Scientistt: the networking platform that makes research life ‘less lonely’
In a world that can too easily be fragmented and divided, Scientistt values connections and collaborations in research and development. Its ambitious vision is of a global scientific community that supports progression, endeavour and wellbeing
“Scientistt’s interactive social media accounts encourage online discussion and interaction. Ours is growing into a truly unique community where a concentrated audience of global researchers can be connected through the click of a button. The Scientistt community is composed of talented, high-calibre members of the research community, that wish to connect, engage and collaborate with one another to make research life less lonely.
The broad range of academic interests, qualifications and career stages catered for means that we offer an invaluable place to gain advice, support or guidance. For example, those seeking research funding can search the database for funding opportunities as well as interact with those who have experience in creating applications, in order to have the best chance of securing funds.
We describe Scientistt as a ‘networking and recruitment platform for the research community’ because we believe that these two aspects are paramount to the progression of a researcher, whether they intend to seek an academic or non-academic profession. Members can upload their research profile, join a page dedicated to their area of research, add other users to their bank of connections, or showcase their knowledge and public engagement through blog posts. The more the individual does to build their own profile, the more attractive they will look to prospective employers and research opportunities.”
INTERVIEW WITH HASSAN MAHMUDUL,
FOUNDER OF SCIENTISTT
How did you end up forming Scientistt?
I have always been passionate about science. At sixth form, all three of my A-levels were science subjects: chemistry, physics and biology. Eventually, I decided to pursue biology at Durham University because of the opportunity to work in labs and the diverse nature of the subject. For example, in my final year undergraduate project, I worked in a lab to produce pesticides using spider toxins, and during my master’s degree, I carried out research on blindness caused by diabetes. In the same year, I also undertook a short summer placement in Austria in a stem cell lab, looking at cell differentiation at the early embryonic stage.
Outside research, I have an immense interest in entrepreneurship and solving business problems. I gained this interest through working for my small family business and through work experience as an analyst for a start-up based in Newcastle and as a strategy consultant advising social enterprises.
Towards the end of my master’s degree, I put my learning into practice by developing a business model based on the problems I encountered in the research community. I submitted this business model for a Durham start-up competition, which was selected in the finals to pitch to a panelof investors and founders. This is when I decided to pursue my idea and Scientistt was formed.
What do you enjoy most about being the founder of a start-up?
Being the founder of a start-up is exciting because of the pace at which it evolves. If we have an idea, we can test it out immediately and engage directly with our users because of how agile we are at this stage. You also get to meet and speak to people from all walks of life, which means that there is a steep learning curve in terms of knowledge and personal development.
Ken Dutton-Regester, founder of Stemventurist and Excite Science, is a Scientistt Ambassador.
The Scientistt Ambassadors are the most active, engaged and influential members of the community. Coming from different countries across the world, they bring with them different research interests, academic backgrounds and professions. The thing that unites them all is their appreciation of the Scientistt ethos and their desire to help the research community grow and work together.
“Scientistt’s interactive social media accounts encourage online discussion and interaction. Ours is growing into a truly unique community where a concentrated audience of global researchers can be connected through the click of a button. The Scientistt community is composed of talented, high-calibre members of the research community, that wish to connect, engage and collaborate with one another to make research life less lonely.
The broad range of academic interests, qualifications and career stages catered for means that we offer an invaluable place to gain advice, support or guidance. For example, those seeking research funding can search the database for funding opportunities as well as interact with those who have experience in creating applications, in order to have the best chance of securing funds.
We describe Scientistt as a ‘networking and recruitment platform for the research community’ because we believe that these two aspects are paramount to the progression of a researcher, whether they intend to seek an academic or non-academic profession. Members can upload their research profile, join a page dedicated to their area of research, add other users to their bank of connections, or showcase their knowledge and public engagement through blog posts. The more the individual does to build their own profile, the more attractive they will look to prospective employers and research opportunities.”
INTERVIEW WITH HASSAN MAHMUDUL,
FOUNDER OF SCIENTISTT
How did you end up forming Scientistt?
I have always been passionate about science. At sixth form, all three of my A-levels were science subjects: chemistry, physics and biology. Eventually, I decided to pursue biology at Durham University because of the opportunity to work in labs and the diverse nature of the subject. For example, in my final year undergraduate project, I worked in a lab to produce pesticides using spider toxins, and during my master’s degree, I carried out research on blindness caused by diabetes. In the same year, I also undertook a short summer placement in Austria in a stem cell lab, looking at cell differentiation at the early embryonic stage.
Outside research, I have an immense interest in entrepreneurship and solving business problems. I gained this interest through working for my small family business and through work experience as an analyst for a start-up based in Newcastle and as a strategy consultant advising social enterprises.
Towards the end of my master’s degree, I put my learning into practice by developing a business model based on the problems I encountered in the research community. I submitted this business model for a Durham start-up competition, which was selected in the finals to pitch to a panelof investors and founders. This is when I decided to pursue my idea and Scientistt was formed.
What do you enjoy most about being the founder of a start-up?
Being the founder of a start-up is exciting because of the pace at which it evolves. If we have an idea, we can test it out immediately and engage directly with our users because of how agile we are at this stage. You also get to meet and speak to people from all walks of life, which means that there is a steep learning curve in terms of knowledge and personal development.
Ken Dutton-Regester, founder of Stemventurist and Excite Science, is a Scientistt Ambassador.
The Scientistt Ambassadors are the most active, engaged and influential members of the community. Coming from different countries across the world, they bring with them different research interests, academic backgrounds and professions. The thing that unites them all is their appreciation of the Scientistt ethos and their desire to help the research community grow and work together.