirements for academia, research organizations, or industry are critical decisions to align skills with career goals. In this themed contribution, we highlight key considerations for aspiring or junior microscopists to contemplate when building a successful research career in biological microscopy.