So You Want to be a Scientist?

Philip A. Schwartzkroin has been a research scientist for over 35 years. He received degrees from Harvard and Stanford Universities, and has held faculty positions at Stanford University, University of Washington, and University of California-Davis. In his career as a neuroscientist, he has focused his research effort on understanding the basic biology of seizures and epilepsy. Dr. Schwartzkroin has published extensively in peer-reviewed journals, and has a long history of successful grant funding from the National Institutes of Health and from private foundations. He has served in numerous professional leadership roles, including president of the American Epilepsy Society, member of the executive committee of the International League Against Epilepsy, and co-editor-in chief of the premier international epilepsy journal Epilepsia. He has been recognized for his research contributions with such prestigious awards as the Javits Award from the National Institutes of Health, a Guggenheim Fellowship, and the Research Recognition Award from the American Epilepsy Society. Through his many years in the laboratory, he has trained and mentored numerous postdoctoral fellows and graduate and undergraduate students many of whom have gone on to establish successful leadership roles in their chosen areas of research. Dr. Schwartzkroin currently is Professor of Neurological Surgery at the University of California-Davis, an affiliate of the UC Davis Center for Neuroscience, and holds the Bronte Endowed Chair in Epilepsy Research in the UC Davis School of Medicine.

Introduction ; 1. Getting Started ; 2. Career Choices and Laboratory Nitty-Gritty ; 3. How to Think like a Scientist ; 4. How to Write a Scientific Paper ; 5. Giving Presentations and Talks ; 6. How to Compose/Submit Grant Applications ; 7. The Politics of Science ; 8. Ethical Conduct of Research ; 9. Scientific Research as a Creative Enterprise ; 10. The Role of the Scientist in Society ; 11. Personal Challenges ; 12. Rewards and Riches