Careers and Recruitment

Medicinal chemists have skills that are eagerly snapped up by industry, and an increase in training options is making it easier to gain the necessary experience. Eugene Russo reports.

Improving proteomic techniques will tackle questions in cell biology, signal transduction and clinical research. But workers with the key knowledge in protein biochemistry, mass spectrometry and bioinformatics are hard to find, says Kendall Powell.

Current economic conditions are putting a strain on the nascent world of proteomics. But many companies are managing to flourish by carving out their own market niche. Kendall Powell investigates.

The European Union has dreams of becoming a centralized scientific powerhouse. But first it needs to solve its brain-drain problem. Quirin Schiermeier reports.

The doubling of public funds for life-science research in the United States has increased the number of postdocs, but it has yet to create significantly more permanent academic positions, says Eugene Russo.

Making sense of the reams of information streaming out of genome projects requires a sophisticated blend of biology and physics, says Kendall Powell.

The new Center for Allergy and Immunology aims to give Japanese immunology a fresh perspective — and better working conditions for young scientists, says Robert Triendl.

An increasing emphasis on immunology offers fresh opportunities, but they may be tilted towards applied research and the United States, says Virginia Gewin.

A lack of formal training is hampering Japan's efforts in computational neuroscience, says Robert Triendl.

Computational neuroscientists, with skills developed in the physical sciences, are becoming integrated into the effort to solve the mysteries of the brain, says Hemai Parthasarathy.

The rising tide of data being generated by high-throughput approaches to drug screening is slowly bringing about a chemical revolution. Chemoinformatics, which marries chemistry with computer science, is becoming big business, says Eugene Russo.

Opportunities in nanotechnology are opening up in Japan — especially for young researchers willing to cooperate across disciplines, says Robert Triendl.

At last nanotechnology is moving from the realm of hype and hope into the real world, with jobs and funding appearing on both sides of the Atlantic. Paul Smaglik considers the options.

The choice of potential drug targets thrown up by genomics data is overwhelming, which is why several firms are now offering drug companies a model solution. Diane Gershon reports.

Japan's push to create a virtual cell signals a new approach to research, says Robert Triendl.

For many biologists, the idea of creating a computer model of a living cell is anathema. But for mathematicians and physicists, the pursuit of such a goal is proving irresistible, says Diane Gershon.

Japan has the computer power for climate-change research — it just needs to attract people to use it, says Robert Triendl. Solving the skills shortage may involve a long-term change in strategy.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change is fostering collaborations and emphasizing input from developing countries, says Heike Langenberg.

In the fight against tumours, comprehensive cancer institutes are deploying a wide range of different strategies in an attempt to encourage the sharing of ideas and materials among researchers, says Steve Bunk.

Basic research in condensed-matter physics continues to lose ground to focused R&D. Effective cross-disciplinary partnering between universities, government labs and industry is seen as essential to the future health of basic research in this field. Brendan Horton explores.