Customer Reviews

Academic Scientists at Work: Navigating the Biomedical Research Career

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Drs. Boss and Eckert write an exceptionally useful book for all who consider and enter academic scientific careers.

I wish I had this book when I began; it contains all the secrets for success. The book is well written and a highly enjoyable read being both funny yet serious. As a chairman, I am going to get this book for all my junior faculty.

Stephen T. Warren, PhD, FACMG
William Patterson Timmie Professor of Human Genetics
Chairman of the Department of Human Genetics
Emory University School of Medicine
Atlanta

This book is a 'must-have' for anyone interested in obtaining a tenure-track academic faculty position. It not only thoroughly describes the process from start to finish in a very accessible manner but also provides invaluable work sheets in the accompanying CDs. I found the list of questions to consider during the interview to be not only extremely useful but also a life-saver during the lulls in conversation that occasionally occurred. After receiving two very good offers, I found that the worksheets designed for comparing them were critical for making my decision. I have now successfully obtained a tenure-track faculty position at a top ten university. I look forward to using this book throughout my career.

Assuming that the more you know about a task the better you are likely to perform it then this book should be studied in depth by every aspiring academic scientist. However, they would also benefit just from browsing through this book. It is packed with useful tips on how to solve problems that few rookie academic scientists will have imagined but most will encounter. Its humorous style makes the book easy to read but its lessons can prevent serious problems.

On a first causal reading the rookie scientist will find this book amusing and informative. However, the book will become even more valuable as they reread it again in subsequent years when they encounter the inevitable hurdles that arise to block their path to success.

- Charles P. Moran, Ph.D.
Emory University School of Medicine

Now that you have landed your assistant professor job what do you do to succeed? Buy this book and find out. It is written by an experienced business administer who has advised numerous junior PIs and scientist who has navigated his way to the top of the academic pyramid. It provides a much needed guide to survival in the academic environment. Budgets, hiring technicians, recruiting postdocs, writing grants and how to negotiate with department chairman are just a few of the subjects that are discussed often in humorous and enlightening manner. This book is must have for all junior faculty who want to become senior faculty.

This book will be helpful to people in various categories. Firstly, those wondering whether a career as sceintific researcher would suit them and what it would entail, secondly those charged with providing suitable career advice and, thirdly, existing researchers needing assistance or reassurance in connection with their work and prospects. As a result, I can see this book in many libraries, including high school and university libraries.

On the other hand, given the rapid nature of change in funding (and this book considers only the USA) and research practices, it would be wrong to imagine that it would be able to provide up to date and accurate information on every issue with which a researcher is likely to be concerned. It should be seen as a general guide rather than a specific one. It will be useful for my students here in Thailand since the career of researcher is not so well documented or even developed here and many aspire to study and work in western countries without much idea of what it would entail.

John Walsh, Mahidol University International College

Well, what can I say. It took a lot of deliberation before I decided to buy this book. I did get a recommendation from a colleague, but after reading some of the reviews, I was not so sure. Much of what the authors say is not just common sense, but almost trivial. I think the topic is also too general, trying to cover everything from a postdoc looking for a job, to an associate professor trying to get promoted to a full professor level.

What was particularly disappointing was the extremely abbreviated section on the process of getting a job. Granted that every university varies, but negotiating a position with good (access to) resources and support, good students and enough time to do research is probably the most critical stage of the whole process. Everything else is a direct result of this process. Yet disproportionately little time is spent on this subject. It is as if the authors assume everyone gets a job in one of the top ten universities, but at the same time they are still too confused about how to publish a paper, write/get a grant or interact with colleagues (junior and senior).

Focusing on NIH R01 as the only source of funding (granted this is intended for biomedical researchers), is also misguided. There are alternatives that researchers can explore, but many of them do not give as generous indirect costs as NIH or simply are smaller than your average NIH grant. So from your institution's point of view these grants do not really help you to get tenure, so maybe that is why the authors left them out.

Over all, this book really is not that helpful unless you are a complete beginner in this game. And then it is probably too early for you to worry about getting your R01 in Research Utopia U. I can think of better things to spend $40 on.

"[T]he book takes the guesswork out of an academic life and environment. ... I highly recommend this book to every graduate student so that they are prepared for the academic calling and can make the most of it. I would further recommend this book to all established academicians so that they could have a better perspective on a graduate student, fellow, and a starting assistant professor and encourage them to become good members of the academic society. The book is priced such that a graduate student can afford to buy one, or perhaps their mentor may be generous enough to gift one."

Kailash Gupta, NIAID, NIH

Finally, a book full of advice on the art of being an academic scientist! As a postdoc, I have already benefited from many of the sections, including the advice on grant writing, giving talks, and writing manuscripts. Also, the section on mentoring has helped me to be more efficient in directing the undergraduates working with me. I am sure I will consult this book many times in the future as I begin my job search and start my own lab. The book was fun to read as well as very practical. Definitely recommended.

I was generous with just one star. In the real world of the stressful biomedical grant mill (Emory University being one such mill), this book will prove profoundly ineffective. And for several reasons. First, it is poorly conceived and written. Second, to my knowledge, Eckert has never been funded for a biomedical grant (in other words, her expertise is wishful thinking). Presently, she holds a staff position at the Emory School of Nursing.