Understanding and supporting the needs of early-career materials scientists
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Understanding and supporting the needs of early-career materials scientists Thomas G. Folland, Mayra R.S. Castro, Isabel Gessner, Maria A. Philip, and Babak Anasori
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ticular group are some of the reasons that the Materials Research Society (MRS) founded the Early Career Professionals Subcommittee (ECPSC). However, while the term “early career” is widely used, a hard definition (e.g., the number of years post-PhD) is difficult to prescribe across differing academic and industrial systems, being often exclusionary. The eligibility criteria of early-career grants illustrates this; the European Research Council specifies 2 to 7 years post-PhD,1 the US Department of Energy specifies under 10 years post-PhD,2 and The Royal Society in the UK specifies the “first five years of a tenure track position.”3 In Figure 1, we explore the stages of an academic career path using descriptive terms, from student, to early career, to established mid-career. Note that we choose to present this as a spectrum, as the transition to an established scientist is often not a hard line, especially given that reaching mid-career is not a straight path for many.
As a committee, we are focused on improving outcomes for early-career professionals, supporting them as they work toward their ideal career path. Scientists meet several general challenges in this phase. Perhaps first and foremost is the lack of security in early-career positions, especially in challenging situations such as the current economic downturn. Effective mentorship (typically from a group leader) can significantly enhance a scientist’s career.4,5 In particular, structured mentoring has been shown to be highly effective in creating more diverse and equitable scientific communities.6 However, not all mentors possess the relevant experience or skills to support their mentees on the range of career paths available. Professional societies, such as MRS, can provide an independent bridge of support and knowledge for those who cannot obtain it otherwise. To explore some personal experiences, we spoke to several members of the ECPSC. One of the major advantages of early-career posiEstablished tions is that they offer PhD student Early-career researcher mid-career researcher significant flexibil• advisor offers infrastructure • transition to • independent ity to explore different RESEARCH and scientific supervision independent researcher research group/area cultures and working • first publications as •p ublications as PUBLICATIONS environments. Katherine • publications as co-author corresponding author corresponding author Mazzio, a scientist at • developing NETWORKING • utilizes advisors network •e stablished in the field Helmholtz-Zentrum independent contracts Berlin (Germany), told • financially independent FUNDING • funding provided by advisor • first own funding us that “experienc[ing] of advisor different cultures and • successfully run TEACHING • teaching assistantship • first lectures/courses working environments several courses has been really great and AC
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