深度研究 | 世界知名实验室对优秀人才的录取资质标准|top|博士|科学|科研人员|艾伦·图灵

加入顶级实验室是许多科研工作者的梦想，也是广大学子的追求。世界级实验室无论是历史渊源、设备配置，还是人才储备和项目数量都远远超过普通大学或公司的研究室。例如，欧洲核子研究中心（CERN）拥有世界上最大的粒子加速器。贝尔实验室不仅历史悠久，拥有二百年的通信研究经验，也是唯一产出过9项诺奖成果的私立实验室。

顶级实验室成就了不少知名科学家。2021诺贝尔经济学奖得主Joshua Angrist教授就有过在美国全球经济研究所（National Bureau of Economic Research，简称NBER）担任研究员的经历。NBER是美国最大的经济学研究组织，Angrist教授在1989年从普林斯顿大学取得博士学位后，直接加入了NBER，同时在哈佛大学担任两年助理教授，并在希伯来大学担任经济学讲师。1994年至今，Angrist教授一直作为NBER的助理研究员参与各项研究，凭借自己在研究所的工作经历和教学经验，辗转于各大知名院校，并在2008年成为麻省理工大学的讲席教授。实际上，在历届诺贝尔经济学奖的得主中，有33位是NBER的研究员，或有过在NBER的工作经历。

NBER是在经济学研究领域世界知名的研究所，而不同学科领域都有着这样的顶级研究机构。那么，什么人才有资格进入世界知名实验室工作？顶级实验室为了向科学前沿探索，需要具备什么能力、拥有怎样教育背景的学者？本文将通过收集顶级实验室与知名学者资料，从实验室招录条件和现任研究院履历背景两方面来探讨知名实验室录用优秀人才的标准，供广大有志于科研事业的学子参考。

01科研门槛

随着社会的发展，科研岗位总体上正在增加。据美国劳工统计局2020年的预测，在未来的十年内，美国的研究岗位将增加8%；社会对于生物医药、心理学和环境科学的需求将增加。根据美国劳工统计局的调查，不同学科领域研究院的准入门槛大相径庭。

农业、食品科学、化学、地质学、核研究实验室的实验员一般只需要副学士学位（即完成美国的两年制大学教育），而这些行业的研究员则至少需要本科学位。生物、医学、物理学与天文学研究的准入门槛最高，需要专业硕士（即培养目标为应用型人才的学位）或博士学位，而其它领域的大部分实验室则只要求普通的硕士学位。除此之外，实验室还会有行政管理人员，负责财务、采购、人员统筹等工作。由于这类职能工作并不直接涉及到科研，因此本文不调查这部分行政人员的录用要求。

学位要求

学科领域

副学士

农业与食品科学、化学、环境科学、地质学、核研究

学士

气象学、生物学、材料科学、历史学、水文学、微生物学、动物学

硕士

人类学、考古、生态学、流行病、政治科学、社会科学、城市规划学

博士

生物化学、生物物理学、医药学、物理学、天文学、心理学

表1. 美国实验室岗位最低学位要求。本表格根据美国劳工统计局数据整理。

尽管每个实验室都有自身的组织架构，一般来说，科研项目由PI领导，即首席研究员（Principal Investigator）。PI设计研究项目、申请研究款项，并同时进行一或多个项目，能做出最终决定并监督特定研究项目资金和支出。依附于学校的实验室通常接收在读学生和和全职研究员，而工业实验室则设置不同级别的科学家岗位，这些学者将跟随PI研究特定的项目。实验员（Technician）和研究助理（Research Assistant）则是有一定专业经验的本科毕业生或在读研究生，负责进行数据分析、实验操作、设备管理与记录等基础科研工作。

在同一个实验室中，研究者依据各自不同教育背景和科研经历而承担不同的岗位职责。例如，刚刚从本科毕业、想获得更多研究实践以便追求更高学历的毕业生可以担任研究助理。研究助理可以在实验室中获得设备操作经验、学习研究方法，也可以随着经验的积累，逐步晋升或加入其它实验室担任高级职位。

由于许多实验室接收本科实习生（Postbaccalaureate Intern）和研究生实习生（Postgrad Intern/Predoctoral Associate），学生可以为将来申请大学积累经验。大部分实验室都接收博士后研究员，他们在博士后岗位上积累一定经验后，可以在其它研究所或学术机构寻求更高的职位，并获取研究经费、开始自己的研究项目。

同样，我国不同岗位对科研人员的背景要求也不同。例如，中科院上海药物研究所十月底发布的招聘启事要求技术员是近期硕士毕业、拥有较强专业背景；而设备管理人员则要求本科相关专业毕业，拥有特定设备的操作经验。

除了不同学科对研究人员的准入门槛不同，实验室的性质也决定了对教育背景的要求。美国罗宁研究所的三位研究员曾在2018年研究过美国学术机构范式，在论文中，这三位作者总结了一张路径图，描绘了从基础教育阶段到学术研究职业的四种途径。可以看到，从大学、工业实验室、政府研究所到NGO机构，雇主对研究人员的学历要求逐渐放宽。学生获得本科学历后就有机会承担NGO的科研工作，而进入大学实验室则需要经历博士后阶段、积累一定的研究经验与成果。

图片来源：Alex K Lancaster

根据欧洲研究型大学联盟的统计，在英国所有学术机构的科研岗位中，55%是在读博士生和全职研究助理，25%是各级别研究员，12%是独立研究员和高级研究员。教授和5年制研究型教授只占8%，他们的研究经验平均超过14年。可以说，研究经验的积累与岗位要求密不可分。

02人才选拔中的硬实力

本文通过查找知名实验室的招募信息及现任研究员履历，以医学、人工智能和经济学为例，调查不同行业中知名实验室的人才选聘学历、工作经验等硬性标准。

美国国立卫生研究院

美国国立卫生研究院

图片来源：维基百科

在医学领域，美国国立卫生研究院（National Institutes of Health，简称NIH）是美国最高水平的医学与行为学研究机构，下设21个研究机构和6个实验中心。在NIH官网上可以看到，正在招募的研究方向医生需要药学或骨科博士，并有至少一年的医院实习经验。

与之相比，营养学家只需要营养学、食品学或食品服务管理学学士学位，或持有美国注册营养师证书，并且候选人需要至少一年的营养学研究经验。癌症、流行病与遗传学实验室招募的科学家要求候选人取得生物信息、生物统计、计算机科学或计算生物学的博士学位，并拥有数据处理和算法相关的工作经验。

而对于更高级的职位，NIH也要求候选人有更强的学术背景。NIH疫苗研究中心的高级研究员要求必须取得博士学位并具备相关研究经验。同时，候选人必须发表过影响力较大的论文，能展现其独立进行高质量研究的能力，并具备科研项目管理经验。

至于终身研究员、实验室负责人等高级职位，则要求候选人处于科研职涯中期，有过大量科研项目经历，对候选人的评判聚焦于学者个人的专长领域和研究兴趣是否符合实验室在当前阶段的需求。

NIH也为16岁以上的在校大学生提供带薪实习岗位。如果实习学生能够在毕业前完成至少640小时的实习（表现突出的实习生可以放宽至320小时），并取得相应学位和资格证书，那么在毕业后可以被NIH留用。另一些带薪实习岗位则提供给两年以内毕业的学生，在学历符合条件并完成40小时的培训并达到岗位相应标准后，也有机会被留用。这对于刚刚开始科研生涯的学子来说，是非常宝贵的学习机会。

艾伦·图灵研究所

图片来源：艾伦·图灵研究所官网

在人工智能与数据科学方面，2015年在英国成立的艾伦·图灵研究所与13所大学合作，引领着人工智能的前沿研究。根据艾伦·图灵研究所的官方招募网页，不同研究方向对人才选拔的标准也不同。例如，AI监管方向的研究助理需要拥有硕士学位，其专业需要是社会科学、法律、人工智能与计算机科学等领域的交叉学科。而数字人文语料方向的研究助理则需要在数字人文或计算领域取得博士学位，并熟悉多种编程语言。

在查看艾伦·图灵研究所的21位全职研究员的履历后，我们发现，所有研究员都具备博士学位。不仅如此，他们大多在加入研究所前就有着丰富的研究经历，例如取得两个硕士学位、在大学任教、发表大量论文等等。而31位工程师中，有26位拥有博士学位，而另外五位工程师也有着非常丰富的行业经历。而更高级的图灵院士和分支实验室负责人则大多数是大学教授或前任教授。艾伦·图灵研究所也为学生提供带薪实习机会，但只接收博士二年级以上的在读博士进行为期一年的实习。

美国全国经济研究所

NBER剑桥实验室

图片来源：NBER官网

在本文开头提到的，拥有33位诺贝尔经济学奖得主的美国全国经济研究所（NBER）是美国最大的经济学研究组织，作为私立非盈利机构，NBER在全球各地建立了分支实验室。NBER招聘的研究助理需要经济、计算机科学、统计学或数学专业本科毕业，并熟悉编程语言；研究分析员则要求是近期毕业的硕士。

NBER并未公布正式研究员的招募条件，也不提供在校生实习岗位，但是NBER会挑选博士生和博士后的研究项目，为其提供学术和资金上的支持。通过了解NBER现任研究员的履历，不难发现，这所全球顶级经济研究所的科研人员主要由博士后研究员和各个大学的学者组成，他们不仅具有博士学位，也在不同细分领域有过较强的研究经历。

高校附属实验室

许多学科领域，由于本身的学科特性和研究方法，多是由各个大学院系在某几个教授的领导下开设实验室。教授本身作为PI来筹备资金、决定研究方向，而其中的科研成员为教职员工与在读学生。例如，在商科方向，纽约大学Stern商学院设立了行为学研究中心，实验室经理为客座助理教授，研究助理是Stern商学院金融学专业和全球传播学专业的本科在读学生。

又例如，在加州大学伯克利分校的心理学系，每位教授可以建立一个或多个实验室，每个实验室负责研究由教授主导的科研项目，并邀请在校学生一同完成研究。经过笔者统计，加州大学伯克利分校共有30个独立心理学实验室，研究主题分布在认知心理学、发展心理学等六个领域，相关专业的学生有大量机会申请参与研究项目。

在本报告第一部分，我们已经发现不同学科对于科研人员的准入门槛有所不同。化学、环境相关的对学历要求较低，而生物、物理和医学等学科要求较高。经过对三大顶级实验室和知名大学附属实验室的探索，可以得出，实验室中的高级科研岗位（如PI、高级研究员）不仅要求博士学位，更要求丰富的科研经历或产业研发经历。研究助理、实验员等初级岗位虽然根据学科准入门槛不同，对学历和经验的要求有所差异，但相对于同实验室的高级岗位，聘用标准则大大降低。

大部分知名实验室都为在校生提供实习机会。通常作为研究组成员，在项目发表时也有机会在论文上署名。对于有志于从事科研职业的人来说，这无疑是获得研究经验，增强学术背景的好方法。

03人才选拔中的软实力

除了学历、经验等硬性标准，世界级研究机构对候选人的软实力也提出了要求。软实力往往体现在团队合作、适应性、创造性思维等可转移技能上，也就是人们常说的软技能（soft skill）。

什么是软技能？

图片来源：Balance Careers

科研是一项团队工作，无论是理论研究还是实验研究，较大的工作量和对创新想法的需求都需要团队合作来完成。顶级学者往往拥有自己的团队，而在科研生涯中，能够带领团队，与人合作，说服他人等技能有时会左右研究是否能顺利开展。因此，候选人的团队工作能力就十分重要。艾伦·图灵研究所就将候选人“有效、清晰地传递信息和说服他人的能力”列为重要要求，同样被列为重要要求的还有书面与口头沟通能力和在跨文化环境中沟通的能力。

除此之外，创新能力、学习能力和解决问题的能力也是知名实验室考察的软实力。拥有14项诺奖成果的美国劳伦斯-伯克利国家实验室（Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory）在招募博士后研究员时，要求候选人“拥有创造力、创新力，以及学习新技能的强烈意愿”。而贝尔实验室则要求应聘数据科学家的申请人具有“高效团队合作能力”以及“以合作的态度识别、解决问题的能力”。

科研人力资源公司Evolve Scientific的一项研究调查了142位实验室负责人对应聘者的看法，其中60%的负责人认为在科研工作中，团队合作能力至关重要，其次是适应能力（45%）和交际能力（41%）。调查报告中写道，“软技能和学术能力一样重要。在实验室中，你是团队的一员，需要团队合作。如果他们不能与人共情，不能适应和应对不同性格的同事，那么他们会在工作中备受打击，最终离开团队。”

美国系统技术化学实验室（System Technical Chemistry Laboratory）的主管，生物科学家Tywauna Wilson在今年9月的一篇采访中提出了她认为科研人员最重要的五项软技能：沟通能力、解决问题的能力、团队合作能力、时间管理能力，以及合理分配工作的能力。这与世界级实验室在招募人才时的软技能要求不谋而合。

由此可见，如果说学历和研究经验是世界知名实验室对科研人员的硬标准，那么能让候选人从无数相同背景的毕业生中脱颖而出的，则能促进团队发展、提高研究效率的软技能。

04 小结

知名实验室之所以令人向往，一方面是因为它们引领着学科前沿研究，不断探索人类知识的边界。另一方面，知名实验室中大咖云集、设备资金充足，对于学者来说无论是与同行交流合作，还是通过实验室的资源完成自己的研究，都是完美的工作环境。对于在校生和有志于追求更高学历的人，在实验室实习不仅能为自己的简历锦上添花，更能学习到实用的科研技能。

知名实验室的学者大多有着博士学历。对于有志于从事科研职业的学生来说，不仅要追求更高的学历，也要在在校期间积累研究经验，同时培养自己的软技能。在人才选拔上，他们不仅看重候选人的学历，更要求有特定的技能和研究经验，可以为实验室的在途项目做出贡献。同时，这些顶级研究所也看重候选人的沟通合作能力、书面表达能力、创新能力等软技能。在学历和研究背景相似的候选人中，软实力较强的一方更能融入科研团队、推动项目进展。

English Version

Every researcher and scholar values the opportunity to join top laboratories, pursuing practical knowledge and experience in their career. Leading world laboratories are far more advanced than average research labs in industries or academic institutions in terms of academic history, equipment, or the number of experienced and gifted researchers. For instance, the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) possesses the world’s largest particle accelerator. Nokia Bell Labs (Bell Labs in short) has an academic history of nearly 200 years and is the only private laboratory with nine Nobel laureates.

Many famous scientists have working experience in top laboratories. Professor Joshua Angrist, the Nobel laureate in economic this year, used to work as a researcher for the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER), the largest economic research organization in the US. Prof. Angrist joined NBER right after acquiring his doctorate from Princeton University. Meanwhile, he was an assistant professor at Harvard University and an economic lecturer at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Prof. Angrist has been an assistant researcher of NBER since 1994, and he has worked for several universities as he built up teaching and researching experience. He eventually became a professor at MIT. As a matter of fact, 33 researchers and visitors at NBER ended up with Nobel Price in Economics.

NBER is a worldwide famous research lab whose equivalents exist in every disciplinary area. What talents are top labs looking for? What abilities and backgrounds are valued for conducting researches in frontier? This article has collected data and information from the best laboratories and scholars. We will discuss the hiring standards and the academic background of employees of top labs, which might provide some insights to college students who are committed to a researcher’s career.

Set up a bar for science

Research positions increased in total with the global development. In 2020, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics predicted that positions related to scientific researches would increase 8% in the following decade, while the demand for biomedicine, psychology, and environmental scient will arise. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics report, there are certain degree requirements for laboratories in different academic subjects.

Research technicians in agriculture, food science, geology, and nuclear laboratories only require the degree of associate bachelor, whereas researchers and fellows have to acquire a bachelor’s degree. Physics and astronomy research set the most strict bar of degrees, requiring a professional master’s degree. In contrast, major labs in other academic areas only require a general master’s degree in the target field. Also, laboratories hire administrative personnel who are responsible for accounting, procurement, and human resources. As administrative work does not mainly contribute to scientific research, this article will not present the requirement for administrative staff.

Degree

Requirement

Academic Area

Associate

bachelor

Agricultural and food science, chemistry, environmental Science, geology, nuclear research

Bachelor

Meteorologists, biology, material science, history, hydrology, microbiology, wildlife biology

Master

Anthropologists and archeologists, ecology, epidemiologists, political science, social science, urban and regional planning

PhD

Biochemistry and biophysics, medicine, physics, psychology, astronomy

Figure 1. Degree requirement summarized from BLS

Although each laboratory has its own organizational structure, scientific research projects are generally led by PI (Principal Investigator). PI designs research projects, applies for research funds, and conducts one or more projects simultaneously. PI also makes the final decision and supervises the funds and expenditures of specific research projects. The laboratories attached to colleges and universities usually accept interns and full-time researchers, while the industrial laboratories set up positions for scientists at different levels.PI leads scholars to research specific projects. Technicians and research assistants are undergraduate graduates or graduate students with certain professional experience. They are responsible for basic scientific research work such as data analysis, experimental operation, equipment management, and recording data.

Within a laboratory, researchers are responsible for different works based on their educational backgrounds and scientific research experience. Take the research assistant as an example. New graduates who need to acquire more research practice for pursuing a higher degree can serve this position. Research assistants can gain equipment operation experience and learn research methods in the laboratory. They can be promoted as they gain more experience or join other laboratories to hold senior positions.

As many laboratories accept postbaccalaureate interns and postgrad interns, students can take the position and have experience for future university applications. Meanwhile, most laboratories accept postdoctoral researchers. After they acquire certain experience in postdoctoral positions, they can seek higher positions in other research labs or academic institutions, obtain research funding, and start their own research projects.

Similarly, in China, different research positions require different backgrounds. For example, the recruitment poster of the Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica of the Chinese Academy of Sciences this October requires technicians to have a recent master’s degree with a strong professional background. The equipment management position requires a bachelor’s degree in related majors and experience in operating specific devices.

In addition to the entry barriers, the nature of the laboratory also determines the requirements for researchers. Lancaster, Thessen, and Virapongse, researchers from the Ronin Institute, studied the paradigm of American academic institutions in 2018. They summarized a career path describing four pathways from the K-12 stage to an academic research career. The entry bar is lowering from universities to NGO institutions. After obtaining a bachelor’s degree, students have the opportunity to undertake NGO research work, while entering a university laboratory requires a postdoctoral status with certain research experience and results.

Source: Alex K Lancaster

According to the League of European Research Universities, 55% of all scientific research positions in the UK are Ph.D. students and full-time research assistants, 25% are researchers at all levels, and 12% are independent researchers and senior researchers. Professors and non-tenure research professors account for only 8%, whose research experience is more than 14 years on average. It is safe to conclude that the amount of research experience is valued by all research job requirements.

Hiring standard

This article has collected recruiting information and staff background from top laboratories in various academic areas. We will take leading laboratories in medicine, AI, and economics as examples to draw out the general standard for potential researchers.

National Institutes of Health

National Institutes of Health

Source: Wikipedia

For medical research, the National Institutes of Health (NIH for short), is the best research institution of medical and behavioral research in the US, with 21 research departments and six experimental centers. You can see on the NIH official website that the research doctors recruitment asks for a Ph.D. in pharmacy or orthopedics and hospital internship experience for at last one year.

In contrast, nutritionists at NIH only require a bachelor’s degree in nutrition, food science, or food service management, or hold a dietitian certificate. The candidate also needs research experience for at least one year. Scientists recruited by the Cancer, Epidemiology, and Genetics Laboratory require candidates to obtain a doctorate degree in bioinformatics, biostatistics, computer science or computational biology, and have work experience in data processing and algorithms.

For senior positions, NIH also requires candidates to have a stronger academic background. Senior researchers at the NIH Vaccine Research Center are required to obtain a doctorate degree and possess relevant research experience. At the same time, candidates must have published influential papers, be able to demonstrate their ability to independently conduct high-quality research, and have experience in scientific research project management.

As for more senior positions such as tenured researcher and laboratory director, candidates are required to be in the middle stage of their career and have a large number of scientific research project experience. The evaluation focuses on whether the scholar’s personal expertise and research interests meet the current needs of the laboratory.

NIH also provides paid internship opportunities for college students over 16 years old. Suppose an intern can complete at least 640 hours of internship before graduation (320 hours for extremely outstanding interns) and obtain a certain degree and certificate. In that case, she can be retained by NIH after graduation. Other paid internship positions are provided to students who graduate within two years. After they meet the qualifications, complete 40 hours of training, and meet the corresponding standards, they may also have the opportunity to be retained. This is a very valuable learning opportunity for students as a start point for their research career.

The Alan Turing Institute

Source: The Alan Turing Institute official website

In terms of artificial intelligence and data science, the Allen Turing Institute, established in the UK in 2015, has cooperated with 13 universities to lead cutting-edge researches on artificial intelligence. According to the official recruitment webpage of the Allen Turing Institute, each research direction have its criteria for the potential employee. For example, research assistants in the direction of AI supervision require a master’s degree, and the candidates have to study interdisciplinary majors in the fields of social science, law, artificial intelligence, and computer science. Research assistants in the field of digital humanities corpus need to obtain a doctorate degree in digital humanities or computing, and be familiar with multiple coding languages.

After checking the resumes of 21 full-time researchers at the Allen Turing Institute, we found that all researchers have PhDs. Moreover, most of them have rich research experience before joining the institute, such as obtaining two master’s degrees, teaching at a university, publishing influential papers, and so forth. Among the 31 engineers at the institute, 26 have a doctorate degree, and the other five engineers also have very rich industry experience. Turing fellows, holding a senior position also, and heads of branch laboratories are university professors or former professors. The Allen Turing Institute also provides paid internship opportunities but only accepts second-year Ph.D. students for a one-year internship.

National Bureau of Economic Research

NBER Cambridge

Source: NBER official website

As mentioned at the beginning of this article, NBER, with 33 Nobel Prize winners in economics, is the largest economic research organization in the United States. As a private non-profit organization, NBER has established branch laboratories around the world. Research assistants recruited by NBER require a bachelor’s degree in economics, computer science, statistics, or mathematics and are familiar with programming languages; research analysts require a recent master’s degree.

NBER has not announced the recruitment requirement for formal researchers, nor does it not accept interns. Still, NBER will select doctoral and postdoctoral research projects and provide those researcherss with academic and financial support. It is not difficult to find that NBER researchers mainly constitute postdoctoral researchers and scholars from various universities. They not only have doctorates, but also have strong research experience and abilities in their own fields.

Laboratories attached to universities

Many academic fields have their unique disciplinary characteristics and specific research methods. Therefore laboratories in these filed are mostly set up under the leadership of a few professors in universities. The professor herself serves as the PI to raise funds and determine the research direction. Lab members would be faculty, staff, and students. For instance, Stern School of Business of New York University has established a behavioral research center, whose lab manager is a visiting assistant professor, and the research assistants are undergraduate students majoring in finance and global communication at Stern.

Another example is the Department of Psychology at the University of California, Berkeley, where each professor can establish one or more laboratories. Each laboratory is responsible for researching research projects led by the professor and invites students to complete the research together. There are 30 independent psychology laboratories at the University of California, Berkeley. The research topics are distributed in six fields, including cognitive psychology and developmental psychology. Students of related majors have many opportunities to participate in research projects.

In the first part of this report, we have found that entry barriers were set for researchers. Chemistry and environment-related disciplines have relatively lower requirements for academic background, whereas biology, physics, and medicine have higher requirements. After exploring the three top laboratories and the affiliated labs of top universities, it is safe to say that the senior research positions in the laboratory (such as PI, senior researcher) require a doctorate and rich scientific research or industrial research and development experience. Although junior positions such as research assistants and laboratory assistants have different academic requirements depending on the subject, the entry standards are reduced compared to the senior positions in the same laboratory.

Most of the well-known laboratories provide opportunities for school students. Usually, as a member of the research team, you also have the opportunity to be added as an author when the research is published. For those who are aspiring to pursue a career in scientific research, it is a good way to obtain research experience and enhance their academic background.

Soft skills of demand

Aside from rigid standards such as academic qualifications and experience, top research institutions also put forward requirements on candidates’ soft skills. Soft skills are often reflected in transferable skills such as teamwork, adaptability, and creative thinking, which can be applied to all tasks in general.

What are soft skills

Source：Balance Careers

Scientific research is a teamwork. For both theoretical research and experimental research, large workloads and demands for innovative ideas require positive teamwork. Experienced scholars often have their own teams. In one’s research career, leading the team, cooperating with others, and persuading others sometimes influence whether the research can be carried out smoothly. Therefore, the candidate’s teamwork ability is of importance. The Allen Turing Institute lists desired abilities of candidates: the ability to effectively and clearly convey information and persuade others, written and verbal communication skills, and the ability to communicate in a cross-cultural environment.

The abilities of creating, learning, and problem-solving are also the soft skills valued by well-known laboratories. Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, which holds 14 Nobel Prizes, requires candidates to have creativity, innovation, and a strong willingness to learn new skills when recruiting postdoctoral researchers. Bell Labs requires applicants for data scientists to have efficient teamwork ability and the ability to identify and solve problems in a cooperative manner.

Evolve Scientific, a human resources organization for seeking scientists, interviewed 142 laboratory leaders on applicants. Among them, 60% of the leaders believed that teamwork is essential in scientific research, followed by the ability to adapt (45%) and interpersonal skills (41%). The survey report states, “Soft skills are just as important as academic ability. In a laboratory, you are working as part of a team, and employees need to be able to work collaboratively. If they are not able to relate, adapt and deal with different personalities, then they will end up getting frustrated and leaving.”

Bioscientist Tywauna Wilson, director of the System Technical Chemistry Laboratory in the United States, put forward the five most important soft skills for researchers: communication, problem-solving, teamwork, time, and ability to allocate work. This coincides with the soft skills requirements of world-class laboratories in recruiting talents.

Therefore, academic background and research experience are the rigid standards for scientific researchers in top laboratories, whereas soft skills distinguish candidates from countless graduates.

Conclusion

Global famous laboratories attract all scholars as, on the one hand, they lead edge-cutting researches and constantly explore the boundaries of human knowledge. On the other hand, those laboratories have many big names and sufficient research funds. Scholars can take advantage of cooperating with peers and building networks, conducting their projects with laboratory resources. It is a perfect working environment. For current students and those who are interested in pursuing higher education, they will learn practical skills in labs and add this internship to their resumes.

Most of the scholars in well-known laboratories have doctoral degrees. For students who are encouraged to start a scientific career, it is necessary not only to pursue higher academic qualifications, but also to build up research experience during college, developing soft skills. During the recruitment process, they value the candidates’ academic qualifications and require specific skills and research experience to contribute to the laboratory’s ongoing projects. These top research institutes also value the candidate’s soft skills such as communication and cooperation, written expression, and innovation. Among candidates with similar academic qualifications and research backgrounds, the one with stronger soft power is more able to integrate into the research team and promote the progress of the project.

参考文献

(1) 贝尔实验室官网https://www.bell-labs.com/about/awards/#gref

(2) Angrist教授个人简历https://economics.mit.edu/faculty/angrist/cv

(3) 维基百科https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Bureau_of_Economic_Research

(4) U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2020). Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations. Occupational Outlook Handbook: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

(5) 中科院上海药物研究所官网http://www.simm.cas.cn/web/rcdw/rczp/kygw/202109/t20210908_6198995.html

(6) 中科院上海药物研究所官网http://www.simm.cas.cn/web/rcdw/rczp/kygw/202110/t20211029_6235912.html

(7) Lancaster, A. K., Thessen, A. E., & Virapongse, A. (2018). A new paradigm for the scientific enterprise: Nurturing the ecosystem. F1000Research, 7, 803.

(8) 欧洲研究型大学联盟官网https://www.leru.org/academic-career-maps-in-europe

(9) NIH官网https://www.nih.gov/institutes-nih/list-nih-institutes-centers-offices

(10) USAJOB官网https://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/618821700?PostingChannelID=

(11) USAJOB官网https://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/619666400?PostingChannelID=

(12) NIH官网https://hr.nih.gov/jobs/search/scientific/job-47046

(13) NIH官网https://hr.nih.gov/jobs/search/scientific/job-49271

(14) NIH官网https://hr.nih.gov/jobs/student/opportunities-current-students

(15) NIH官网https://hr.nih.gov/jobs/student/opportunities-recent-graduates

(16) 艾伦·图灵研究所官网

(17) https://cezanneondemand.intervieweb.it/turing/jobs/research_assistant_for_ai_standards_and_ai__regulation_17633/en/

(18) 艾伦·图灵研究所官网

(19) https://cezanneondemand.intervieweb.it/turing/jobs/research_associate_in_corpusbased_digital_humanities_17988/en/