Report of the New Researchers Network (NRN) 2nd meeting in Mexico, at the ISEE conference

Date: 05.09.07

Time: 9.00 to 13.00

Chairs: Regina Rückerl and Stephanie von Klot

Attendees.: ~30

Brief welcoming from Dan Wartenberg who confirmed the ISEE support to the NRN

Brief introduction from Anne Knol about the NRN

Speakers

Mara Tellez: spoke about the importance of choosing between being a thematic or a methodological researcher, both having advantages and inconveniences.

She also emphasized about the importance of choosing the mentor and being open to other researcher topics than your own.

Questions:

• How to get money in Mexico? Through a National agency in Sciences and Technology in Mexico or NIH
• How does the authorship work when you are a methodological researcher? You’re not a main author usually

Mark Nieuwenhuijsen: gave an introduction about himself, talked about the importance of the language in a foreign country, importance of funding and importance of belonging to a good team. He also spoke about the “paper changing his way” – pointing out that you can do a review paper, if you are lacking money for a whole study. This might get you recognition as well.

Questions:

• Funding?
• Competition in some countries? It depends on the team
• What about the partner? You need one who follows you

Murray Mittleman: said that planning the career was important, but being open that your plans won’t usually be realized. Main advice: enjoy what you are doing and pursue your passion. He emphasized in the intellectual exercise of research, in the importance of mentoring and teaching. Also be aware in choosing the people you want to work with. Find the balance between family and work. Do fun and interesting things.

Annette Peters: be ready to do fun and frustrating things. She talked about the science in Germany. Advice: to do what you like and what you are good at. She told us mentors were very important. Also, receiving a grant will win you recognition in addition to publications. Have luck! She talked about the importance of international exchanges, of finding equilibrium between administration/research; work/family; learning to delegate responsibilities. Remember that money gives independence and liberty.

Questions:

• How about working in two different countries at the same time? Not easy

Luis Cifuentes: stated that even if all the speakers come from different countries and backgrounds, at the end all the researchers have the same problems. He talked about the importance of vocation, serendipity, doing what we like and be ready for opportunities. Also, to leave room for surprises – you cannot plan everything ahead.

Klea Katsouyani: said that mentoring was very important to her (spoke about a professor of epidemiology in Greece, who was so important for her choice to work in that field). She was also remarking that actually she had never thought about inviting new researchers to work in Greece, more of sending her people out. She also talked about the problems that you face when working as a non medical person in a medical world. Being female in the field sometimes poses additional problems.

Nino Künzli: advised to be open-minded, to be ready to take opportunities, to be in the right place at the right time, be flexible. He also pointed out the importance of management skills that many researchers lack and the importance of luck.

• How about publishing without a PhD? Not necessarily a problem

Beate Ritz: importance of knowing how to write grants. Find the equilibrium between family and work, it’s good to have a partner with flexible working place.

General discussion was around grants and funding, and about being a researcher without becoming (and having the responsibilities of) a senior.

Summary:

methodologist-thematic researcher, mentorship, teams!, pursue your passion, serendipity-be on guard for opportunities, medical- non-medical world, gender, family, read Kavafy's Ithaca!, management,

Suggestions for NRN activities:

The attendants of the workshop suggested NRN could be a good source and distributor of vacancy announcement for new researchers. We discussed the ideas of having an email list; putting these on the website was mostly preferred. Also just linking our website to the vacancy website of ISEE was discussed.