Excellence Everywhere - National University of Ireland, Galway

equipment and supplies. Maintenance and calibrationof equipment may be sub-optimal and youmay find yourself handling those tasks yourself.Exchange rate fluctuations may eat away at grantsfrom international funders. Your network of nearbycolleagues may be smaller than you have grownused to, and you may have less access to theinformal transfer of knowledge that happens whenthere are more scientists working closer together.What happens if I outrank my advisor whenI come back?You must always bear in mind that outrankingyour advisor will be a sore point for him orher in most cases, and you should handle thissituation carefully. Communication (includingin writing) in all aspects of your work copied tohis supervisor is very important. Your advisormay feel outranked in terms of:n qualificationsn grants sourcedn technical expertisen publicationsOne way to overcome this would be to tactfullyget your advisor involved in grant proposalwriting (if he or she is a good scientist) thatwill boost the overall profile of the researchsection where both of you are. This shouldbe done in such a way that he feels that he istruly part of the process. The advisor shouldalso be a part of the planning and implementingprocess of your research programme. You canalso use your technical expertise to bring intothe section some funds that can be used bythe section as agreed upon by you and yoursupervisor. However, one should be carefulnot to be taken advantage of.”Susan Mutambu, ZimbabweBe humble and respectful: work hard on yourrelationship with him or her. No matter howwell trained you’ve come back, he or she isbetter connected and will know many morethings that can help you readjust. It is in yourinterest to be humble and open minded.”Abdoulaye Djimdé, MaliPeople You ShouldGet to KnowAs a beginning investigator, you will want to learnquickly which individuals can affect your careerprogress. They may include:n Heads of departments and divisionsn Senior scientists within your own department ordivisionn Senior scientists in other divisions who share yourresearch interestsn Senior physicians (if you are a physician-scientist)It is a good idea to get acquainted with faculty inyour own department and in other departmentswhose research interests are complementary toyour own. You may find, for example, colleagueswith whom research collaboration is possible,and/or colleagues with a good understanding ofany health and safety risks associated with yourresearch, who can advise you about the policies ofthe university and safe procedures for controllingresearch risks.You should get to know administrators in yourdepartment or division who can help you withmatters such as requesting maintenance, purchasing,tracking expenditures, hiring staff, and a hostof other issues you will not have time to deal within detail. These individuals will also be valuablein preserving stability when inevitable changescome, such as when the head of your departmentor division retires or moves on to another position.20 excellence everywhere