Bioscience Mastery
10 Tips for Mastering Your Qualifying Exam
The Qualifying Exam is a major hurdle for any PhD student, and the thought of taking one can be mildly terrifying. Read our top tips to help you prepare for your exam; you might even find that you enjoy the experience!
Read MoreWhat Comes Next After Completing Your Undergraduate Degree?
If you’re coming to the end of your undergraduate life sciences degree, you might be wondering what to do next. Fortunately, there are many life sciences career paths that you could take. We explore some of the options here.
Read More10 Great Tips To Make A Good Impression At Your Interview
Are you busy applying for your first biotech or life sciences job? Or are you thinking about a postdoc? Whatever your next steps, you’re likely to face an interview. Here we’ll guide you through some of the common questions and situations you might find yourself having to deal with in a life sciences interview.
Read MorePostdoc Interview Preparation: Sample Questions and Answers
Are you trying to prepare for an interview but not sure what sort of questions you’ll get asked? Check out our top 10 Postdoc interview questions to help prepare you.
Read MoreIs it Worth Doing a PhD After a Master’s?
Thinking of starting a PhD? Wondering if it will be worth it? Read our handy tips and advice to help you decide.
Read MoreUsing Word to Write Your Thesis: Miscellaneous Bits and Bobs
Rounding off our series of tips for writing your thesis in Microsoft Word, the final post covers page numbering, shortcut tips, and cover pages.
Read MoreUsing Word to Write your Thesis: Creating a Master Document
The end is in sight! You’ve drafted your individual thesis chapters and now it’s time to combine them into a single thesis master document. Follow our easy step-by-step instructions to get your thesis submission-ready.
Read MoreUsing Word to Write your Thesis: Making a Table of Contents, Inserting Captions, and Cross-referencing
Our latest tips for thesis writing with Word highlight three useful tools that can help you effortlessly create an easily navigatable thesis using built-in Word tools.
Read MoreUsing Word to Write your Thesis: Creating an Outline
Get your thesis writing off to a great start by learning how to create a thesis outline in Microsoft Word.
Read MoreNext Generation Sequencing: Academia vs Industry
A quick-fire interview with someone working in a private NGS hub on how they got there and what they do – for anyone considering a move from academia to the private sector.
Read MoreHow to Share Your Journal Articles Legally
Sharing research articles legally isn’t always straightforward, even when you are the author. Find out why sharing your article could put you in a sticky situation and learn how to avoid it!
Read MorePhD vs Master’s: Which to Choose?
If choosing between a PhD or a Master’s has you frazzled, don’t panic. We weigh the pros and cons of both in terms of time, money, and career prospects.
Read MoreBecoming a Patch Clamping Pipette Wizard
Is patching clamping a problem? Struggling to get a good seal? There is no need to stress! We’ve got tips on picking and preparing the perfect pipette for your patch clamping experiment!
Read MoreHow to Access Journal Articles Behind Paywalls
Researchers need to access journal articles, but paywalls can sometimes put up a fight. Discover the different legal ways you can access paywalled articles.
Read MoreTop 10 Tips for Viva Success
Thesis defenses are supposed to be grueling, horrific affairs that you fear for weeks beforehand, right? What if there was a way to get through your thesis without tears, torture, and perhaps even enjoy it?
Read MoreAntibiotic Disposal in the Lab: Simple Tips to Get it Right
Have you ever given thought to how you are disposing of antibiotics in the lab and whether or not it’s correct? Discover the problems associated with improper antibiotic disposal and how to correctly dispose of different antibiotics in the lab.
Read MoreTeach Yourself Python: A Guide for Biologists
Automate almost everything by learning Python. Discover why Python is a useful language for Biologists and discover how you can teach yourself!
Read MoreScience Housekeeping Tasks to Tackle When You Aren’t in the Lab
Working away from the bench doesn’t mean your research has to suffer. Read more on how to take advantage of time away from the lab so you can return better than ever.
Read MoreExcelling With Excel: Analytical Method Validation Using LOD and LOQ
Don’t be fooled by bad data. Make sure your results are reliable with this quick guide to determining LOQ and LOD in Excel.
Read MoreTime Blocking for Productivity in a Busy Lab
How can you tackle work when it seems daunting or even impossible to know what will happen and when? Take things one bite at a time and try time blocking!
Read MoreHow to Maintain Motivation in the Lab During an Existential Crisis
How does one maintain the motivation to get out of the bed, do all the lab work, bear the supervisor and the colleagues one doesn’t gel with, and also maintain personal life? Here are a few ways to deal with stress and maintain motivation.
Read MoreUnder Pressure: How to Stay Sane in a Publish-Or-Perish World
Working in a lab can be stressful—experiments, grants, coursework …oh my! Here are some tips for staying sane when you feel like the pressure is driving you crazy.
Read MoreFrom Dull to Catchy: How to Transfigure Your Manuscripts
When you are an avid reader, you can’t help but find similarities between your research and favorite novels. Here are some ways you can cite or quote your favorite fiction author(s) in your manuscript and make it more memorable.
Read MoreHow to Reduce Your Use of Animal Products in the Lab
Did you know that there are many alternatives to the animal-derived products we use in the lab? Read more for how and why you might want to make the switch.
Read MoreVideo Conferencing Services for Scientists
If to you Zoom is just a feature on a camera and BlueJeans is what you wear to work, then let us enlighten you.
Read MoreThe Meditative Scientist: The Nitty-Gritty of Cultivating Awareness
Are you frazzled? Constantly rushing from task to task? Stop and learn how cultivating awareness can make you calmer and happier in the lab.
Read MoreHow to Optimise Your Intern
Are you mentoring an intern and nervous about how to be a good boss? This quirky and offbeat article has got some great tips!
Read MoreThe Tidy Lab: An In-Depth Guide
Want to organize and tidy your lab? Read this detailed guide to a clutter-free and stress-free lab.
Read MoreHow to Publish Negative Results (And Everything Else in Your Lab Notebook)
Get your data out here! Learn about several venues that publish solid data, even if they don’t support your hypothesis or tell a story.
Read MoreOnline Learning Resources for Scientists Working From Home
From bad weather to rail strikes or global pandemics, there are several reasons you may find yourself working from home. After writing up any outstanding grant proposals or papers, reviewing the literature, and perusing the endless field of coronavirus news updates, what’s a scientist to do? Brush up on your non-lab skills, of course! We…
Read MoreHow to Prepare for Working From Home as a Research Scientist
Are you facing working from home? Find out how to prepare and stay productive.
Read MoreWhat is a DOI and Why Should You Care?
DOIs got you confused? Find out what they are and how to use them.
Read MoreOut With the Old: New PubMed Search Tips
PubMed has had a makeover. Find out where your favorite features have moved to and what’s changed in this shiny new version.
Read MoreShare Your Samples at a Reagent Repository
Have you got a plasmid that others are begging to use? Perhaps your cell line is in high demand? We’ll show how using a repository can take the hassle out of sharing your reagents.
Read More10 Ideas for Researchers Working from Home
Working from home but don’t have a garage lab? We’ve got 10 ideas to keep you productive while you’re working away from the bench.
Read MoreTalking When Terrified: Tips for a Nervous Presenter
When I was in school, I absolutely hated giving talks. I was a really nervous presenter, my heart would start beating faster, my face would go red, my hands would shake…even my voice would tremble! Since then I’ve made some big breakthroughs, and now I absolutely love giving talks and lectures. Here are my top…
Read MoreHow to Share Your Lab Protocols and Why It Benefits You
Reproducibility is a cornerstone of scientific research and your results need to be reproducible not only by yourself but also by others, both in and outside of your laboratory. This reproducibility is key for validation of your results as well as to further expand on the knowledge gained during the experiment. In order to accurately…
Read MoreDIY Centrifugation-Based Purification of cfDNA
We’ve created an alternative, centrifugation-based method for the purification of cell-free DNA (cfDNA) that utilizes a benchtop clinical centrifuge.
Read MoreHow to Write an Effective Lab Protocol
We’ve all been there. You’re looking to replicate a result you have read in a paper, or maybe even one that has come from someone else in your own lab. But try as you might, you can’t get your head around the less than effective lab protocol that’s been provided. Or, worse still, you are…
Read MoreThe How and Why of Limit of Detection
When developing an assay, whether it is for basic research or for use in diagnostics, you will often be asked about your assay’s sensitivity. This is perhaps one of the most important performance characteristics you can determine for an assay, and in regulated work, such as in vitro diagnostic (IVD) development and clinical diagnostics, it…
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