• Question: how do you get ideas for your research ?

    Asked by ladyj to Betul, Bridget, Ceri-Wyn, Laurel, Maria on 14 Jun 2010 in Categories: .
    • Photo: Maria Pawlowska

      Maria Pawlowska answered on 13 Jun 2010:

      I look over my data and ask myself what questions can I answer and what else do I need to do to get more exciting data. You start out with one idea in your head and you very quickly get sidetracked when you realize that you’re getting a result you didn’t except. So you obviously want to find out where that result came from. At one point I was reading ‘Sewage Research’ (a real scientific journal!!) because I realized that people working at sewage plants struggle with some of the same questions I have even though the context is very different. That’s what I really love about science – you end in really exciting, weird place you never thought you’d be.

    • Photo: Betul Arslan

      Betul Arslan answered on 14 Jun 2010:

      Good question! The answer is: in many different ways!

      For me, science is like a magnificent forest. There are so many things to be discovered and solved. Yet you have to get in there, see it, touch it, test it yourself, to actually believe it. I am a “just do it” person, so once I am interested in a question and once my hypothesis is developed I directly move on to the experiment section to test my idea as simple as I can to gather an initial light. Also, discussing a yet-to-be-shaped idea with a colleague is a must for me, because I love brain storming.

      Later, is all about how you walk in this forest. Beautiful and mysterious pathways will always be attractive but you can’t walk in all of the pathways at the same time. Therefore you have to pick your pathway very carefully by planning but be open to surprises as you may end up in totally surprising place.

    • Photo: Bridget Waller

      Bridget Waller answered on 14 Jun 2010:

      I study human and animal behaviour, so I get most of my ideas from watching people and animals! It isn’t that difficult to think of hypotheses and research questions, but the trick is how to test them and find the answers.

    • Photo: Ceri-Wyn Thomas

      Ceri-Wyn Thomas answered on 14 Jun 2010:

      Hmmmmmm, this is a very good question. Having fresh innovative ideas for research and knowing what questions to ask are two of the most important facets of being an independent research scientist. Knowing your research area is the best place to start- attending conferences, reading papers and talking to your colleagues are the best ways to generate new questions in your mind. Talking to my supervisor also helps because he’s amazing at asking the questions no one else seems to ask! Science is all about asking questions…..Having imagination and curiosity also helps. Also, when you find the answer to one question in your research it tends to raise five more anyway!

    • Photo: Laurel Fogarty

      Laurel Fogarty answered on 14 Jun 2010:

      At the start of your career, you get a lot of help with ideas and plans from your supervisor. Your PhD supervisor is usually a senior academic who runs the lab you work in. My supervisor knows what work has been done in the field and what questions are left to be answered (there are millions!!).
      Often we will chat about what questions to answer next and then it is up to me to come up with a way of answering them. As your career progresses you come up with more and more ideas by yourself so having a good supervisor to guide you in the first few projects you do is really important.

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