Ask the Editor: Is a good mentor essential for a successful research career?
There is no question that having a good mentor can set you up for success – preferably during your Ph.D. years.
One of the biggest investments you can make in your research career is the selection of a good mentor. Having the right advisor for your PhD is extremely crucial to your having a positive experience and outlook for a career in research.
People who had a less positive advisor seem more likely to try to find other career avenues rather than stay in research.
Research requires an incredible amount of dedication and resilience – you have a lot to prove as you are working on something that no one has done before. In such a situation it is very important to be in an environment that is supportive to your growth and makes the many years doing research fun! Yes, fun – as you have many years to pass before you can begin to do independent research. A good, positive environment with strong role models will give you the confidence and preparation that you will need to succeed in your own research career.
However, I have also known amazingly resilient individuals who did not have a supportive advisor during their PhD or postdoctoral training. Yet, they were able to make meaningful connections with other professors who could serve as role models and give helpful guidance. If this is the case for you, do know that you can always reach out to other faculty and senior postdoctoral fellows in your institute or outside, who can guide you as well. If necessary, you can also consider switching labs/research teams. While this may mean that your research will take longer, it will also allow you to move into a team that suits your personality, aptitude and interests better – contributing to your ability to be successful in the long run.
When people imagine a successful researcher, they often picture someone exceptionally intelligent, deeply knowledgeable, and relentlessly hardworking. Certainly, those qualities matter. But after spending years in and around research, first as a researcher myself and later supporting researchers from across disciplines and career stages, I have come to believe that intelligence alone has surprisingly little to do with who ultimately builds a satisfying lifelong career in research.
Over the years, I have had the privilege of working with researchers at every stage of their careers. Some remained active investigators for decades. Some moved from academia into industry. Some were even recruited from industry back into academia for their valuable experience! A few, of course, left research altogether to do something else – such as medical/veterinary college, science policy, management, patent law, teaching or grants management.
Looking across these different paths, I have noticed that the people who thrive in long-term research careers tend to share certain characteristics: not necessarily stronger technical skills, but particular ways of thinking about work, success, and curiosity. Mentorship is greatly beneficial, but the inner motivation goes a long way in driving one’s career path.
