• Question: what is the most important skill as a training scientist

    Asked by haft532coax2 on 10 Oct 2025.
    • Photo: Emily Walls

      Emily Walls answered on 10 Oct 2025:

      I think the most important skill is resilience and problem solving. Which are not exactly easy skills to develop per say but its important for the scientific process. Especailly in the early stages of your career of not giving up after things go wrong or you fail an exam – I’ve failed plenty in my time but its the fact we don’t give up and carry on means we are constantly learning! A willingness to learn and gaining experience in being able to problem solve around different issues that arise is key and will take you very far not only in science but in many other aspects of life.

    • Photo: Kirsty Lindsay

      Kirsty Lindsay answered on 10 Oct 2025:

      It sounds silly but- dating and titling your notes! You know when your teachers asks you put put the title and date at the top of the page? well lots of researchers still do that: it is such a useful skill for keeping a lab book ( experiment notes) and it really helps when you are looking back for specific information!

    • Photo: Martin McCoustra

      Martin McCoustra answered on 13 Oct 2025:

      I’d say first and foremost curiosity… you need to be asking questions especially why and how questions all the time. Beyond that I’m inclined to say problem solving. You need to never give up when faced with problems… work them through until you find an answer.

    • Photo: Luke Fountain

      Luke Fountain answered on 15 Oct 2025:

      I would say curiosity but also passion – being a scientist is fun but it’s also really hard. You have to really believe in what you’re doing and have a real passion for it in order to get through those difficult times when an experiment doesn’t work or you don’t get the result you was expecting. I agree with the other scientists as well – problem-solving is also really important, as is keeping detailed notes with dates and titles!

    • Photo: Niamh Topping

      Niamh Topping answered on 16 Oct 2025:

      Making good notes and being organised, but also being able to keep going even when things are hard or boring or things keep going wrong! You have to be able to try and stay positive, but it’s also okay to acknowledge when things aren’t going too well

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