Changing academic research areas can be a career risk, but it can also spark a new enthusiasm for chemistry. Valery Kozhevnikov at Northumbria University, UK, knows this well. He has switched fields several times over the last 20 years; from a PhD in medicinal chemistry to postdoctoral fellowships in supramolecular materials and liquid crystals, and his current focus on phosphorescent metal complexes. He admits it wasn’t always easy, but says he has ‘no regrets whatsoever’.
改變學術研究領域可能會給職業生涯帶來風險，但也可能激發出新的化學熱情。英國諾桑比亞大學的 Valery kozevnikov 深知這一點。在過去的20年裡，他多次轉換研究領域，從藥物化學的博士學位到超分子材料和液晶的博士後獎學金，他目前的研究重點是磷光金屬配合物。他承認這並不總是那麼容易，但是他說他沒有任何遺憾。
Switching research area is still rare in chemistry according to Kozhevnikov, who says academic culture expects researchers to stick with the areas in which they have trained. But a recent analysis of publications by physicist Shlomo Halvin from Bar-Ilan University in Israel and colleagues suggested that switching between topics is becoming more common, perhaps due to an increased emphasis on interdisciplinary research.1
科熱夫尼科夫認為，在化學領域，轉換研究領域仍然很罕見。他表示，學術文化期望研究人員堅持他們曾經培訓過的領域。但是最近一份由以色列巴伊蘭大學的物理學家 Shlomo Halvin 和他的同事們發表的出版物分析表明，話題之間的轉換變得越來越普遍，也許是因為對科際整合的強調
If you’re considering a jump to another research area, it’s good to look before you leap. Here’s some advice on how to tackle the hurdles ahead of you.
如果你正在考慮跳到另一個研究領域，最好三思而後行。這裡有一些關於如何克服你面前的障礙的建議。
Find the right moment 找到合適的時機
Deciding when to switch areas is fraught with difficulties. ‘Our results suggest that narrowing down the research focus early in a career might be better,’ says Halvin. At later career stages, ‘high switching probability is associated with high productivity, but associated with low average citation per paper’.決定何時轉換領域充滿了困難。哈爾文說，“我們的研究結果表明，在職業生涯早期縮小研究範圍可能更好。”。在後期的職業生涯階段，高轉換概率與高生產率相關，但與低平均每篇論文引用率相關。Switching after a PhD seemed like an ideal time for Kozhevnikov. ‘I had a lot of enthusiasm and energy and other people did not depend on me, so if I made a mistake it would not cause much harm.’ Several international postdoctoral fellowships helped him change area. Through these he could embark on new projects of his own design, rather than having to apply for jobs for which he might have been considered unqualified.在獲得博士學位後轉行似乎是 kozevnikov 的理想時機。“我有很大的熱情和精力，其他人都不依賴我，所以即使我犯了錯誤，也不會造成太大的傷害。” 幾個國際博士後獎學金幫助他改變了領域。通過這些，他可以開始自己設計的新項目，而不必申請那些他可能被認為不合格的工作。The key to any switch is planning. PhD students and postdocs should start to plan ideas for a new research topic – and think about how to fund the work – at least six months before the end of an existing project. Academics with permanent research positions can be even more strategic and plan five years ahead. ‘You can be quite adventurous,’ suggests Kozhevnikov.任何轉變的關鍵都是計劃。博士生和博士後應該在現有項目結束前至少六個月開始為一個新的研究課題制定計劃，並考慮如何為這項工作提供資金。擁有永久研究職位的學者可以更具戰略性，提前五年制定計劃。你可以很有冒險精神，kozevnikov 說。 Make the most of existing skills 充分利用現有技能
Giacinto Scoles at Princeton University in the US is a pioneer in the development of molecular beam methods for studying molecules. In the last decade, he has moved towards medical nanotechnology. He points out that ultimately ‘good training in science doesn’t depend on the subject’. Bringing a fresh perspective to a scientific question, unencumbered by old ways of thinking, can be a real advantage. Kozhevnikov has done just that. ‘You have to figure out your strength and then try to exploit it as much as you can,’ he says. ‘I’m still a synthetic chemist, so my strength is that I can quickly make the molecule … I usually make the material and then I knock on the doors of collaborators.’
普林斯頓大學的 Giacinto Scoles 是研究分子的分子束方法的先驅。在過去的十年裡，他轉向了醫學納米技術。他指出，最終“良好的科學訓練並不取決於學科”。為一個科學問題帶來新的視角，不受舊思維方式的束縛，可能是一個真正的優勢。Kozevnikov 就是這樣做的。他說，你必須找出自己的優勢，然後儘可能多地加以利用。“我仍然是一名合成化學家，所以我的優勢在於我可以很快地製造出這種分子... ... 我通常先製造這種材料，然後再去敲合作者的門。”
Build a new network建立一個新的網絡
Being accepted into a new academic community is the most difficult part of shifting research focus, says Scoles. Kozhevnikov agrees: ‘Experience and a reputation are strange things. The longer you spend in one field, the more difficult it is to change.’ Attending conferences, symposia and other meetings will all add to your visibility but recognition and acceptance really only comes with publications and conference talks.
斯科爾斯說，被一個新的學術團體所接受是轉變研究重點最困難的部分。同意這個觀點: 經驗和名譽是奇怪的東西。你在一個領域花的時間越長，就越難改變。” 參加會議，座談會和其他會議都會增加你的知名度，但是認可和接受真的只有通過出版物和會議演講才能實現。
Collaborations can also help a researcher to find their place in a new field. Kozhevnikov found collaborators through conferences, but suggests starting with small collaborative projects in your own department or university. ‘Maybe the best collaborator is in the office next to you,’ he adds.
合作也可以幫助研究人員在一個新的領域找到自己的位置。科哲維尼科夫通過會議找到了合作者，但建議從你自己部門或大學的小型合作項目開始。他補充說，也許最好的合作者就在你旁邊的辦公室裡。
Accept that change takes time 接受改變需要時間的事實
Becoming part of a new academic community will mean reading new journals and finding new meetings, conferences and specialist subject groups. It could also mean identifying new sources of funding. Submitting proposals to an unfamiliar agency will be even more time consuming than the usual grant-writing process.
成為一個新的學術團體的一部分意味著閱讀新的期刊，尋找新的會議，研討會和專家學科小組。這也可能意味著找到新的資金來源。向一個不熟悉的機構提交申請比通常的補助金申請程序更耗時。
To provide enough of a track record for people to start taking you seriously ‘you have to publish at least three papers, ideally in good journals,’ says Kozhevnikov. He estimates that others only started to associate him with his current metallic complex research four years after he made his first compound.
科哲夫尼科夫說，為了給人們提供足夠的記錄，讓他們開始認真對待你，你必須至少發表三篇論文，最好是在好的期刊上發表。他估計，在他製造出第一個化合物四年後，其他人才開始把他與他目前的金屬複合物研究聯繫起來。
Change your aims 改變你的目標
Of course, there is risk involved and switching your study area simply to follow the funding or a passing interest is not a good idea. ‘You have to have enthusiasm [for] a new area of research, otherwise it will not work,’ adds Kozhevnikov. Scoles says those planning on switching research areas should probably give up any dreams of receiving prizes in Stockholm. But for those with real passion, the challenge of switching research areas is a reward in itself.
當然，這樣做是有風險的，僅僅為了追求資金或者暫時的興趣而轉換學習領域並不是一個好主意。科熱夫尼科夫補充說，你必須對一個新的研究領域有熱情，否則它就不會起作用。斯科爾斯說，那些計劃轉換研究領域的人可能應該放棄在斯德哥爾摩獲獎的夢想。但對於那些真正有激情的人來說，轉換研究領域的挑戰本身就是一種獎勵。
本文來源於 Chemistry world 網站，版權屬於相關網站和作者。
link： https://www.chemistryworld.com/careers/how-to-change-research-area/4011319.article#/
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