A Career in ...
University teaching and research

Profile
Name: Gavin Thomas

Age: 31

Present occupation:
Lecturer, Department of Biology, University of York

Previous employment:

Recommended links:
The University of York
www.shintonconsulting.com - career progression advice & information for post-docs
– Academic careers demystified part of the Science's Next Wave website

What attracted you to microbiology research?

As an undergraduate, I was fascinated with mechanisms of gene regulation and as the most interesting examples of this came from microbes, primarily Escherichia coli.  I chose to work on E. coli and having enjoyed my PhD, I continued doing research. This opened my eyes to other approaches to studying the organism, much of which was driven by the timely completion of the genome sequence in 1997.

How did you find the transition from postdoc to lecturer?

This has been the most dramatic change I have experienced in my career. Having been at the bench for 8 years, I felt I was getting quite good at doing experiments. Not being able to use this experience fully as an academic can be frustrating, however, I have learned a whole range of new skills. Grant writing is the biggest challenge and it carries the most pressure to succeed as a new lecturer in a research-led department. Teaching undergraduates is the other obvious new role, but slightly less obvious is the amount of administration that needs to be done. There are so many activities that keep the department running, whether this is being involved in examinations, marking, interviews, admissions, etc. Given all these other jobs that often have short deadlines, planning even the shortest experiment is difficult. The day my students look shocked when I put on a lab coat will be a sad one, but one I fear, that is not too distant.

How do you divide your time between research, teaching and admin duties? 

This mainly depends on whether or not it is term time, with some parts of the academic calendar being so busy that research does not get a look in. However, equally there are quieter times in the holidays when I can really get into the research again. I do work longer hours than I did as a postdoc - trying to be a researcher and a lecturer at the same time. I have a relatively low teaching load but, since it is all new material, it requires a lot of preparation time. I now also organise “year in industry” placements, which can take up a lot of time. There are also my commitments with the SGM. All new academics at York and other universities have to do a Master’s level qualification in Academic Practice. This involves extra time out of the lab, but should theoretically make me a better teacher and researcher. 

Can you describe a typical day?

There is no typical day, but I usually start by checking my email to find out what needs my immediate attention. I try and speak to my PhD students every day and we meet formally each week. Then much of my day is spent at the computer doing a whole range of tasks relating to research, teaching and administration. If it’s a quiet week, I can spend a day or so in the lab and make some progress as well as keeping in-touch with what’s going on.

How do you see your future?

Happily, I can see my future in York for a considerable time. I hope that this will result in an expansion of my research group as much as my other roles within the department.

What advice can you offer people planning career as an academic? 

Talking to people who have recently made the transition is a good idea. Although there is much competition for academic jobs, colleagues of mine who have decided that this is what they really want to do have usually found positions. If you view being an academic as the only route to having a permanent job and still being able to do research, then I would advise you to think strongly about applying for fellowships. This would allow you to focus on developing a research group in the absence of teaching and admin duties. I would say that being a lecturer is very different from being a postdoc, but it’s still a great job.