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"Earning a Ph.D. is not a vocational qualification anymore. It equips people to go into all sectors of society."

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.

"The priority for most researchers is an independent career in research. For me, the next step is either another postdoc or getting my own funding. But if the funding doesn't come through, I'll probably quit." --John Bothwell

“Used properly, this tool will encourage you, and your lab mates, to operate outside your normal mode of thinking.”

For students brave enough to dust off their passports in seeking a Ph.D., the rewards can be great.

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

It's a safe bet that some people in your lab are a lot different from you. A first step in getting along with your lab mates (or anyone, for that matter) is acknowledging that they may be hard-wired to approach problems in a certain way.

"The best applications ... have a plan of research ... that is ... realistic [and] at the same time has this visionary quality," says Anders Björklund, chair of the Neurosciences ERC panel.

Environmental forensics is an established discipline in North America, but in the United Kingdom and Europe, the field has emerged more slowly. It's gaining speed, however.

"Interactive museums have sprouted around Italy and across Europe as the European Commission and individual nations have placed science-and-society issues higher on the agenda."

"A mentor has many characteristics but must first and foremost care about your professional development and have an interest in guiding younger scientists as they move through their careers."

Most PIs recognize that moving is a sacrifice even if it's a good career move. This gives you some leverage to negotiate.

"I like to move very fast and take a lot of risks compared to the traditional Swedish way."

--Mohammed Homman

Being lead programmer "can be a lonely role stuck between the code pool and the management and therefore requires a level of confidence in oneself," says Marchalot's boss, Brandon Smith.

"It's important to identify where you want to head because there are no career paths in nanotechnology." --Kshitij Aditeya Singh

Value these moments of interaction with your supervisor. … If you are well-prepared, progress-review meetings will make a magnificent contribution to achieving your main goal, the completion of your research projects.

Lenggenhager helped develop an experimental concept aimed at recreating out-of-body experiences in healthy subjects as a way to study distorted self-consciousness.

His cultural identity has not caused any real hardships or put any of his professional goals out of reach, Bounceur feels.