[Full reference: Nature Reviews Drug Discovery 9, 171 (February 2010) | doi:10.1038/nrd3111. Free sign-up and login required.]

His research program focuses on the fossil fishes of Gogo, Western Australia. His team recently reported the first ever example of live birth, demonstrated in a 380 million year-old fossil fish with young in utero.

He is also a prolific writer, have published over 120 scientific papers, chapters and books, including popular titles about dinosaurs and Australian fossils. In 2001, he was the winner of the Eureka Prize for the public promotion of science

This month, Science Hub talks to Dr Long about museum careers for scientists, and his responsibilities as Head of Sciences.

Science Hub: What is your job and what does it involve?

Dr Long: My job is Head of Sciences. I’m the head of the science department, which employs a wide range of curators working in areas like geology, palaeontology, mineralogy, herpetology, ornithology, molecular biology, marine zoology, ichthyology and entomology. We also have astronomers – the curator of astronomy works with the Planetarium – and curators who deal with the human medicine collection and the human mind. We have a much broader range of scientists than you would ever find in a single university department.

Science Hub: What are the advantages of having such a wide mix of disciplines in the one place?

Dr Long: We can have a very broad idea of science and how it works rather than just a focused view. More importantly, we can feed all these different viewpoints back into the mix when we’re developing new exhibitions or public programs.

Science Hub: Is there a typical week for you?

Dr Long: A typical week involves attending many regular meetings that revolve around management of the department and the exhibition program, public programs such as National Science Week, and the collections and acquisition of new items and so on.

[At these meetings], I feed up information to the higher management level from the whole sciences department. [I’m also responsible for] inputting information from the sciences department into all the other museums programs and activities, such as exhibitions, publications, research outputs and so on.

My main role is managing the sciences department.

There’s time in between when I’m either working on museum-related documents and policies, or I when I work on my fossils, doing some photography or other descriptive work. That’s a normal week.

An abnormal week might be where I’m away in the field collecting fossils up at Gogo, or overseas, attending a conference.

Science Hub: Yours is quite a unique role, there’s really no equivalent in an academic or industrial environment is there?

Dr Long: No, the closest it gets is being a chair of a university department, because like a departmental chair, we have to monitor and direct research and inputs into other areas. The difference being at universities that in addition to research, there’s often teaching to be done, although we also do teaching at the museum, and supervise Honours or postgraduate students. We’ve got 30 or 40 students based here at the museum at any one time.

Science Hub: You’re well advanced in your career and have a very senior position, but for young people wanting to have a museum career and aspire to a role like yours, what kind of advice would you give them?

Dr Long: The best tip I can give for young scientists who want museum careers is to do an Honours or PhD degree based at a museum. All museums do this and it will give you an idea of what it’s like working in a museum environment with collections and curators.

Usually students are enrolled at a nearby university but have a supervisor based here who oversees their day-to-day work. The students are mainly based here at the museum. They don’t have a base at the university, or they have a nominal base over there, but they come to work here most of the time.

[In that situation], the positives and negatives of working in that environment come home very clearly. You’re limited in your funding and resources, but often people don’t mind that because they like working with collections and museums fantastic places to come to work each day. It’s just very exciting with so many new exhibitions on. If you work in a museum like Museum Victoria, you get free entry to all those things.

Museums are very different from universities in the sense that the competition isn’t as cut-throat about research outputs and getting grants. Museums are also focused more on collections. If you’ve got a deep love of collections and a love of working with objects, then that’s where museum science is quite different from university-based science.

Science Hub: Are all the PhD-qualified scientists working at the museum laboratory scientists?

Dr Long: No, they don’t all work in the lab per se. A lot of the science we do here is not lab-based. It’s field based. For example, most of the work the marine zoologists do is out diving, observing and collecting material in the ocean and so on. Some of their research will come back to the lab for molecular biology work.

[Editor's note: The Science Department at Museum Victoria also has a Science Communication group, including medical scientists and astronomers.]

Science Hub: Does it come down to your temperament and interests as to whether you’re best suited to working in a museum, research institute, university, or a biotech company, for example?

Dr Long: In a museum, you can have the best of both worlds. Many of the museum curators here also have joint or honorary appointments with universities. I’m an honorary professor at ANU, for example.

We all have choices in our careers too. We can stay at the museum, although some of our staff eventually drift over into university positions. People who are productive and do good research keep those options open. You’re paid much better at the university for your research work. At universities, you also have a much higher career scale of advancement, up to professorial level, whereas museum curators only earn as much as senior lecturer at a university, and that’s as high as they can go.

Science Hub: You’re working for Museum Victoria. From where do your salary and research funding come?

Dr Long: We’re all State Government employees. We get our salaries, the use of vehicles, laboratory equipment and field gear, which is a big help, and we get a basic amount to cover our consumables and postage and those kinds of things.

For the research projects we do, we raise all our grant money externally from the ARC and ABRS (Australian Biological Resource Study), and we’re very good at that. We don’t get any research funded by the museum.
Being a public servant is quite different too from being based at a university. You’re subject to more paper work and bureaucracy, but at the end of the day you still have the same freedoms in terms of directing a research program, going out into the field, or overseas to conferences.

Museum Victoria’s latest exhibitions are: Wild – Amazing Animals in a Changing World and Dinosaur Walk.

Fresh news!  Dr John Long has been appointed Vice President of Research and Collections at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, USA.  Congratulations John!

Related articles:

• Skills – Communication: Written in stone: a palaeontologist’s stories
• Spotlight – Go-Go girl: the world’s oldest mother

Academics who work cloistered lives in the Ivory Tower of the university belong to a past era in tertiary education. Today’s university staff are expected to juggle teaching responsibilities and research projects, find time to collaborate for mutual benefit with relevant industries, and to participate in community life, including the formal programs of knowledge transfer, whereby research results are communicated in an accessible way to the public.

Academia is a demanding career path, requiring continued and demonstrable success in all the areas of an academic’s work life.

This month, Science Hub talks to a successful young senior lecturer at the University of Melbourne, about the challenges and rewards of academic work, and the importance of finding balance.

Dr Stuart Barber is a PhD-qualified, certified veterinary surgeon with teaching awards to his credit, and a regular columnist with Australia’s leading rural newspaper.  He is actively involved in his family’s farm, and busy with his own young family.  He is employed as a senior lecturer in Australia’s oldest veterinary school, which this year celebrates its centenary.

We asked Dr Barber to summarise the professional responsibilities he took on with his lecturing role.

“In the first two years of the veterinary course, I teach animal health, welfare and management – which covers animal handling skills and animal production.  I coordinate the first year of that subject, but I also teach into the second year.

“In terms of research, I’m currently studying sheep mastitis, around Victoria and Australia, and continuing to look at drugs to kill parasites.  I’m also trying to do some research on student-education related issues within veterinary science and more generally.

“In terms of knowledge transfer, I’m writing one article per month for the Farm Magazine Weekly Times supplement, and I also write for the Australian Poll-Dorset Journal three or four times a year.

“I’m on the livestock industry consulting committee as a member of the Australian Veterinary Association and participate in a number of different groups that discuss industry issues.

“I also help my father on his farm in north-eastern Victoria, where he runs a stud sheep property.  I help him with the genetics and management side of that.  And that’s enough to keep me busy!”

Teaching

As an academic, Dr Barber is expected to manage teaching, research and knowledge transfer activities, but as a senior lecturer employed by the university to teach, Dr Barber’s first responsibility is to his students.  He delivers approximately 80 hours of lectures and practical classes per semester, averaging seven contact hours per week.  The time he requires to prepare lecture material and assess student work is additional to this, and at least four times the number of his contact hours.  This calculates to a minimum average commitment to teaching of 35 hours per week.

As well as maintaining his lecturing and examination commitments, Dr Barber is also actively researching best practice methods for teaching, and developing new methods to improve student learning.

“I’m interested in trying to improve the first few years of student experience within the veterinary course.  I’m trying to work out ways of delivering material to improve their education, but also their quality of life.  It’s a difficult course and it’s important to work out methods that help them learn the material while keeping their time commitment to the university at a minimum.

“We’re also looking at practical ways to help them improve their knowledge, particularly regarding the agricultural industries.  It’s important for veterinarians to understand what happens on a farm.

“Last year, we took the students to Dookie College, in northern Victoria for a three day intensive farm visit program combined with communication and leadership building skills.”

Dr Barber and other first year lecturers in the veterinary course are also committed to helping students integrate earlier into their peer group, having observed that isolated students are less happy, less motivated to study, and at higher risk of failing or withdrawing from the course.

For a vocational and clinical course like veterinary science, helping students to network and develop good social skills also enhances their professional development and employability.

“Practising veterinarians certainly need to have a wide circle of peers they can rely on for assistance and having people to ask professional questions of, or just to have a chat with, is something that’s very, very valuable.

“And when clinics are looking for a veterinary graduate, what they’re really interested in is people skills.  Does the graduate, for example, know how to talk to someone when they have to put down their dog?  Do they understand that telling a farmer that their stock has certain diseases means they might have to get rid of their entire flock?”

Time-management

In tertiary education, it is widely expected that staff employed to teach should also have an active research program.  Involvement in research activities ensures that lecturers are up-to-date with recent developments in their field – information they can pass on to their students – and encourages staff to exercise high standards of critical thinking and investigative discipline – favourable attributes that the next generation of researchers should absorb.

As a result, in addition to his lecturing activities, Dr Barber runs a research program on sheep mastitis.  In the coming months, Science Hub will take a detailed look at the science of his research program in our Spotlight article, Dr Stuart Barber: boom and bust in agricultural science.  His work was funded until recently by two industry bodies representing primary producers in Australia, the Meat and Livestock Association and Australian Wool Innovation.  While Dr Barber has one PhD student with whom to collaborate on the laboratory and field demands of his projects, he still commits five to ten hours per week to his research activities.

On top of this work, academics at the University of Melbourne, and other tertiary institutions, are encouraged to transfer their knowledge – to contribute to activities that improve the uptake and flow of information between the university and wider community.  For his part, Dr Barber writes regularly for industry newsletters and a monthly column on farming and animal care for the Herald and Weekly Times newspaper, a commitment that requires up to five hours per week from Dr Barber.

In all, his lecturing, research and writing responsibilities take up about 35 to 40 hours of Dr Barber’s working week.  Add to this program the miscellaneous administrative tasks, meetings, seminar presentations, conference participation, manuscript preparation and peer-review responsibilities required of most academic staff, and time-management becomes a very important skill.

“One of the messages we tell our students is that they must make time for themselves as well as for their work. One of the risks you run is becoming a workaholic and having your whole life ruled by veterinary science, or science, or whatever it might be,” says Dr Barber.

“Time-management is really important, but there are times, particularly when a research project is finishing up, but the teaching load remains, where it can be difficult to manage that load.

“The biggest [consideration] in managing time, is having time with my family, that’s very important to me.  It’s also important to have a bit of time, whenever that might be, for me as well, so I can evaluate where I’m at and what’s happening.”

For Dr Barber, a practical strategy to managing time involves setting out short and longer-term goals, so he knows when he wants to finish things.  He suggests that if you’re coming close to the deadline and finding you can’t meet those goals, then you need to either change goals or bring in some help.

Another good piece of advice is to learn to prioritise.  “At universities, there’s always more work to do somewhere, so it’s a matter of working out what’s most important and focusing on that,” he says.

“There’s a reasonable amount of pressure to perform in the university environment – to put out a certain number of publications each year, as well as get reasonable teaching scores.  I wouldn’t call it an easy job, but it’s certainly fulfilling.”

The rewards of academic life

In recent recognition for Dr Barber’s dedication to his students, and his own professional development as a teacher, he was awarded the 2009 Australian Veterinary Association’s (AVA) Excellence in Teaching Award.  Each year the AVA recognises one teacher from among the eight Australasian veterinary schools for their contribution to learning.

“My name’s on the top of the certificate,” says Dr Barber, “but I felt more compelled to accept it on behalf of the team I work with at the university, and also our external colleagues.  In teaching, you can’t really do it very well by yourself.”

Despite his modesty, the award is timely public recognition for work that Dr Barber already finds satisfying, and an added incentive to continue improving his teaching skills.

“Teaching is very rewarding when you see students really enthusiastic about the topics you’re teaching, or when they finally understand a certain idea.  It’s exciting to see students learning … Hopefully, I’m improving over time and students are benefiting all the more, because when they do, it makes it better for me.

“I’m happy doing what I’m doing and I’d like to stay in research and to keep teaching.  From a research point of view, I always like learning new things.  I’m quite happy being involved with industry and getting out to work with farmers.  I’d like to continue on that line.

“I really like being able to help people.  If I can do something that makes someone else’s day better or that improves someone else’s abilities, it makes me very happy.  That’s one of my drivers.   If I can learn something new about myself or about other things, that also makes me happy.

“The role I’m in currently in is a very good role for me, it allows me to achieve those things, and hopefully on a daily basis.”

Dr Barber is employed by the Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Melbourne and his research until recently was funded by Australian Wool Innovation and the Meat and Livestock Association.

Related articles:

• Spotlight – Dr Stuart Barber: boom and bust in agricultural science
• Skills – communication: Dr Stuart Barber: pitching to your audience

We begin by talking to Dr X, a young post-doctoral scientist with a PhD in immunology and an MBA, about moving from lab coat to business suit, what it’s like being involved in the strategic development of a biotechnology company and candidly about the salary disparities for scientists in academia compared to industry.

SCIENCE HUB: Dr X, you work for a company in the biotechnology/biomedical industry.  What do they do? 

Dr X: We develop treatments for cancer and infectious diseases.

SCIENCE HUB: Can you give us an overview of the company?

Dr X:  We’re relatively small with fewer than 10 staff in Australia, consisting of the head office – where I work – and also a research group.  We have about 20 people in Germany, who do some of the early-stage research for our product pipeline.

We have a clinical research officer (CRO) who looks after our clinical trials, and we often outsource special tests or assays that we can’t do ourselves.  We also sometimes have independent third-party labs validate some of our products.  That’s good to do when you’re generating data packages for a product; it gives potential [investment] partners confidence that the products are working well.

The number of senior staff with science qualifications here isn’t large – myself in the head office and the two people who run the research groups here in Australia and in Germany.  Other staff members have a lot of business experience, and scientific qualifications aren’t necessarily required.  In general, however, it’s not a waste to have a PhD in the professional environment I’m in.

SCIENCE HUB: How long have you worked with this company?

Dr X: About 18 months.

SCIENCE HUB: And what do you do?

Dr X: I’m the director of business development.  My main responsibility is initiating and maintaining business relationships with other biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies.  I also do some public relations, and I play a support role with some of the more technical things that auditors require of us.

A typical week for me would involve following up on business contacts and preparing various reports that the CEO requires.  I help put together presentations for meetings he attends, draft ASX announcements, submit grant applications, evaluate potential partnering opportunities and look after the company’s website and annual report.  We meet quite regularly with our current investors, and I’m often involved in some of those meetings.  We also like to have good communication between our research group and the people in the head office, so I might attend lab meetings too.  It’s quite diverse.

The nice thing about a small biotech company is that when new things come along, you get thrown into it all.  You may not necessarily have done these things before, so you need to be a bit multi-talented.  But most of us, at least in the head office, have very defined things to do.

SCIENCE HUB:  Would the variety and constant challenge be one of the best things about your job, or what is it that you enjoy most?

DR X:  The biotech industry is very intense, it’s hard to explain how different it is from the lab.  There are new challenges every week, and you always seem to be moving from one crazy deadline to the next.  Just when you think you’ve finished everything, something else comes up – the board might implement a new strategy or something more important that needs to be finished straight away.

The pressure can be constant and you have to get used to dealing with that, and not always being able to finish things.  You simply need to learn to prioritise your time and deal with the most important project at hand.

SCIENCE HUB: How many hours per week do you work?

DR X: I have a nine hour day.  Occasionally in the evening or early morning there might be corporate functions or seminars – networking and educational opportunities.   They are good to go to, although sometimes you have to limit them.  But because the biotech industry is pretty small, it’s good to meet other people who are doing similar things.

SCIENCE HUB:   Do you still get to attend conferences as research scientists do?

DR X:  Because I haven’t been with the company terribly long, I haven’t done any overseas trips.  But certainly I’ve been to some conferences in Australia, and had an opportunity to visit another research group we’re working with, which was great.  There are definitely opportunities to go and meet people.  As our relationships with other companies mature, there may be more opportunity to meet with other corporate teams.

SCIENCE HUB: How did you get this job?

DR X: It was all a bit of a fluke really.  My post-doc contract had ended, and at that time I had already had started my MBA, perhaps unconsciously making a decision that I wanted to move into more of a business type role.

While I was writing up some papers and submitting grants, I heard about the job from a colleague, who knew someone working for the company.  I had a quick discussion with that person on the phone, and he said, “You sound like the type of person we need.”

That’s how I got an interview.  I didn’t even write an application letter.  I had two interviews in a bit of a drawn out process where they wanted to see some examples of my writing material – my thesis, some of the papers I had written, and my MBA assignments.

But really, I just fell into. I really had no idea about what a business development person did.  My original role in the company was actually ‘Manager of Finance and Business Development’, which then morphed into this directorship role.

SCIENCE HUB: What advice could you give to other people wanting to get into similar work?

DR X:  When you’re working in a biotech company which develops treatments for cancer, it’s really good to have an understanding of science, and that includes being able to evaluate data critically.

Other companies come to ours with their technologies and a proposal to partner with them or license their technology.  Part of my job is to evaluate their data.  Having a good science background is really beneficial to understanding that world and the language used in it.

[In that regard], it seems easier for scientists to move into the business world, than for business people to move into the science world.  Having said that, there are obviously good examples of people with non-science backgrounds who have high positions in biotech companies.

SCIENCE HUB:  In ballpark figures, how much could people expect to earn in your position?

DR X:  It’s very different [to the university system] … And this is one of the big things for scientists moving into the business world: they don’t have a very good idea of the value of their own skills.

In general, you could probably expect to start on a senior lecturer’s salary.  That would be in the realm of at least 100K for an entry-level position.  It’s fairly generous when you look at some of the other salary scales, for example, given through the ARC and the NHMRC.

“That’s your base salary, and then often with biotechnology companies, you get bonuses and options each year as well, which are incentives and reward for good work. Staff members are encouraged, especially if relatively new to the company, to have shares in the business. It helps create an environment where everyone is contributing to the wealth.

SCIENCE HUB: In terms of being a female scientist, or a PhD-qualified woman working in the biotech industry, is there any specific advice you can offer?

Dr X: Firstly, getting a good work-life balance would be great. I don’t know if I’ve always succeeded at that. My partner would suggest otherwise, perhaps! Especially while finishing my MBA, I realised how much it demanded of my after-hours time, because while I was excused from work to sit for exams, I studied in the evenings and on the weekends.

[In a practical sense], try to keep people around you who will keep you in check when you’re getting completely obsessive, and who will pull you back into line.

Secondly, in general, I’ve found women aren’t that good at negotiating contracts. Men, in general, tend to be a little more aggressive and to ask for extra. I don’t think women should be scared to say what they think they’re worth, to really put forward their skills and to ask for the most relevant remuneration for what they do. I think there are some differences in the way men and women approach these things.

SCIENCE HUB: And finally, Dr X, in the last question for this month’s issue – where would you like to see yourself in 5 years?

DR X: Probably in a senior management role. I’m interested in getting some experience as a director of a company –being on the board. That would be nice, and maybe be semi-retired! But I don’t think that’s going to happen…

Related articles:

• Pavlov’s Epilogue – Advice to young scientists from the biotech industry

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