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"The question is who is going to get the funding first."

"Decision science is moving quickly, and is very open ... to new methods and ideas. You can really challenge things and make contributions," says decision-making scientist Carlos Trujillo.

"Because this is an interuniversity centre, it is also dedicated to research training and the
opportunities are many."

The new law and recent experiences gives hope to scientists who have been struggling in the past.

France is unusual in that finding a position doesn't necessarily mean finding employment.

There is much to be gained from industrial experience, Ceccaroni feels, even for those who want an academic career.

"Perhaps the greatest reward is to be able to apply your skills and see someone improve their performance, [whether it's] an athlete or a disabled child," says Tony Parker of the International Council of Sport Science and Physical Education."

Doing a Ph.D. on visual interfaces and usability is particularly useful, he believes, because it allows him to understand what the consumers would like to use and to guess whether a new product would succeed or fail.

"I did a lot of unpaid work; I invested in my career, and now I am seeing that it was very useful." --Monica Dias

Although Hébrard advises anyone with a passion in astronomy to go for it, he warns that "keeping your eyes and mind open is a good way to start in such a research field."

"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.

Once hired, a chemist’s opportunities are limited only by his or her career ambitions and the company’s needs.

"Most of our propositions were relatively inexpensive yet had some potential for actually changing things," says Jean-François Moyen on behalf of SLR-JC.

The enthusiasm of French postdocs to return home is often unmatched by the country's apparent lack of keenness to have them back.

"[Schürmann] asked very important questions concerning the feasibility of the project, but did not do so sceptically, which indicated to me that ... he was already preparing to take on the challenge," says director of the Blue Brain Project Henry Markram.

Next Wave has talked to scientists who work in extreme conditions to unveil what life and work is like at the frontiers of the tolerable.

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.