Recognising the importance and impact of Imaging Scientists: Global guidelines for establishing career paths within core facilities

Abstract

In the dynamic landscape of scientific research, imaging core facilities are vital hubs propelling collaboration and innovation at the technology development and dissemination frontier. Here, we present a collaborative effort led by Global BioImaging (GBI), introducing international recommendations geared towards elevating the careers of Imaging Scientists in core facilities. Despite the critical role of Imaging Scientists in modern research ecosystems, challenges persist in recognising their value, aligning performance metrics and providing avenues for career progression and job security. The challenges encompass a mismatch between classic academic career paths and service‐oriented roles, resulting in a lack of understanding regarding the value and impact of Imaging Scientists and core facilities and how to evaluate them properly. They further include challenges around sustainability, dedicated training opportunities and the recruitment and retention of talent. Structured across these interrelated sections, the recommendations within this publication aim to propose globally applicable solutions to navigate these challenges. These recommendations apply equally to colleagues working in other core facilities and research institutions through which access to technologies is facilitated and supported. This publication emphasises the pivotal role of Imaging Scientists in advancing research programs and presents a blueprint for fostering their career progression within institutions all around the world.

Strategies for selecting and managing equipment in a light microscopy facility

“…However, allowing staff to choose and develop in-depth knowledge of technology types and application areas has many advantages for career development. 5 First, specific in-depth knowledge is more likely to lead to substantial research contributions resulting in coauthorship on publications and opportunities for conference presentations. This approach allows staff to build up a CV which demonstrates substantial expertise, rather than more superficial acquaintance with methods.…”

A Postdoctoral Training Program in Bioimage Analysis

“…The last several years have generally seen an increase in what Global Bioimaging refers to as imaging scientists, professional scientists typically found in core facilities who can guide colleagues through creating successful microscopy experiments 11 . In parallel, the increasing need for computational image analysis expertise has created a relatively new career path -that of the bioimage analyst [12][13][14] .…”