With our next interview, we would like to express our immense gratitude to Dr. Anirban Baral for his great contributions to our Spotlight series. His engagement, motivation and dedication not only showed his care about science, scientific communication and making science available for everybody, but also made it highly enjoyable to work together. Thank you for this Anirban!
Anirban finished his undergraduate and doctoral studies in India and afterward moved to Umeå, Sweden to pursue his career as a Postdoctoral fellow. His technical expertise ranges quite widely from various microscopic techniques, plant and animal tissue culture systems to extensive knowledge in molecular biology, biochemistry and many more. Topic-wise Anirban has worked on cell biology-related projects in roots, seedlings, cellular trafficking in cells and he has been publishing his research in high profile journals.
There is much more to being a scientist than experiments and publications and several people from our editorial office have been colleagues with Anirban before. Throughout his career, he has always shown to be a reliable, motivated, highly engaged, professional and caring colleague and friend. His extraordinary social and interpersonal skills were always highly valued and made it a pleasure when working with him on each Spotlight article throughout last year!
Anirban will now continue with his research career and move to the Netherlands, so he will leave our Spotlight team. We wish him all the best for his future endeavors and we surely will keep in touch!
- Anirban, we really enjoyed working with you on this Spotlight series, so what were your thoughts behind initiating it?
I would say it was a joint initiative from many of us. I liked science communication and earlier I was part of a science blog. I felt it is important to have an independent and appreciative view on the paper to put it into broader context and to understand the motivation of authors to embark on the study. It was a very happy coincidence that I approached Vaughan (Editor-in-Chief of Physiologia Plantarum) with the idea of this kind of article and found out the editorial office was contemplating similar thoughts. I am deeply thankful to the team (Vaughan, Maria, Delphine) for the support and the freedom they provided. Of course, I was lucky to work with a very talented illustrator. Working with Daria has been a pleasure. It’s very rewarding to see the ‘spotlight’ section has been a success and is moving forward.
- Having been part of the scientific community for a while now, which skills do you think are highly valuable, but often forgotten?
This is a very important issue to address. The research career often feels like a treadmill. We have limited time within which we must be successful. This often makes us self-centered and blind towards our colleagues. Whereas, in the next step of our career, (be it academia or industry) as group leaders we must think of others. Empathy, being kind and perceptive are essential qualities that are often overlooked. Helping a colleague to set up an experiment might seem less important than our own publications, but I feel the mindset pays off in the long run.
Also, I strongly feel that there is a serious shortcoming in the mentoring aspect when it comes to the training of young researchers. Exceptional group leaders are remembered not just for their publications, but the legacy they leave, the next generation of scientists they inspire. It is vital for group leaders to keep that in mind while training their team members. Simply teaching them techniques won’t cut it. There must be active guidance to build the mindset: on being ethical and compassionate, withstanding failures and making collaborations. A group leader must respect, trust and share their strategy with their people. PhDs and Postdocs must follow suit and behave similarly with the students and interns they supervise.
- What would you say are the two biggest accomplishments in your career that make you most proud?
When I started my Ph.D., there was no Arabidopsis facility in my institute. It took some collaborative effort, but I established the biosafety guidelines and a growth facility along the way. I feel proud as I left something behind which will be useful for future researchers. Another proud moment was when a Master’s student who was in doubt on whether to proceed further in the academic path, decided to join a Ph.D. program after working with me. Their experience has not been so bad after all, then!!
- How do you see the current publishing culture and what are your thoughts on its future?
I support the open-access culture wholeheartedly. Science (most of which is publicly funded) should be accessible to all. The global scientific community is realizing it and many funding bodies are mandating free access. I also feel the journals should move to online-only versions. It’s good for the environment and it cuts down the production costs significantly. Physiologia Plantarum has now moved to online-only version, and I am very happy about it.
- As a young & successful researcher, do you have any tips for scientists that just start their careers?
We should be very clear and honest behind the motivation to do science. I would like to share what Noble Laurette Elizabeth Blackburn once told me – ‘we do science for some eureka moments.’ There is no (instant) fame or riches in this profession. There are some moments of purest joy in discovery, but these are few and sparse. One must be ready to overcome hurdles and prepared to shake off failures. However, it’s crucial to keep in mind that while perseverance is important, it’s also important to know when to let go. One should not sacrifice their physical and emotional well-being for the sake of making an experiment work. It’s much more sensible to move on and refocus the goal. Secondly, choosing the path is important; some are motivated by cool cutting-edge science, while others by the societal relevance of their work. It is important to choose a research direction that fits the motivation. Above all, I feel it’s critical for young researchers to choose a group and a leader wisely. Publications are not the only criteria when it comes to the success of a group; there is always an element of chance when it comes to hypothesis-based research. It’s much more important to find a supportive nurturing environment where the current members are happy, and which the alumni remember fondly. A very common question asked during the interview is what you will bring to the team, it’s equally important to ask back what the team will do for you. I feel that it’s important to assess the alumni profile and talk to them if possible before joining a group.
- Could you give us an insight on your thoughts around scientific communication & its global importance?
I feel the two key aspects in science communication are simplicity and integrity. The message should be simple enough for everyone to understand but, at the same time, it must not misconstrue the facts. I think the Covid-19 crisis has highlighted the importance of scientific communication more than ever. The entire world is looking up to the scientists for a solution. There are discoveries and breakthroughs daily which must be communicated to the public. There has never been so much focus on the science section of daily newspapers in the recent past. At the same time, there is an avalanche of oversimplified or twisted facts and outright ‘fake news’. It is time for trained scientists to take up the role to contradict misinformation and more so come forward- in every platform to stand up for the truth.
- In connection to that, have you been affected by the current worldwide Covid-19 crisis? If yes, how do you manage to deal with it with regards to your new job that you are starting soon?
I would consider myself fortunate. My next employment (in Wageningen University, the Netherlands) has been slightly delayed, but I shall be staring there soon. The university has a comprehensive plan for a safe work environment, and I am looking forward.