The value of stupidity in scientific research. Science implies the confrontation of our “absolute” stupidity.
The idea has been around for a while, which doesn’t make it any less gripping, quite the opposite, it is worthwhile to occasionally revisit it, if only for the sake of positive stimulus. The first one to formulate the concept within the scientific field, though, was Martin Schwarz, a professor of microbiology and biomedical engineering […]
How we help the scientific community with leadership and management skills courses
In a series of recent career advice articles (1, 2) in Science, Lucas Laursen gave an overview of opportunities for scientist to acquire leadership and management skills, which we believe are essential for today’s challenges in an academic environment. The articles give a good overview and mention a number of important leadership and management tasks scientists face […]
How to actively fill out the role as a (female) leader
In out last article, we presented some scientific evidence that women are disadvantaged in academic science environments. Other than implementing often controversially discussed quota policies, surprisingly little is done to counteract this gender imbalance, particularly found among leaders. In our Female Leaders in Science (FLIS) course, which was initiated and organised by EMBO earlier this year, we chose […]
Help to make scientists better managers
Becoming a groups leader of a scientific lab comes with a lot of challenges. You need to acquire funds, set up all the necessary infrastructure, establish collaborations, hire the right people at the right time, create a productive work environment, comply with administrative obligations, keep space for creativity, deal with crises and continue publishing. Mind you, this list is […]
