Nov 14 2023 41 mins
In this podcast episode, Dr. Tiago Faial, chief editor at Nature Genetics, sits down with Zoé for a candid conversation about his career path and advice for young scientists. They cover topics like the decision to step away from academia for a better work-life balance and finding roles that align with your personal values. Dr. Faial also shares his thoughts on the changing landscape of scientific publishing, particularly focusing on open access and peer review.
Throughout the discussion, Dr. Faial emphasizes the importance of considering personal fulfilment alongside skills when choosing a career path. He encourages listeners not to succumb to peer pressure and shares insights on what he looks for when hiring editors for his team.
"I read a tremendous amount during my PhD and postdoc. I just devoured papers...I would go to as many lectures as I could ...I loved journal clubs...I loved discussing papers...I think that's what helped me during the interview"
"You should think carefully about the skills that you have but also what ultimately makes you happy and fulfilled", "don't just follow a career path because of peer pressure or because your supervisor is telling you to do something"
Time points:
00:35 Introducing Dr. Tiago Faial
02:00 Tiago's motivation to do a PhD
03:30 How Tiago found his PhD experience
08:30 Should you go to America to do a Postdoc?
14:45 What Tiago was thinking at the end of his postdoc
17:40 What helped Tiago get a job as an editor
20:30 Explaining the role of an editor
24:30 The importance of team work
26:15 A typical work day for Tiago
28:45 The challenges of open access and peer review in publishing
33:00 Tiago's advice to PhD students and postdocs
36:30 Questions sent in from listeners: How far out of their PhD work can someone stray? What are you looking for when you interview for new editors?
To contact Tiago:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tiago-faial-9b6568a3/
Email: [email protected]