Interview

When Harriet Wallberg-Henriksson began her medical career, she never expected to be a trailblazer for either women or young scientists. But now she is the first female president of the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden, she finds that she is working hard on behalf of both groups. She hopes to raise the proportion of women professors at the institute from 15% to 40%, and has set up a junior faculty programme to help young scientists jumpstart their career, which includes a mentoring component just for women scientists. But there is still more to be done. Wallberg-Henriksson discusses progress and things to come with Naturejobs editor Paul Smaglik. Comments have been edited for accuracy, conciseness and clarity.

Since joining Imperial College as rector in January 2001, former GlaxoSmithKline chairman Richard Sykes has been calling for better stipends for graduate students and postdocs, and more money in general for UK science. During the recent Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) meeting in San Francisco, he took a few minutes with Naturejobs editor Paul Smaglik to discuss scientific career paths, the shifting demographics of scientific employment and how academia can do a better job of preparing scientists to work with industry - whatever sector they stay in. This conversation has been lightly edited for brevity and clarity.

While a radiologist at Johns Hopkins University, Elias Zerhouni, who once helped treat the late President Ronald Reagan for colon cancer (Nature 419, 329; 2002), was naturally well positioned to think about both multidisciplinary and applied research. Now, as director of the US National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Algerian–born scientist is helping to transform the $21 billion agency from a basic research entity into a more multi-faceted organization, with a greater emphasis on interdisciplinary and translational research.

“Serving the global goals of scientific progress”

Concrete action at the political level is needed

The slogan “Hi Potentials - International careers made in Germany” is an invitation to talented students from all over the world to come to Germany for their studies. The project also includes plans to make access to German universities easier.