Ageing gracefully as a scientist: an idiot’s guide | Jenny Rohn

There's a lot that experienced researchers can learn from their former newbie selves. Here's eight pointers

A vivid memory of my own first week as a PhD student: overhearing the senior members of the lab talk about the scientist in charge - a frighteningly brilliant woman they joked was "out of touch" in the lab.

I was shown - somewhat reverentially, with a warning to steer clear - a tidy, approximately two-foot square section at the end of one lab bench dedicated to her infrequent forays to the coal face. The boss reserved a few hours a month from writing successful grants and high-profile papers for risky, exploratory experiments that allowed her to keep her hand in, generate new lines of enquiry, and keep an eye on our wayward exploits.