Senior Postdoctoral Research Associate Dr Ruth Saunders gave the following presentation as part of the 2010 Season of Careers After Biological Sciences talks at the University of Leicester, UK.

1. A Career in Academic Research Dr Ruth Saunders

2. Senior Post-Doctoral Research Associate 8 1/2 yrs post-doc experience 5 yrs working at Glenfield Hospital with Professor Chris Brightling

3. Cutting Edge Research Remodelled asthmatic airway Non asthmatic airway

4. Human Airway Smooth Muscle Cell Culture Airway Smooth Muscle Bronchus dissected

5. Human Fibrocyte Culture Take blood Add to Histopaque Remove PBMC layer Collagen I Culture for 7-14 days Spindle like morphology CD34

6. Immunohistochemistry Apoptosis measurement PCR Flow cytometry Wound healing assays Immunofluorescence ELISA Tracking migration assays Courtesy of Bender MedSystems

7. Thinking of new directions Cutting Edge Research Writing/Applying for Fellowships/Grants Conferences and presentations Postdoctoral Research Associate Writing papers Supervising students Writing/Applying for Studentships

8. How did I get here?

9. 1993 University of Leicester – BSc (hons) Biological Sciences, 1st Class PhD – Cell Physiology and Pharmacology, with Profs Nahorski and Challiss 1996 2000 Editorial Assistant – Perpetuity Press 2008 20?? 2007 2005 Post-doctoral Research Associate – Biochemistry, with Prof Critchley 2001 Asthma UK project grant – 2 year post-doctoral position, with Prof Brightling Wellcome Trust VIP Award – 1 year independent funding Contribute to preliminary work for CEBs successful Wellcome Trust SCF application. Funding for my post secured for a 5 year period. Increase number of first author papers Take on supervisory roles Publish papers as last author Apply for project grants Establish myself as an independent researcher

10. Pros…… Freedom to follow ideas/ interesting leads Intellectually stimulating/ interesting Make a difference to people’s lives Job satisfaction Involved in cutting edge research/ finding out new things

13. Post-doctoral positions PhD studentship …. and Cons Not many positions available Continually applying for funding Tenure Highly competitive Fellowships Short term contracts Industry Academia

14. OPTIMISING YOUR CHANCES OF GETTING OFFERED A PHD: Straight from degree: need first or upper second class degree Intercalated year out working in industry Lab based final year project Lab based work experience during and/or after degree; more techniques, more competitive. Read around the subject of the PhD and other work done in the group. PhD NOT SURE RESEARCH IS FOR YOU: MSc or MRes, or laboratory based work experience – get a taste of research to see if you like it. CHOOSING WHERE TO STUDY: Check the history of the group: Do they have a good consistent publication record? If possible visit the laboratories and talk to people.

15. SUCCEEDING DURING YOUR PhD/ INCREASING YOUR EMPLOYABILITY: Work hard – you get out what you put in. Publish in reputable peer reviewed journals – your publication record shows your ability to deliver high quality research. Learn as many techniques as possible – shows versatility and ability to learn. Don’t get disheartened if experiments don’t work first time, this is the nature of cutting edge research – solving problems will make you a better scientist in the future.

16. CLIMBING THE ACADEMIC RESEARCH LADDER OPTIMISING YOUR CHANCES OF SUCCESS PUBLICATION RECORD: Journal Impact Factor MEASURES OF ESTEEM: “A celebration in Parliament of the work of emerging scientific, engineering and technological leaders has showcased the work of a University of Leicester academic.” University of Leicester eBulletin - Issued on 30 March 2009 Dr Saunders explains her work to Patricia Hewitt MP. WRITE GRANTS/OBTAIN FUNDING:

17. Still interested? Project: The role of RAGE and DAMPs in the regulation of airway mesenchymal and epithelial cell function. Supervisors: Prof C Brightling, Prof J Challiss and Dr R Saunders rms4@le.ac.uk