Views from academia and industry on skills needed for the modern research environment

Abstract

Reports from employers of higher education graduates indicate the existence of a considerable gap between the skills required by employers and those possessed by recent graduates. As a first step toward closing this gap, this study aims to determine its origin. Interviews with nine research-active biochemistry professionals were used to identify the most important skills for biochemistry students to succeed in research positions postgraduation. The results of these interviews were used to develop a survey, which was then administered to a larger group of biochemistry faculty and industry professionals. The output of the survey was a list of 52 skills valued by biochemistry professionals and rated by perceived importance. Importantly, the survey results also afford a comparative look at the prioritization of skills by two key populations: the academic faculty training students and the industry professionals hiring them. While there are many areas of agreement between these two populations, the survey also reveals areas were priorities diverge. The discrepancies found here suggest that the skills gap manifest at the point of employment may stem directly from differences in prioritization between the academic and industrial environments. This article aims to provide insight into the needs and requirements of the modern biochemical research environment, and invites debate concerning the preparation students receive in academia. Moreover, the results presented herein point to a need for further exploration of the possible misalignment of these two critical environments for young scientists.

From gene to structure: Lactobacillus bulgaricus D‐lactate dehydrogenase from yogurt as an integrated curriculum model for undergraduate molecular biology and biochemistry laboratory courses

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Development of a structured undergraduate research experience: Framework and implications

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Probing the Relevance of Chemical Identity Thinking in Biochemical Contexts

“…Little research exists on what knowledge practicing biochemists rely upon in their work. Recent surveys of practicing biochemists have identified concepts central to biochemistry and the skills and knowledge found to be deficit in recent graduates (Rowland et al , 2011; Talgar and Goodey, 2015). Although the results of these studies indicate that many chemical concepts are important for biochemistry, no study has investigated the relevance of CI for practicing biochemists.…”