Outwith the academic world, it’s a strange concept to many, this “Doctor of Philosophy”. And I’ve found that not only is it met with varying degrees of awe, incomprehension or even disdain, but you also tend to ‘sell’ it according to your audience. Within academia, it’s expected, a given, yet also fully understood and appreciated. [...]

In January, I will become a Chartered Chemist, following two years of on-the-job gathering of evidence that I have sufficiently developed 12 professional attributes and culminating in the ceremonial addition of the ‘CChem’ designatory letters to my email signature. But professional qualifications are so much more than just a trail of letters after your name. [...]

There’s no doubt that one of the best ways to improve your written communication skills is to read widely. And I’m not just talking broadsheets or the odd Bill Bryson novel; you can actually take some of your best advice from badly written prose. Find out what bugs the life out of you as a [...]

Ever heard the phrase, ‘Those who can’t do, teach’?…. Wrong! Breaking down complex subject matter into an accessible format and making it interesting is a rare and valuable skill. The good news is, it’s a skill you can learn. Engaging in teaching activities during your PhD is a challenging and rewarding experience that enhances your [...]

In the first part of our “introduction to mass spectrometry” series, we established that mass spec is a very useful technique that biologists can use for a number of applications, from analyzing a purified protein to studying the protein content of a sample of cells. We also discussed that ions, not molecules, are detected and [...]

With Hollywood awards season in full swing, some of the cringe worthy acceptance speeches got me to thinking about theses acknowledgements and how different people manage the delicate balance of humour, emotion, and sometimes downright cheesiness. One of the lighter parts of the thesis, the Acknowledgements section allows you to put a personal stamp on [...]

It’s been snowing rather a lot of late.  And as a result, the UK is in something of a state of chaos.  Traffic is gridlocked all over the place – particularly in Scotland, from where I report on this sudden meteorological mayhem – and schools, shops and workplaces are all shutting up shop until the [...]

Time to face your organisational fears if you’re planning to make the move into industry Good Laboratory Practice. Common sense, surely? A requisite for the successful completion of a scientific degree, one would hope. We all exercise good laboratory practice, don’t we? As a graduate student, I exercised the appropriate laboratory practice to get results, [...]