The Role of Research Scientist - Essay Example

?Career Development Plan Job Research Scientist Role Requirements The role I am investigating is for a company d Cenix, a young biotechnology company. Cenix specialise in en vivo and cell biotechnology, and also provide research into therapeutic drug discovery. The position advertised is for a scientist specialising in research of RNAi and miRNA screening for several different diseases, and thus relies on a wide range of technology to achieve this goal. Firstly, there is a requirement to understand fluorescence microscopy and complete analysis of this using a program known as Definiens XD (New Scientist, 2012). An understanding of IT is therefore required in order to be able to utilize this program as part of the job role. There is also a requirement to develop new biological assays, so practical laboratory skills will be needed as well as an understanding of the type of processes that this involves. Many careers in the biosciences require this type of knowledge (Brownstein & Khodursky, 2003), and therefore this can be expected to be important in most possible career development plans. As the role is an important one in discovering new technologies and knowledge, there is a requirement to complete reports and presentations on the information gathered through research. This means that the ideal candidate will understand how to give presentations of a high standard, and will also have a level of confidence in themselves with public speaking (McGraw-Hill, 2007). Again, IT skills will be important here, as presentations and reports will have to be formatted formally on these platforms (New Scientist, 2012). In addition to these key responsibilities, there will be elements of the job role which are very similar to many others. For example, the candidate will be expected to be punctual and appropriate for the working environment, which will most likely be a combination of lab and office work (McGraw-Hill, 2007). There will also be a requirement to have a level of people skills in order to communicate with those working in the same environment (McGraw-Hill, 2007). Qualifications The advertisement itself asks specifically for someone with a PhD in a relevant field, and suggests that the ideal candidate will also have experience in a similar role after completion of their education (New Scientist, 2012). Many jobs in the biosciences require a high level of education, and many seem to require a PhD specifically, although other graduate qualifications may also be appropriate (Brownstein & Khodursky, 2003). The advertisement also asks for “experience with writing image analysis scripts/rule sets using common software packages, preferably Definiens”, which will presumably have been gained through the candidate’s PhD or their previous work experience. Finally, the advertisement also suggests that the candidate should be able to use basic computer programming languages. Although this is not a formal requirement, it suggests that it would be useful for this role, and many biological roles have a lot of interaction with IT technology (Winter, 2004). Assessment There are a number of complicated parts of this job role. To get a PhD, it is necessary to have an undergraduate degree. In this case, I am working towards this, so have already begun my work towards acquiring a similar role. After this, it may be necessary to do a Master’s degree in a relevant subject, although it is possible to start a PhD placement straight away (Winter, 2004). The job role also requires experience. I have some laboratory experience already, which is a good starting place, although more formal requirements may be needed. I am also already fluent on IT technology, although I am unable to use the requested programming languages. I am also unable to use the imaging program Definiens, although I have some understanding of fluorescence microscopy. Plan Perhaps the first thing for me to attempt is to get a relevant job role, or to volunteer in a laboratory. This will give me a starting point to gain professional experience in the area, and perhaps lead me to be able to get a job which the advertisement classifies as being ‘relevant experience’ after a PhD. This will also give me some exposure to the type of computer programming that is required by the advert, as well as maybe a change to do image analysis. Additionally, a role using biological assays will be useful, as there is a requirement to be able to use and adapt biological assays. Experience with these will help me fulfil this requirement, and give me an understanding of the type of research that the company do. I also need to focus on the educational requirements. To do this, I need to achieve at least a 2:i at undergraduate level, which means working as hard as possible. I would also need to research possible Master’s and PhD places, to see which are relevant to the job role and my own personal interests. There will also be issues with funding involved, so researching ways of getting the money to complete this type of education should be included in my plan (McGraw-Hill, 2007). After this research and preliminary choices have been made, it will be necessary to make applications to these places, and when replies have been received choose the most appropriate option. This could be more work experience (before applying for more PhD placements) or continuing straight on with education. It may also be useful to try and self-teach some of the computer programming languages that are mentioned in the advertisement. There are several free online courses for this type of learning, as well as more formal qualifications or self-help books (McGraw-Hill, 2007). This could be useful in many different job roles, particularly in the biosciences as this field relies heavily on the use of IT. Additionally, it may be useful to try and get access to Definiens, or contact someone who does have access to this program, and begin to learn how to use this program. It could also be useful to practice giving presentations and reports (perhaps during University or joining a society) as this is a requirement for this job role. This type of confidence will also help in interview situations, making it more likely that this, or a similar role, will be given to me. References Brownstein, M.J., Khodursky, A., 2003. Functional Genomics. Springer. McGraw-Hill, E. of, 2007. Resumes for Science Careers. McGraw Hill Professional. New Scientist, 2012, Reesearch Scientist – Germany, New Scientist < http://jobs.newscientist.com/en-gb/job/1401396020/research-scientist-germany/>, accessed 11/12/2012 Winter, C., 2004. Opportunities in Biological Science Careers. McGraw-Hill Professional. Appendix I Research Scientist - Germany Recruiter Cenix BioScience GmbH Posted 10 December 2012 Ref Pos. code: RS-HCS Location Germany Job Role Life Sciences, Biotechnology Contract Type Contract Hours Full Time Salary Attractive Apply now Further information Cenix BioScience (www.cenix.com) is completing its 13th year as a mature, fully self-sufficient biotech company specializing in cell-based and in vivo contract research services, as well as technology development, to advance therapeutic drug discovery in a wide range of disease areas. We carry out complex, highly customized contract research projects, including high throughput/high content screening studies using RNAi, miRNA modulation and compound treatments combined with advanced genomics to drive a wide range of preclinical work including target discovery & validation, lead compound identification & optimization, drug mechanism of action analyses, predictive toxicology and biomarker identification for both industry and academic partners. We also actively develop novel reagent technologies to further refine and broaden experimental capabilities in this field. We have assembled a highly multi-disciplinary and international team working in Dresden, Germany, Minneapolis, MN, USA and in our subsidiary located on the campus of our collaboration partner, Janssen Pharmaceutica, in Beerse, Belgium. As the demand for our contract research services is now exceeding our existing capacities, we are seeking to further strengthen our Dresden, Germany-based team by filling the following position: Research Scientist, High-Content Cell-based Screening Unit (Pos. code: RS-HCS) You will: - Design and implement internal, collaborative and contract research projects involving advanced applications of compound-, RNAi- and miRNA modulation-based screening in a wide range of disease fields, primarily using  high-throughput methods combined with high-content assays, - Become an expert for automated fluorescence microscopy and image analysis of HT cell-based screens, including use of the  Definiens XD software platform, - Develop new HT cell-based assay techniques, with emphasis on robotized experimental workflows and automated microscopy for  all scales of experimentation, - Report both internally and externally on these activities through written reports and oral presentations. But first, you need: -  PhD preferentially with > 2 yrs of relevant post-doctoral research experience, with emphasis on high-content cell-based assay development and screening, -  Solid theoretical and working knowledge of cell-based assays and immunofluorescence microscopy, -  Strong initiative & organizational skills, -  Experience with writing image analysis scripts/rulesets using common software packages, preferably Definiens, -  Proficient knowledge of and experience with RNAi- and/or miRNA-based functional genomics experimentation is highly preferred,  - Basic programming skills (Python, C++) are desirable. Cenix offers competitive salaries and a dynamic, results-oriented yet informal working environment. Our company working language is English, and therefore, all staff must be completely fluent. If you are interested, please email or send a complete C.V. in English with 2 references or alternatively, referee contact details, quoting the above position code to:   Cenix BioScience GmbH Human Resources Tatzberg 47 01307 Dresden Germany Tel: +49 (0)351 4173-157 Email: recruit@cenix.com Web: www.cenix.com To apply for this role please click the 'Apply now Button' Read More