The PostDocs Forum

A few months ago I took to twitter, linkedin, facebook, and other social networking venues asking the question: What is the most important quality for a successful scientist? (This of course also led me to the question what makes for a successful scientist, but that’s for a different time.) My curiosity was sparked after I read a December 2009 blog post by Samantha Scientist, in which she discussed the definition of smart – in terms of being a scientist. The following is a compilation of responses that I’ve received from scientists I’ve interviewed and from those that responded via social network.

Many shared the belief that tenacity, perseverance, resiliency or remaining motivated in the face of experimental failures is at the top of the list. It becomes very difficult to remain enthusiastic about an experiment after it has failed ten or fifteen times. Every time you begin an experiment you can’t lose hope that this will be the time that you’ve figured out how to make it work.

When I interviewed Menachem Moshelion last year, he expressed that the scientists have to be ready for a lot of hard work, frustration and disappointments. “Many times you think you have the right question and the right experiment – and its very frustrating to find out that the answer is not what you expected. You know where you want to get – but you never know where you are going. Sometimes you get different results than you expect – and it takes you out of the way – so you have to be ready for disappointment…”

In this video Ihsan M. Salloum explains why enthusiasm, perseverance, and staying informed are three vital characteristics of a successful researcher.

Bonnie explained that resiliency is “particularly on my mind because a couple days ago I actually did do an experiment for the 9th time and finally get it to work. A few years ago I would have gotten significantly more discouraged and maybe given up by that point, but I feel like I’ve finally gained the confidence to keep believing that a solution is out there and all I have to do is find it.”

Just as its difficult to stay motivated in the face of multiple failures, scientists also must stay confident in their data and theories so that they will continue to work on their experiments over and over (and over) again. At the same time, you must “let your data speak.” Be objective and don’t force the data to fit your theory.

Another important quality Joanne Manaster attributes to successful scientists is curiosity, as it provides for both motivation and direction.

Yanina Shevchenko reminds us that it’s really all about passion: “There are many aspects of a scientist’s career that are not so easy, including the day-to-day struggle to secure funding, and other mundane aspects of administration. Without the underlying motivation of passion for scientific research, these tasks could become too burdensome.”

Gio da Silva and Chris Dieni also stress the importance of maintaining a good work-life balance. Make sure to have a hobby outside of the lab so that you can clear your head.

Other important qualities that were mentioned are:

• Analytical Skills
• Management Skills
• Abstract thinking
• Fine Motor Skills
• Willingness to collaborate

What other qualities do you think are important for successful scientists?

Due to an overwhelming amount of responses, I was unable to name (and thank) everybody personally in this article. Thanks to all who contributed their thoughts, ideas, and experiences!