Seminar with inspiration (and advice) for young (microbial) scientists
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Please find the slides of my GRS seminar for young scientist attached. I hope it may give inspiration and advice to those pursuing academic careers. Many thanks to Petra Rudolf, Curt Rice and many others for their input and thoughts on gender equality measures. Science = Fun Never Give Up! I am not a big fan of e mail but I am not too difficult to find on social media if you would want more details or would like to give constructive feedback or input. thx https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikejetten @msmjetten
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Seminar with inspiration (and advice) for young (microbial) scientists
- 1. A scientific life of discovering new anaerobic C1 microbes while trying to keep young (wo)men in science GRS August 9th MIKE JETTEN SOEHNGEN INSTITUTE OF ANAEROBIC MICROBIOLOGY
- 2. Table of content Pivotal career steps/advise - PhD and supervision - post doc and family - tenure and independence - full professor and responsibilities intertwined with C1 examples - Acetoclastic methanogens - Hot and acid volcano C1 microbes - AOM and anammox bacteria
- 3. Curt Rice, Tromso 6 steps to gender equality Petra Rudolf, RU Groningen Roosevelt Foundation Katty Kay and Claire Shipman, The Confidence Gap http://www.genderinscience.org/ http://www.informatics-europe.org/images/documents/ more-women-in-informatics-research-andeducation_ 2013.Pdf My supervisors AJB, AJS, JGK, SG My co workers, collaborators and funding agencies Credits
- 4. Academic careers seem to be unappealing to both man and woman, The impediments are perceived as disproportionate The sacrifices are great. Research career? PhD 1y PhD 3y Career in Academia at 3y M 61% 59% 21% F 72% 37% 12% Why is academia not appealing? Hunt for projects/money; all consuming & competitive String of post docs w/o prospects = Lack of security F Lack of self confidence F Lack of good F role models
- 5. INTRODUCTION@MIKE-ROBIOLOGY PhD Microbiology 1991 Wageningen University Post doc 1991-1994 Assistant professor 1994-2000 Professor Microbiology 2000- ERC AG 2008 ERC AG 2013
- 6. INTRODUCTION@MIKE-ROBIOLOGY PhD Microbiology 1987 - 1991 Acetate Metabolism in Methanothrix soehngenii - Optimally prepared by best anaerobic training in experts lab (Georg Fuchs, Ulm 86) - State-of-the-art research facilities - Coherent team and colleagues - Combination high level sport & study is foundation 4 ambition & perseverance - Get your papers out asap - Excellent supervisors Alex Zehnder Prof Microbiology WUR Director EAWAG CH Presiden ETH Zurich
- 7. “fat rod” Methanothrix soehngenii
- 8. Acetate + ATP + HSCoA Ac-CoA + AMP +PPi
- 9. CO + H2O CO2 + 2[H]
- 11. Apart from giving scientific guidance, she/he should • provide training in the art of presentation science • teach how to write fast and how to write good papers • find funding / help you find funding • teach you how to write successful proposals • teach you the “rules of the game” and how to change them • give you challenging assignments and opportunities • provide constructive feedback on unsuccessful endeavours • introduce you to important professional contacts • give you credit, and advocate you in the academic community Need for a very good mentor/supervisor! If not provided by your supervisor, be assertive and ask If still not provided, get it someone/where else asap.
- 12. Apart from giving scientific guidance, she/he should teach importance of human and leadership skills - Educational skills to transfer knowledge - Project and time management to be as effective as possible - Scientific communication skills to become an articulate speaker/writer - Interaction with people 4 networking & collaborating - Personal happiness 4 balance work/private life - Career management - Leadership skills (vision, coaching, delegating, team building, supervision) Absolute need for human and leadership skills! These skills contribute up to 85% of your success!!
- 13. Chapter2@MIKE-ROBIOLOGY Post doc 1991-1994 • Bring your own money & freedom • Husband/Spouse program • Complementary and synergy in skills • Quality of supervision • Nose for feasibility & serendipity • practice make perfect but 95% is more effective! • Publish asap & amap • Train human and leadership skills • Move on
- 14. Challenges in combining family life and career • Family/career : there is never an easy equilibrium • 2 body problem: not each location offers opportunity for both • if your heart allows marry/partner outside your profession • 50% shared responsibilities • learn to live with little sleep asap • (European) labour law = raise kids asap in PhD • reality most academians have a family after 32
- 15. Only 1 in 3000 female physicists had a husband who was not professionally active but took care of the home and the family 25% of the male physicists are in an equivalent situation. USA: http://www.physics.wm.edu/dualcareer.html Challenges in combining family life and career Emancipation is still a long way to go Ladies be assertive and do not take more than 50% share in family responsibilities
- 16. THE CONFIDENCE GAP For many young women in academia it is difficult to reach out to older male colleagues to ask for advice Women tend to underestimate their potential for success in Science. Women apply when the meet 120% of requirements (M at 50%) Women do gain confidence from role models! Women in middle management are more inspiring F role models. Affirmative action stimulates F in competition Learning to own victory and survive defeat in sports is apparently good training for owning triumphs and surviving setbacks at work Curt Rice, Katty Kay and Claire Shipman
- 17. What should universities do: - Use alumni network to help finding jobs for partners - Consider partners as internal candidates for university vacancies - Excellent child care facilities - Reimbursement for babysitting service for unusual situations - Family friendly working conditions: - No meetings at hours that create conflict with family obligations…. - Mentor programs with good F role models - Special lunch meetings/support groups - gender neutral advertisements / balanced selection committees - Many more………….
- 18. Way2independece@MIKE-ROBIOLOGY Moving back to Europe: Assistant professor 1994-2000 • Bring your own money & personal grant • Develop nose for feasibility of projects • Practice make perfect but 95% is more effective! • Be at right place and time (serendipity) • Publish HI papers (1st or last author) • Raise more money and build a team • Joint Family responsibilities • Complementary and synergy in skills • Quality supervision/mentoring • Train human and leadership skills • Be assertive and/or move on
- 19. Calculations in the N cycle NH4 + + NO2 - N2 + 2H2O ΔG’0 = -358 kJ/mol Engelbert Broda 1910-1983
- 20. Anaerobic pilot plant, TU Delft, the Netherlands Influent Effluent Mulder , van de Graaf et al FEMS Ecology 1995
- 21. ANAMMOX MILESTONES 1995 ANAEROBIC PILOT PLANT Mulder et al FEMS Ecol 1998 SBR ENRICHMENT CULTURES Strous et al AMB 1999 PHYLOGENETIC IDENTITY Strous et al Nature (MJ =37y) 2002 LADDERANE LIPIDS Damste et al Nature 2003 BLACK SEA Kuypers et al Nature Anammoxoglobus propionic Jettenia asiatica KSU-1 © Jetten et al 2009
- 22. ANAMMOX MILESTONES 2006 GENOME ASSEMBLY Strous et al Nature 2008 CELL BIOLOGY Van Niftrik et al Mol Mic 2011 METABOLISM Kartal et al Nature 2013 CHINESE WETLANDS Zhu et al Nature Geoscience
- 23. Professor Microbiology 2000- • Bring your own money/projects • Refine nose for feasibility and serendipity • Practice make perfect but 90% is even more effective! • Raise a lot more money & build a large team • Publish more HI papers • Joint Family responsibility • Complementary and synergy in skills • Quality of Supervision & mentoring • Networking / collaborations • Become stronger and more assertive New stable state or tipping point • Transfer of knowledge • Transfer of human and leadership skills and become eligible for dean, VP, VC, etc or move on?? Responsibilities@MIKE-ROBIOLOGY
- 24. INTRODUCTION@MICROBIOLOGY Unexplored biodiversity 30,000 strains in ATCC & DMSZ 2,639,157 16S rRNA genes in RDP 10,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 nonillion microbial cells on Earth Terra incognita
- 26. Undiscovered Chemolithoautotrophs H2 CH4 H2S NH4 + Fe2+ O2 NO3 - ??? ??? Fe3+ SO4 2- CO2 After 40 years of searching in vain They were being called “impossible” microbes ELECTRON DONORS ELECTRONACCEPTORS OXIC ANOXIC CS2 ???
- 27. Undiscovered Chemolithoautotrophs H2 CH4 H2S NH4 + Fe2+ O2 NO3 - ??? ??? Fe3+ SO4 2- CO2 After 40 years of searching in vain They were being called “impossible” microbes ELECTRON DONORS ELECTRONACCEPTORS OXIC ANOXIC CS2 ???
- 28. HOW TO DISCOVER THESE “IMPOSSIBLE” MICROBES? • Survey of selected ecosystems • Bring Best Samples to Lab • Design optimal bioreactors • Enrichment under optimal conditions • Grow enough cells • Use of the molecular toolbox • Back to the ecosystem • Application of the new microbes
- 29. • State of the art microbial methods • Adequate National and EU funding • International collaboration • Industrial collaboration • Skilled and enthusiastic team members PRE REQUISITES How to Discover new microbes?
- 30. Sampling Bioreactors Bioreactors Bioreactors Bioreactors Bioreactors Bioreactors Bioreactors Bioreactors Genomic Physiology Microscopy Ecology Biochemistry Application
- 31. • State of the art microbial methods • Adequate National and EU funding • International collaboration • Industrial collaboration • Skilled and enthusiastic team members PRE REQUISITES How to Discover of new microbes? ERC AG 2008 ERC AG 2013
- 32. Added value of Awards • Possibility to do research w/o restrictions • Recognition @home university • Many Invitations • New collaborations • Exclusive partnership with industry • Job offers • More awards and prizes (Matthew 25:29) • Many student opportunities ERC AG 2008 ERC AG 2013
- 33. Down side of (too much) success • Harsher peer review (from such PI we expect….) • Difficult to obtain additional grants • Revenge taken out on younger staff & students • Jealous colleagues • Messy university politics • To big for collaboration • Where should phd/post docs move to? • Hardly any friendly colleagues left • It can be very lonely at the top • Ne iupiter quidam placet omnibus Added value / Down side ≥ 1
- 34. Most important PRE REQUISITE Vacancies Full professor Tenure track 2 Post docs 10 PhD students Skilled and enthusiastic team members and give them the best possible training in human and leadership skills
- 36. Methane cycle in wetlands Kosten & Ettwig Symbiotic seagrass fields Hooiberg, vd Heiden van Alen, Op den Camp N2 fixation peat lands Kox, vd Elzen Lamers, Ettwig Rhizobiome of wetlands Vaksmaa, Lueke Delia Gut microbiome Welte Symbiotic Microbiology 2014-2019 projects
- 37. Discoveries in CH4 & CS2 Genome seq Physiology Proteins 1 PhD thesis Hot and Acid Volcano Microbiology 2008-2013
- 38. CH4 + 2O2 CO2 + 2H2O At pH < 1 and 55°C © Pol et al 2007 Methylacidiphilum fumariolicum SolV Sampling at Solfatara, Naples, Italy Enrichment & isolation Poor growth without mudpot water
- 39. Evaporating and ashing still stimulated growth: which mineral /element ?
- 40. 0 0.01 0.02 0.03 0.04 0.05 0.06 0.07 0.08 0.09 Ce Sm Eu Gd None or Ca Growthrate(h-1) Maximum growth rates with Ce and REE with higher atomic numbers tested individually. Which cellular component does contain Cerium?
- 41. A SDS-PAGE (12%) of the purified methanol dehydrogenase of strain SolV B the UV-Vis spectrum of the pure enzyme 0.0 0.4 0.8 1.2 1.6 2.0 250 300 350 400 450 500 550 Wavelength (nm) Extinction(blackline) 0.00 0.04 0.08 0.12 0.16 0.20 Extinction(redline) 28 36 55 72 93 130 kDa 250 1 2 1 = Cell extract (50 μg protein) 2 = Pure MDH (10 μg protein) A B
- 43. Methane cycle in volcanoes SolV isolated Growth dependent on REE Genome sequenced Rubisco as CO2 fixation pathway N2 fixation Transcriptome Cell Biology in progress Nitrosative stress in progress
- 45. Does nitrate/nitrite dependent Anaerobic Oxidation of Methane (AOM) exist??? ERC AG 2013
- 46. How does ANAMMOX make the ROCKET FUEL HYDRAZINE ? Protein purification 15N14N Protein activity Hydrazine and N2 production Protein crystalisation Immunogold labelling hzsABC
- 47. Anammox, AAA, SolV, M. oxyfera and other new C1 microbes could save the world Thank you ! Unique bacteria hiding out in a witches’ brew of anoxic water not only thrive in cold wetlands and oceans but also chow down its ammonium and methane Microbial science = Fun Leadership skills = 85% success! The future = bright for Women in Science! Never give up !