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"I felt that it was time to return, now that Portugal was changing and giving us much better conditions, [and] that we should contribute to the development of the country," says Bruno Silva-Santos.

Franck Diafouka found at the EMEA the opportunity to study the impact of drugs in real life and work in a multinational and multicultural environment.

Diana Marques followed her passion for painting and biology separately until one day she saw an ad for a scientific illustration workshop.

Sandrine Etienne-Manneville "knew exactly what she was doing, where the project was going, and what needed to be done," says former postdoc supervisor Alan Hall.

"We are trying to define new syndromes and new diseases in human genetics," says M.D.-Ph.D. Heather Mefford.

"This choice was more practical because you try to build up a career, and if you do what people are already doing, you need to be very good, but also lucky, to make it," says Edwin Cuppen.

Azevedo strongly advises other postdocs to start applying even if they feel it is too early in their career.

Beyond the challenges, provided one is aware of the rules of the game, leaving academia doesn't need to be a one-way street--and may provide the opportunity to gain valuable skills.

"Cases very soon demonstrated a great capacity for working with software and developing systems, a capacity that is unfortunately quite exceptional in experimental biologists." --Systems biologist Alfonso Valencia.

Scientists prepared to deal with a wide range of topics and to help translate findings from the laboratory to the clinic hold the future of research on human genetics and disease in their hands.

The liberal policies in some countries and the wealth of cross-cultural collaborations have made Europe a good destination for researchers to train in human embryonic stem cell research.

Nowadays, "most researchers, especially forest ecologists, are incorporating climate change impacts into their research," says canopy ecologist Catherine Cardelús.

Many Spanish trainees have been forced to start their doctorates without financial help.

One of the last sessions at the 2013 AAAS Annual Meeting looked at transformative research and the factors that facilitate it—or don't.

In Vienna, Eastern and central European scientists gathered to network and learn how to be more competitive for ERC grants.

Science Careers talks to Eric Kaplan, co-executive producer of the CBS comedy The Big Bang Theory, about his work on the show.

Scientists with an ability to work across fields can find exciting opportunities in biomaterials.

Fátima Al-Shahrour is working to interpret the genome to help select more effective drugs for cancer patients.

Science Careers looks at the pros and cons for young scientists to take part in interactive peer review processes both as authors and reviewers.