What if we could detect diseases before they made us ill and monitor their progression in real time? Well, at the University of California Santa Barbara in the US, Dr Andrea Carlini leads a research group that is creating chemical probes that can do just that. These structurally-responsive polymers change their shape when they interact with biomarkers of disease, opening up new possibilities for smart biomaterials and wearable sensors.

Pathway from school to biomaterials

“Build a strong foundation in chemistry and biology,” says Andrea. “Take polymer chemistry and biomaterials courses whenever they’re available.”

“Don’t wait until graduate school to get involved in research,” says Andrea. She recommends joining a chemistry or materials club, looking for research opportunities at local institutions and applying for internships.

Explore careers in biomaterials

Andrea recommends exploring articles that interest you from the American Chemical Society, the Royal Society of Chemistry and the Materials Research Society.

“Studying biomaterials can open doors to careers in academic research, biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, medical devices and sustainable materials, where scientists and engineers develop new technologies that improve both human health and the environment,” says Andrea.

Meet the team

Dr Shivshankar Mane

As a teenager, I was deeply influenced by my father, who was a school teacher. Watching his dedication to educating students inspired me to pursue a career where I could both discover new knowledge and share it with others. I developed a strong interest in science because I was always curious about how things worked and enjoyed experiments that connected classroom concepts to everyday life.

Working alongside researchers from diverse scientific backgrounds encourages creative problem-solving and accelerates the translation from fundamental science to practical applications. Andrea’s lab provides an ideal platform to pursue research that addresses real-world challenges in healthcare.

Be curious, build strong scientific fundamentals and gain research experience early. Biomaterials is a rapidly evolving and highly interdisciplinary field, so being open to learning across chemistry, biology and engineering can create many opportunities. Finally, communicate your science effectively and pursue questions that genuinely excite you, because passion and curiosity are powerful drivers of a successful scientific career.

Emile Morin

Growing up, I spent my summers working on palaeontological sites digging up fossils in Montana or wolf-watching in Yellowstone. Through these experiences, I became fascinated with the natural world and took as many STEM classes as possible in my undergraduate studies.

When I first started working with this group, it was just myself, Professor Carlini, and a group of undergraduate students. The process of starting projects from scratch and building them into successful research ideas gave me a real understanding of how continuous hard work pays off.

Get involved in a lab as soon as possible. Being exposed to the scientific way of thinking, regardless of the exact topic, will help build your understanding. If you approach any research with an attitude of curiosity, you’ll find value in the work. Also, interdisciplinary collaboration has become essential as cutting-edge research requires expertise across several fields of study.

Rachel Zhang

As a teenager, I wanted to be a diplomat. That’s very different from what I’m actually doing now! But one thing that has stayed the same is that I’ve always wanted to be of service to the world and to help people. Through my research, I get to work on solving real-world problems that will help others.

After grad school, I plan to teach as a professor. I want to help more people gain a good understanding of science and chemistry, because I believe that education is empowerment.

Research can be frustrating because the results don’t always match your expectations. It can be difficult to remember that a ‘bad’ result still tells us something we need to know to reach our goal. During these moments, my lab mates’ encouragement and my professors’ support keep me motivated.

Stay curious! Not just about the science, but also about the career possibilities out there. You don’t know what you don’t know, and there’s so much more out there than you might realise.

Do you have a question for Andrea, Shivshankar, Emile or Rachel?
Write it in the comments box below and they will get back to you. (Remember, researchers are very busy people, so you may have to wait a few days.)

Learn about how doctors can monitor health in real time:

futurumcareers.com/how-can-wearable-sensors-help-monitor-health-and-tailor-drug-treatments

Heart failure is a debilitating condition that can seriously reduce a person’s ability to carry out everyday activities. At Wake Forest University School of Medicine in the US, cardiologist Dr Anthony Peters has designed a clinical trial to investigate how to improve exercise therapy for patients with heart failure. He is exploring whether combining exercise, behavioural coaching and peer support can help patients become more active and improve their quality of life.

How is Anthony measuring the benefits of BOOST?

To understand the full impact of BOOST, Anthony and his team are examining a broad range of physical, cognitive, and social outcomes to determine how the programme affects cardiovascular health and overall well-being. Participants complete tests of walking ability, cardiovascular fitness, grip strength, and physical performance, alongside assessments of frailty, cognitive function, social connectedness, and heart failure-related quality of life. These measurements are collected before the programme begins and again at the end of the 12-week intervention by assessors who do not know which intervention participants received, helping to ensure unbiased results.

“We hope to address key knowledge gaps in the treatment of the severe exercise intolerance experienced by the large and growing population of older patients with HFpEF,” says Anthony. Thanks to the work of cardiologists like Anthony, people with heart failure can be hopeful for a brighter future in which they can live a higher quality of life.

Dr Anthony Peters
Assistant Professor, Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, USA

Field of research: Cardiology

Research project: Investigating how to create exercise interventions for patients with heart failure

Funders: Clin-STAR; Wake Forest Pepper Center; Clinical and Translational Science Institute; Cardiovascular Sciences Center; American Heart Association

About cardiology

Cardiology is the branch of medicine that focuses on diagnosing, treating, and preventing diseases of the heart and blood vessels. Cardiologists care for people with a wide range of conditions, from high blood pressure and heart rhythm disorders to heart failure and heart attacks. Many also carry out research to develop better ways of preventing and treating cardiovascular disease.

Anthony combines patient care with scientific research. “I love my work!” he enthuses. His role varies from treating patients in hospital and running outpatient clinics, to analysing data and publishing new results. Clinical practice and research often go hand in hand, as caring for patients helps cardiologists identify important unanswered questions, while new research findings help doctors provide the most up-to-date treatments. “The best research questions arise from my clinical work – from seeing patients every day and working with clinicians dealing with particular challenges,” says Anthony. “On the flip side, our research and knowledge of recent findings keep us on the cutting-edge of clinical care.”

As cardiovascular diseases continue to evolve and populations continue to age, cardiologists are facing new challenges. Anthony believes dealing with the growing burden of obesity and cardiometabolic disease, alongside harnessing the potential of artificial intelligence in healthcare, will be key priorities for the next generation of cardiologists.

Pathway from school to cardiology

“Establish a foundation in the sciences and, beyond that, pursue what brings you joy and excites you!” says Anthony. “This will lay the true foundation for a career in medicine.”

At school, biology, chemistry, and physics are key subjects for anyone interested in studying medicine and understanding how the human body works. Anthony also recommends studying subjects such as business, health administration, or economics, which will help you develop an understanding of how healthcare systems operate.

To become a clinical cardiologist, you will need to study medicine at college or university, followed by specialist training in cardiology.

To become a research cardiologist, you could study medicine, biomedical science, or biology at college or university, followed by postgraduate research.

Explore careers in cardiology

Careers in cardiology include clinical roles diagnosing and treating patients with cardiovascular disease, and research roles studying and developing new treatments for these conditions. You could also choose to combine both roles, like Anthony.

Learn more about the cardiology research being conducted at Wake Forest University School of Medicine: school.wakehealth.edu/departments/cardiovascular-medicine

The American College of Cardiology provides information about cardiovascular research, training pathways, and career opportunities: acc.org

Meet Anthony

As a teenager, I was interested in sports and science. These may have aligned through spatial reasoning and physics, and that translates to what I do today – heart failure physiology!

I was inspired to be a clinician-researcher in cardiology because I wanted to help individual patients at the bedside while also improving the care of patients with heart failure around the world through my research. I was inspired to work diligently to help others by my parents and family, who set an example for me each day and made sacrifices to enable me to pursue my dreams.

I was motivated to work with older patients with HFpEF because, as a clinician, I regularly encountered older patients with multiple co-morbidities (other health conditions in addition to their primary diagnosis), often led by heart failure. These people often suffered from severe exercise intolerance and frequent hospitalisations.

I became focused on improving the care of these patients through my clinical and research work, and I was particularly drawn to studying heart failure in older people by the challenges of working with these patients with multiple co-morbidities complicated by age-related changes.

When I’m not working, I enjoy spending time outdoors with my wife and three children, coaching soccer, or trying new restaurants.

Anthony’s top tips

Keep an open mind and trust your experiences and instincts to guide you to a career that will be the best fit for you. And ask lots of questions along the way!

Do you have a question for Anthony?
Write it in the comments box below and he will get back to you. (Remember, researchers are very busy people, so you may have to wait a few days.)

Anthony’s colleague is exploring how exercise can protect our brain health:

futurumcareers.com/gerontology-with-dr-tina-brinkley

By helping all educators and learners to access quality STEMM resources, Harvard Online’s LabXchange aims to empower students to make informed decisions about their futures. Its CareerXplorer platform enables just that, providing interactive career simulations that show students what STEMM roles actually involve – and where young people’s interests could take them. Christopher Burnett, LabXchange’s Digital Content Specialist, tells us about this unique tool – and the fun students can have exploring it!

Download this resource

Equally important, of course, has been working with learners and educators, who have provided feedback at every stage of CareerXplorer’s development. We have interviewed career counsellors to understand common challenges and questions, worked with educators to co-develop teaching resources that align with common curricula and educational standards, such as the US’s Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), and we have consulted with students to learn what it is they really want to get out of a career exploration tool.

Why is it important that CareerXplorer is interactive and exploratory?

Our goal with CareerXplorer was to make a tool that students would actually enjoy using! When learners only read about a career, they get a surface-level understanding of it – a basic description, a salary range, a sterile list of duties. But reading that a biological technician “supports lab research” does not actually help the learner understand whether they would personally enjoy culturing cells, running data analyses or managing a lab. Rather than presenting learners with broad generalisations about careers, CareerXplorer relies on interactive career simulations to allow learners to evaluate their genuine interest in a career by exploring what someone in that role actually does on a day-to-day basis.

Another key principle of CareerXplorer – which echoes LabXchange’s broader mission – is that a hands-on approach allows learners to explore a career without requiring prior experience, special technical equipment or professional connections. For learners in underserved communities who may not have access to real-world internships or a network of STEMM professionals, this is especially beneficial.

What insights do the CareerXplorer career simulations provide?

LabXchange has been building virtual lab simulations and interactives for over six years, and the CareerXplorer team has worked hard to ensure that the career simulations build on our extensive experience and learnings.

These simulations place learners directly into realistic, relatable workplace scenarios, where they engage with the same equipment, tasks and decisions that STEMM professionals encounter in real life. In the biological technician simulation, for example, learners are tasked with conducting an experiment to identify a coral reef-friendly sunscreen. Through the simulation, they learn about culturing cells, collecting data and interpreting their results. These are all things that a real biological technician might do in their work.

Empowering students to test drive a role gives them valuable insight into what the career really looks like and how much (or how little!) they may enjoy engaging with the day-to-day tasks. Most importantly, the beginner-friendly and risk-free environment of a simulation encourages students to really explore careers for their own benefit and curiosity, rather than for a grade or another external pressure.

What role do STEMM professionals play in CareerXplorer?

STEMM professionals have played a massive role in ensuring the authenticity of CareerXplorer’s career profiles and simulations. CareerXplorer is designed to reflect the reality of what STEMM professionals encounter in their daily work, and input from experts allows us to highlight the skills that are the most important for learners to focus on developing. Alongside their direct feedback, STEMM professionals have also shared their personal stories in the form of interviews, which go into more detail about their unique educational journeys and provide insight to learners interested in pursuing that career.

How is CareerXplorer helping teachers to support their students?

CareerXplorer’s career profiles put all the relevant information in one place, allowing educators to direct curious learners to explore careers that pique their interest. At the same time, each of our simulations comes with a standards-aligned teaching guide offering detailed suggestions for classroom use, including timing, discussion prompts and project-based activities that connect the simulation to relevant subject content. Each guide also includes a customisable learner-facing worksheet.

Apart from testing out the career simulations, we would encourage readers to simply spend some time exploring the career profiles, especially the interactive duties guide and education pathways elements.

The duties and skills guide identifies the five most frequently performed duties by someone in the role, with each duty broken down into specific skills. The skills are linked to relevant learning resources on LabXchange, so students can learn more about a skill – or even directly practise it.

The education pathways feature allows students to visualise the most common educational paths taken to reach a career. Different careers have different educational requirements, yet there are often many ways to get from Point A to Point B. This is all laid out in an interactive interface in which learners can see degree and experience requirements, relevant subjects, recommended extracurricular activities and internships, and courses that are important for pursuing the career.

What has CareerXplorer achieved, so far?

CareerXplorer is still in its beta phase, and we are actively gathering feedback on all aspects of the tool. The comments that we have received from educators, career counsellors, learners and industry professionals so far have been overwhelmingly positive and incredibly helpful to us as we continue to improve CareerXplorer. Educators value having all the information in one place, which makes it easy to share with their students, and learners appreciate the authentic insights into real careers.

Building these interactive career simulations involves extensive collaboration between many different people – instructional designers, educators, graphic designers and STEMM professionals, to name just a few – to ensure that the simulations are accurate to the career, pedagogically sound, mentally engaging and simply fun!

What does the year ahead look like for CareerXplorer?

In the year ahead, we will be focused on releasing new career profiles to flesh out our catalogue. With over 18 profiles currently available and more than 20 in the works, we are excited to continue expanding the range of careers represented on CareerXplorer. Because every profile is reviewed and validated by career experts in their respective field, it is not a quick process – but a very important one to conduct thoroughly.

Additionally, we aim to create more robust connections between career skills and relevant learning resources on LabXchange. If a learner is interested in becoming a biological technician, we want them to be able to practise micropipetting or using a microscope, which are skills that are already available in simulations on LabXchange.

Finally, we want to gather more feedback. Educators, learners, career counsellors, STEMM professionals and others interested in science career development are encouraged to try out CareerXplorer for themselves and reach out to us with their thoughts.

About LabXchange

LabXchange is an initiative of Harvard University’s Vice Provost for Advances in Learning. It is a free online learning platform home to over 34,000 digital learning and teaching resources in subjects spanning science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and medicine (STEMM). Launched in 2020 with support from the Amgen Foundation, LabXchange develops digital educational content, including virtual lab simulations and interactive animations, and collaborates with more than 200 science education organisations to curate a catalogue of high-quality resources that are entirely free to use for learners and educators across the globe.

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Discover why careers education is so important for young people:
www.futurumcareers.com/our-aim-is-to-champion-young-people

Your mouth, lungs and airways are home to billions of bacteria and other microbes that make up your respiratory tract microbiome. When it is well balanced, this community of microorganisms helps to keep you healthy and protect you from disease. Dr Ariangela Kozik from the University of Michigan in the US studies the bacteria living in our airways to learn more about them and how they influence our health. By following her curiosity and asking the right questions, she has shed light on a century-old biological paradox and transformed our understanding of the human respiratory tract microbiome.

Dr Ariangela Kozik

Assistant Professor, Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology; Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Michigan, USA

Fields of research: Microbiology; microbiome research; bioinformatics; immunology

Research project: Investigating commensal bacteria in the human respiratory tract microbiome

Funders: US National Institutes of Health (NIH); National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS); University of Michigan Rackham Graduate School

Website: sites.lsa.umich.edu/koziklab

About microbiology

Microbiology is the study of microorganisms, how they live and how they interact with their environments. “It is a diverse and varied field that impacts not just health and medicine but also ecology and the environment,” says Ariangela. “There are so many sub-disciplines to explore depending on where your interests and curiosity lead you.”

Ariangela has also been interested in how the concept of race has been misused in microbiome research, exacerbating discriminatory views and a misunderstanding of scientific knowledge. “In biomedical studies, we collect demographic information about participants,” she explains. “In many studies, researchers will analyse their data based on factors such as race and ethnicity, asking questions like: Do we see differences based on race?”

This is problematic because the concept of race is based on social constructions rather than biological realities. Using social categories, such as ‘Black’, ‘White’ or ‘Asian’, to explain biological findings can lead to serious misunderstandings and undermine meaningful research. “When we rely too much on those categories to ask our questions and do our statistical tests, we’re collapsing the totality of human diversity into these very rough, imprecise terms that aren’t based on good science,” explains Ariangela. “When doing microbiome research and trying to understand biological phenomena, it is important not to make assumptions based on misguided applications of social categories.”

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Ariangela co-founded the Black Microbiologists Association (BMA). “I was fielding a lot of questions from family and friends about the information that was available,” she says. “Because of some of the completely unethical things that have happened to various groups of people in the name of science and medicine, there is often still a lack of trust about where to get accurate, reliable information. We wanted to be a source of information for people who didn’t know who to trust.” The BMA is also a community space where microbiologists can connect with and support each other through the challenges of a career in science.

Pathway from school to microbiology

At school, build a strong foundation in subjects like biology, chemistry and physics. Computing skills and an understanding of statistics are also helpful.

Getting hands-on experience in a lab is a great way to learn more about the field and figure out if this career is right for you. Taking part in summer schools is a great way to do this before you go to college or university.

At university, courses in microbiology, immunology, molecular biology and biochemistry can all lead to a career in microbiology.

Explore careers in microbiology

If you are interested in microbiology, explore the websites of organisations such as the American Society for Microbiology, the Microbiology Society and the American Society for Virology where you can find blogs and articles about new research.

To find out more about BMA, visit their website.

Meet the team

Ariangela

When I was really young, my parents gave me a microscope. It came with empty slides and tools, so I could just go and cut pieces off stuff and look at them under the microscope. That was my first entry into microbiology and I realised that there are all these other tiny organisms that you can’t normally see but are still an important part of our world. I thought that was the coolest thing ever.

I love being able to ask questions at the edge of our knowledge. It’s such an amazing feeling when you and your team discover something new and you’re the only people in the world who know it. That doesn’t happen all the time, but when it does, it gives me the energy to keep asking questions.

I love working with my students. They are bright, brilliant people who are going to do really cool things and change the world. I love having the privilege of training and mentoring them to become excellent scientists and follow their curiosity.

Curiosity is important, but you also have to be a good advocate for yourself. It’s easy to get lost in large courses and on new campuses, but it’s important to have confidence in yourself. Make the effort to talk to your professors and learn from them. Having good mentors and role models is key.

I’m a scientist, but also a musician. Science is often seen as the opposite of art, but I think leaning into creativity is important. I love listening to and playing music, painting, and listening to birds to ground myself.

Ariangela’s top tip

Don’t be intimidated by your perception of where you think a scientist needs to come from or what they have to do or be. So many of my students came from artistic backgrounds, and science needs that creativity and spark!

Kelyah Spurgeon

PhD candidate, Kozik Lab

Science is about finding your passion, asking questions and getting creative! In the Kozik lab, half my time is spent at the computer using programming to predict how bacteria will behave. The other half is spent in the lab conducting experiments to test if my predictions are correct in real life. My research aims to answer an important question about host-microbe interactions: are Prevotella friends or foes?

I’ve always wanted to understand how things work. Growing up, I took things apart to look at all the parts, then put them back together. My first real glimpse into the microscopic world happened when I was in high school. I was observing the arrangement of plant cells and noticed a striking resemblance between them and ordinary brick walls. Seeing the similarities between the invisible world of microbes and our day-to-day lives motivated me to pursue a career in science.

Claire Albright

PhD candidate, Kozik Lab

Scientific discovery rarely happens on the first try. In the Kozik lab, I discovered the significant aerotolerance of the lung bacteria P. melaninogenica. However, there were many rounds of failed experiments before I got the data I needed! I had to troubleshoot, adapt my methods and try again. This trial and error is a perfectly normal part of science, making resilience an essential skill. When you finally get that breakthrough, and you have discovered something entirely new, there is no better feeling.

ADHD is my scientific superpower. Growing up, I wasn’t the best student in biology class. I was a curious kid with a love for nature, but I struggled with tests and paying attention. I didn’t know if I could succeed as a scientist, but I decided to try anyway. Now I know that the traits that make me different – like my ability to hyperfixate on things that interest me and think outside the box – are the same traits that make me a great scientist. Never discount the things that make you different; they could open new doors!

Funder: Claire was supported by the University of Michigan Predoctoral Training in Genetics Program (T32GM149391).

Do you have a question for Ariangela, Keylah or Claire?
Write it in the comments box below and they will get back to you. (Remember, researchers are very busy people, so you may have to wait a few days.)

Learn about how a baby’s gut microbiome helps to prevent allergies:

futurumcareers.com/can-microbes-in-a-babys-gut-prevent-food-allergies

Every square metre of soil is teeming with tiny organisms, such as nematodes, which play essential roles in soil stability and fertility, nutrient recycling, and pest management. However, studying these organisms can be incredibly difficult due to their tiny size and huge numbers. That is why Dr Camila Filgueiras, a soil ecologist at the University of North Carolina Asheville in the US, and her students have been developing new technologies to shine a light on this hidden world.

Dr Camila Filgueiras

Associate Professor, Biology Department, University of North Carolina Asheville, USA

Field of research: Soil ecology

Research project: Soil ecology, biological control and new technologies for studying soil organisms

Funders: California Institute for Biodiversity; North Carolina Biotechnology Center; University of North Carolina Asheville

Websites: nemalab.org and soiltech.bio

About soil ecology

“Soil is one of the most diverse yet least understood ecosystems on Earth,” says Camila. “The organisms living in just a square metre of healthy soil drive nutrient cycling, support agriculture, shape natural ecosystems and help regulate the global climate. Soil organisms also affect human health directly – they suppress plant and animal pathogens, they are a major source of antibiotics, and they underpin the biological control of pests.”

Human activities such as land-use change, pollution and intensive agriculture are altering soil ecosystems faster than scientists can study them. Camila believes that the development of tools such as the NEMA Device and Smart SOD is essential for monitoring changes in soil ecosystems, such as how they respond to agricultural management and a changing climate.

“What I love most about this job is that every new tool we build lets us ask questions we could not answer before,” says Camila. “There is a real sense of opening a door into a previously hidden world, and doing that work alongside students, who bring fresh ideas and energy, is the best part.”

Importantly, students can contribute to the field early in their careers. “My lab is set up so that undergraduate students are collaborators, not just observers,” explains Camila. “Students help design experiments, build soil technologies like the NEMA Device, extract and rear nematodes, and appear as co-authors on our papers. You do not have to wait until graduate school to do real science!”

Pathway from school to soil ecology

“Soil ecology sits at the meeting point of several subjects,” says Camila. “Biology is the starting point – especially ecology, microbiology and invertebrate zoology. And chemistry helps you understand the soil itself, plant nutrition and how organisms interact with their environment.”

“Mathematics and statistics are surprisingly important,” says Camila. “A lot of modern soil science is about analysing patterns in big datasets. Computer science and a bit of coding make a huge difference, because tools like Smart SOD rely on machine learning and image analysis.”

“Environmental science, geology and Earth science give you the wider picture of how soils form and how they interact with climate, water and land use,” says Camila.

Explore careers in soil ecology

“My first piece of advice is simple – get your hands in the soil!” says Camila, “Volunteer at a local farm, community garden or natural-area restoration project. Use a hand lens or microscope to look at what is in a teaspoon of soil.”

Soil ecology is a practical, interdisciplinary field, providing a doorway to careers in research, agriculture or biotechnology.

“Organisations like the Soil Science Society of America, the Society of Nematologists and the Global Soil Biodiversity Initiative all have student-friendly resources, photo galleries and citation-quality articles online,” says Camila.

“Reach out to university labs – many soil ecologists are happy to host students for tours or summer research projects,” says Camila. “We love welcoming students to the NEMA Lab!”

As undergraduate students, Maria Escobedo and Michael O’Cain worked with Camila in the NEMA Lab.

Meet Maria

Animals and nature have fascinated me since childhood. I would rent books from the local library and read about different ecosystems and their creatures. When I started university, Dr Filgueiras offered the opportunity to work in the NEMA Lab, which is where my passion for ecology grew. Working with insects and sharing that knowledge cultivated my enthusiasm and curiosity.

After graduation, I became a laboratory technician for SoilTech and used Smart SOD to process soil samples. I also trained Smart SOD to identify microscopic organisms and developed protocols for the proper use and maintenance of the instrument.

The NEMA Lab and SoilTech were pivotal in helping me grow. I gained friends and built connections with like-minded people who value sharing science. My confidence in public speaking greatly improved and I became less shy. And I learnt the value of insects and their importance in our world.

The NEMA Lab and SoilTech also taught me important skills such as conducting, writing about and presenting research, which helped me obtain a research assistant role in an entomology and horticulture lab in Australia, where I am now studying for a master’s degree. The support, experience and skills I developed through my involvement with the NEMA Lab and SoilTech prepared me for the next steps in my career.

My favourite fact about nematodes is that plant-parasitic nematodes have a small appendage that they use to infect root-systems, like a tiny personal sword. They are like the narwhals of the soil biome!

Maria’s top tips

1. Don’t be afraid to ask questions or for help. Teachers and more experienced students will be happy to help you succeed, if only you ask for their support.

2. Be organised with your time and responsibilities.

3. Try something at least once before dismissing it. That group or activity could be something that interests you or helps you achieve your goals.

Meet Michael

I live in a region with an abundance of plant biodiversity and the prospect of being able to understand what I was seeing inspired me to study biology. However, I didn’t start studying biology until I turned 30 – it is important to know that you shouldn’t be afraid to change your mind as you move through life.

Dr Filgueiras was my zoology teacher during the time Smart SOD was being designed. Although I didn’t help build it, I’ve since put in many hours working with the instrument, so I’ve become well acquainted with the technology.

I love working at SoilTech because I enjoy the exploratory nature of our lab. I also love having the opportunity to show other people the tiny wildlife we work with. Aside from providing me with employment that allows me to use the skills I gained as a biology undergraduate, SoilTech has given me the opportunity to continue practising scientific research and communication.

SoilTech is currently partnering with the All Taxa Biodiversity Inventory in California to collect, scan and catalogue every single species of soil organism in the state of California! It’s a massive undertaking, but amazing to see the diversity of the soil organisms.

When I started seeing how many tiny organisms can be pulled from a single spoonful of soil, I began to feel exceedingly large! It also made me think that perhaps humans should be considered ‘megafauna’ on a planet that seems to be predominantly inhabited by organisms less than a millimetre long.

Michael’s top tips

1. Look around your community for events or programmes that align with your interests and volunteer with local organisations.

2. Life is about living, so try different things and see what feels good.

Do you have a question for the team?
Write it in the comments box below and they will get back to you. (Remember, researchers are very busy people, so you may have to wait a few days.)

Learn how scientists are protecting crops from parasitic nematodes:

futurumcareers.com/protecting-crops-from-nematodes

For a long time, neuroscientists thought of the brain as a passive receiver of sensory information, waiting patiently to receive input from our eyes, ears and other sensory organs. However, predictive coding theory flips this idea on its head and proposes that our brains actively make predictions about the world around us, only using sensory information to correct their mistakes. Dr Andrea Alamia at the Centre national de la recherche scientifique in France is investigating this theory and exploring its impacts on other areas of science.

Predictive coding principles can also be applied to computer vision, a type of artificial intelligence that can interpret and understand images and videos. “This theory offers a framework in which perception is guided by prior expectations as well as incoming sensory data,” Andrea explains. “This approach makes image recognition more robust when an image is blurry or incomplete, allowing computer vision systems to be more accurate and resilient.”

Under controlled, regulated conditions, Andrea is also studying how psychedelic drugs disrupt the balance between prediction and sensory input. “Studying these effects provides a unique opportunity to investigate the neural mechanisms underlying perception, cognition and consciousness,” he says. “Ultimately, the goal is to develop a more unified understanding of how brains generate perception and experience.”

Dr Andrea Alamia
Researcher, The Brain and Cognition Research Centre (CerCo), Centre national de la recherche scientifique (CNRS), France

Field of research: Computational neuroscience

Research project: Investigating how alpha travelling waves in our brains affect our perception

Funder: European Research Council (ERC; Grant agreement No. 101075930)

Website: artipago.github.io

About computational neuroscience

“Computational neuroscience aims to answer some of the biggest questions about how the brain generates perception, thought and consciousness,” explains Andrea. “However, one of the biggest challenges in the field is that the brain is an incredibly complex system, and no single discipline provides all the tools needed to understand it.” Luckily, the field is one of the most interdisciplinary areas of science, so researchers often work together to combine knowledge from neuroscience, mathematics, programming, statistics and psychology.

Technological advances, such as artificial intelligence and brain imaging, are creating unprecedented opportunities to understand how the brain operates. “The next generation of researchers will have access to richer datasets and more powerful computational tools than ever before,” continues Andrea. “This opens exciting possibilities for understanding brain disorders, improving AI systems and uncovering the fundamental principles of intelligence and cognition.”

A typical day in the life of a computational neuroscientist involves a mixture of data analysis, programming, reading scientific papers and thinking about how to develop computational models or new approaches. “I spend quite a bit of time analysing brain recordings to test our hypotheses and evaluate the results of our experiments,” says Andrea. “I also spend time writing code, running simulations and meeting with collaborators, which is especially important on interdisciplinary projects.” Andrea also mentors students and discusses projects with postdocs. “These interactions generate new ideas and help us assess the progress of different projects,” he continues. “Interestingly, no two days are the same, which is one of the field’s appealing aspects!”

Students can best prepare for a career in computational neuroscience by developing strong quantitative and analytical skills – particularly in mathematics and coding – and by having a keen curiosity about biological and psychological questions. “Critical thinking, scientific communication skills and the ability to work across disciplinary boundaries are equally important,” says Andrea.

Pathway from school to computational neuroscience

At school, Andrea suggests studying mathematics, physics and computer science whenever possible. “At university, degrees in neuroscience, psychology, computer science, mathematics, physics, engineering or related disciplines can all provide strong foundations,” he says.

Learn programming languages such as Python and gain experience with statistics and data analysis. “These are particularly valuable and could make life easier at later stages, such as during a PhD,” says Andrea. “In my opinion, although large language models (like ChatGPT) are changing our approach to coding, learning to code is still one of the most valuable investments a student can make as it will help them think in a logical and structured manner.”

Students can also benefit from summer research projects, internships and coding workshops.

Explore careers in computational neuroscience

“Career opportunities include academic research, healthcare technology, artificial intelligence companies, neurotechnology, pharmaceuticals and data science,” says Andrea. “The interdisciplinary nature of the field means that graduates often have a wide range of career options.”

Online courses, conference talks and educational resources provide excellent starting points to explore different fields. For example, the British Neuroscience Association has a suite of educational resources for students of all ages.

The Société des Neurosciences in France has a programme that aims to guide young neuroscientists in their careers.

Meet Andrea

As a teenager, I was passionate about science fiction (especially Isaac Asimov’s books) as well as dinosaurs and sports. I also practiced judo and breakdancing for many years! While I can’t say these interests directly determined my career path, they certainly helped shape my curiosity and my attitude about the world. Sports, in particular, taught me perseverance, discipline and the importance of enjoying what you do.

Reading Asimov’s books sparked a fascination with artificial intelligence and, more broadly, with understanding the human mind. That led me to become interested in psychology, cognition and neuroscience, even before I fully understood what those fields involved. Today, that curiosity and passion for understanding how the mind works remains my strongest motivation and continues to drive my research.

What I love most about being a researcher is the freedom it offers to investigate what really interests and impassions me. I have the opportunity to learn something new every day, and I enjoy the intellectual challenge of solving problems and understanding how things work. The combination of discovery, creativity and continuous learning makes the job incredibly rewarding.

It is important to maintain a sense of enjoyment and curiosity throughout your career. I was fortunate to have opportunities to move between countries for my PhD, postdoctoral training and eventually my permanent position. These experiences allowed me to explore new environments, meet inspiring people, exchange ideas and learn from different perspectives. I believe that being humble, open-minded and passionate are the key ingredients for success. Most other skills can be learned along the way.

Sport is still a big part of my life. Recently, I’ve been practising capoeira, a Brazilian martial art, and going to the gym with a friend. I also enjoy playing chess online, although it can become a little competitive at times! Outside of that, I love going to the cinema with my girlfriend or spending time with friends, enjoying an apéro (evening drink) along the Garonne River in Toulouse.

Andrea’s top tips

1. Don’t focus solely on the most prestigious universities or institutions. Instead, look for supervisors and mentors who will genuinely support your growth, value your work and
encourage your passion.

2. Maintain a healthy work-life balance and keep your enthusiasm and curiosity alive throughout your journey.

Do you have a question for Andrea?
Write it in the comments box below and he will get back to you. (Remember, researchers are very busy people, so you may have to wait a few days.)

Learn about how we learn about how our brains perceive and extract information from faces:

futurumcareers.com/how-do-our-brains-extract-information-from-faces

Software bugs can have devastating consequences, so finding and fixing them is a constant job for software engineers. At the University of Alberta in Canada, Dr Thibaud Lutellier is investigating how AI can help software developers to improve code.

Is AI better at refactoring than humans?

Thibaud and his team have been comparing how humans and AI refactor code by analysing software changes made by developers and AI coding agents. They found that human developers often make structural improvements, such as moving related pieces of code together or breaking large sections into smaller, reusable components. In comparison, AI agents spend most of their effort modifying annotations.

They also discovered that AI agents perform over 60 times more refactoring actions than humans. However, making more changes does not necessarily improve software quality. The team found that AI agents often repeatedly rewrite code to make it appear cleaner or to update annotations. While these changes may look productive, they can create a false sense of progress and increase development costs without providing meaningful improvements.

In addition, despite making many more edits, AI agents did not consistently produce better code. AI introduced code smells – indicators of design flaws or potential bugs – at rates similar to human developers. “In fact, one AI agent was found to introduce a statistically significant increase in code smells after refactoring,” says Thibaud. “Ultimately, we found that high-volume AI modifications do not correlate to genuine code improvement, meaning human developers still need to closely audit AI changes.”

What role will AI play in the future of software engineering?

“There is a fear that AI is going to replace software engineers and developers,” says Thibaud. “Based on our research and the current trajectory of autonomous coding tools, I think this is unlikely. Instead, AI will fundamentally shift what a software engineering job entails.”

As AI agents become capable of generating larger amounts of code, software systems will become bigger and more complex. However, more code does not automatically mean better software. Developers will still need to ensure that AI-generated code is reliable and free from errors. The role of software engineers will shift away from writing every line of code and towards reviewing and testing code produced by AI systems, opening exciting new opportunities in the field.

Dr Thibaud Lutellier

Department of Science, Augustana Campus, University of Alberta, Canada

Field of research: Software engineering

Research project: Using AI to detect and fix software bugs

Funder: Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC)

About software engineering

Software engineering is the design, development and maintenance of computer software. The field combines problem-solving and technical knowledge to create the programs and applications that power everything from smartphones and video games to hospitals, banks and spacecraft.

Why is software engineering an appealing career?

Software engineering is an exciting field because it allows you to turn ideas into real-world tools and technologies. “It is one of the few fields where you can build something incredibly powerful out of nothing but an idea and a computer,” says Thibaud. “Software touches every domain, so you get the chance to work in almost any discipline you can think of.”

What challenges will future software engineers be addressing?

The field is evolving quickly as AI becomes increasingly capable of generating code. While these tools can help developers work more efficiently, they also present new challenges. As AI systems produce larger amounts of code, software projects will become more complex. “The challenge won’t be generating code,” says Thibaud. “It will be managing the growing amount of technical debt and keeping increasingly complex software systems running smoothly over time.”

What does a career in software engineering involve?

“People often think that software engineers and developers spend all their time writing code, sitting alone in front of their computers,” says Thibaud. “This is far from true!” Instead, they work closely with product managers to understand what software should do and decide which features to prioritise. They also spend time reviewing other people’s code to search for logic errors, security weaknesses and potential bugs. And testing software is an important part of the job, helping to ensure that programs behave as expected.

Pathway from school to software engineering

At school, computer science and mathematics will help you build the foundation for software engineering by developing computational thinking, logic and problem-solving skills.

“Software engineers spend a lot of time explaining technical concepts to clients and discussing complex code with collaborators, so strong writing and speaking skills are essential,” says Thibaud. “Don’t neglect subjects that will help you develop communication skills.”

At university, a degree in software engineering, computer science or computer engineering could lead to a career in software engineering.

Explore careers in software engineering

Software is found in every aspect of our lives, so there are software engineering career opportunities in every sector!

The best way to explore software engineering is by learning through practice. As well as watching tutorials, try building something you are interested in. “If you like video games, try to create a small computer game, or a mod for a game you like,” suggests Thibaud. “If you are part of a local club or organisation, try to build a website for them from scratch.”

Online resources can help you learn software engineering skills. Organisations such as freeCodeCamp (freecodecamp.org) and Codeacademy (codecademy.com) include beginner-friendly courses related to programming and computer science.

Meet Thibaud

I have loved computers since I was a kid. As a teenager, I loved playing video games. I also enjoyed reading and playing table tennis and soccer with friends.

When I went to university, I initially studied chemistry for two years but I was not great at it. After that, I realised my favourite course during those two years was a course in computer programming. So I switched my degree to computer engineering. When I moved from France to Canada to study for my master’s degree, I was fortunate to have a fantastic supervisor and lab mates who really made me fall in love with research in software engineering.

The part of my job as a software engineer that I enjoy the most is understanding a problem, breaking it down into small pieces and solving it. The most challenging thing is that software engineering is a field that moves extremely fast, meaning we always have to keep ourselves up to date with new technologies, hardware and changing user habits. To stay relevant and effective, software engineers must continuously adapt, step out of their comfort zones, and learn new technologies and programming languages.

In my free time, I love having fun and unwinding with my family and our pets (we have a cat and a dog). I also really enjoy playing board games and video games, hanging out with friends, reading and painting.

Thibaud’s top tips

1. Don’t be afraid of taking a non-linear path or changing direction in your education – learning what you don’t like to do is still learning, and very important.

2. Many skills are transferable. When you learn something, think about how it can apply to whatever career you want to pursue.

3. Find mentors, professors or peers who challenge and support you. This will completely transform your career and make your work exciting – we can’t succeed alone!

Do you have a question for Thibaud?
Write it in the comments box below and he will get back to you. (Remember, researchers are very busy people, so you may have to wait a few days.)

Discover how other software engineers are using AI to fix bugs:

futurumcareers.com/bugs-and-artificial-intelligence-what-is-happening-in-the-field-of-software-engineering

Sea slugs have a simple nervous system, making them easy to study. At the National Aplysia Resource at the University of Miami in the US, Professor Danielle McDonald and her team are breeding and raising Aplysia californica for scientific experiments. By understanding the nervous system of these sea slugs, scientists can learn more about the human nervous system and discover new ways to treat health conditions.

Explore careers in marine biomedical science

Careers in marine biomedical science generally fall into the research and aquaculture sides of the field. “You should be excited to pursue any of these careers because they can help us solve real-world health challenges,” says Danielle.

Research careers include scientists and medical doctors who study marine animals as model organisms for human health and disease, as well as environmental toxicologists who study how toxic chemicals interact with marine ecosystems. Many researchers also work as university professors, teaching the next generation of marine biomedical scientists.

Careers in aquaculture include biotechnology specialists and roles in husbandry teams caring for research animals.

The Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology (sicb.org/resources/career-information) and the American Physiological Society (physiology.org/career/teaching-learning-resources/student-resources) provide information about careers in the field of marine biomedical science.

Meet Danielle

As a teenager, I wanted to become a veterinarian. I loved animals, was interested in biology, and loved learning about the natural world.

I studied biology at university, followed by a PhD in fish physiology. Throughout my career, I have trained as a comparative physiologist, which involves studying how different species function and comparing their similarities and differences. For my PhD, I investigated kidney and gill function in different fish species. To explain my results, I had to learn about mammal physiology as well. So, even though I was studying fish, I incorporated information about humans into the interpretation of my findings, which led me to think about marine animals as model organisms.

Marine biomedical science is like solving a very complex puzzle. Studying marine animals can lead to important discoveries about human health and disease. Several Nobel Prize winners have used marine animals to answer human health questions, including Dr Eric Kandell who used Aplysia to study learning and memory.

Science is a collaborative effort and working with people from different backgrounds often leads to the most exciting discoveries. I enjoy working with colleagues and students to answer scientific questions by collecting data and trying to interpret our findings. It is exciting when our results support our hypotheses, and it is almost equally exciting when they don’t because it means we need to do more experiments to figure out why not.

In my free time, I enjoy hiking, birding, photography, reading, and watching TV and movies, as well as being a mom!

Danielle’s top tips

1. Be curious and keep asking questions.

2. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes, and don’t let your failures define you.

Do you have a question for Danielle?
Write it in the comments box below and she will get back to you. (Remember, researchers are very busy people, so you may have to wait a few days.)

Discover how cell biologists are using amoeba as model organisms to learn why problems with mitochondria in our cells can lead to disease:

futurumcareers.com/what-can-amoebas-teach-us-about-mitochondrial-dynamics