Fostering scientific collaboration among postgraduate research students beyond the laboratory or shared co-supervisors

Acquiring a postgraduate degree through coursework or research is the desire of many students globally. This is because of the various associated benefits, such as knowledge and skills acquisition, exposure to state-of-the-art facilities, networking and professional development. To acquire knowledge and skills, students may decide to study within their country or travel to other parts of the world. International students studying research higher degrees may share supervisors with domestic or international students and work in the same laboratory. Pursuing a postgraduate research degree could be tedious, draining but also — and most importantly — rewarding. Among the numerous advantages of engaging in research is the ability to collaborate with others in solving societal problems.

In addition to research and technical skills acquisition by postgraduate research students, other soft skills can be acquired alongside technical skills. Examples of such soft skills include opportunities related to collaboration and networking. Scientific collaboration and networking can be fostered among postgraduate research students beyond being laboratory mates. If properly harnessed, collaboration and networking during postgraduate studies could offer employment opportunities, , as well as increased research productivity and research visibility, among others. 

During my doctoral studies, two other international students also started their postgraduate studies at the same time. We had a few things in common, namely: we came from developing countries, we were all married, with kids and family responsibilities, and we shared an office. Mostly importantly, we shared co-supervisors, and we all worked on different aspects of seafood research. Whereas I worked on the spoilage of seafood, one of the other two students worked on developing probiotic feed for shellfish, and the third student worked on extending the shelf-life of packaged fish. Our commonality made it easy for us to connect, collaborate, brainstorm, network and check on each other’s wellbeing.

A few years after we all graduated, our collaboration has continued beyond the laboratory. First, we all work in a research environment such as a university or government research organisation. This has enabled us to stay connected in terms of our common research interests. Second, we have been able to harness each other’s skills, such as in relation to data analysis, research project management, grant writing and editing. We have been able to invite each other to join our individual research projects, which has led to the publication of multiple journal articles in reputable journals. For example, I was invited by the editor of a reputable and high-impact journal to write an opinion piece on seafood spoilage. The journal only publishes invited manuscripts based on the need and expertise of their authors. Given the focus of my manuscript on seafood, I invited my two colleagues as co-authors. As the project manager, I was able to use my postgraduate colleagues’ areas of seafood speciation during our postgraduate studies and assigned parts of the review to each of them. Our manuscript was eventually accepted and published, in turn leading to further collaborations. These further collaborations have led to a recommendation for an adjunct position, more than five journal articles, successful grant applications, an invitation as guest speaker at a national conference, a conference oral presentation and the sharing of useful resources for further career development. Although we are still building on these past collective achievements and extending our collaboration to mentoring students, etc., all of these opportunities arose because we took our networking and collaboration beyond merely being lab mates during our doctoral studies. 

As postgraduate research students, it is important to build and maintain healthy scientific relationships with your lab mates to be able to harness benefits such as those discussed above. Look beyond the few years of studying together and always keep in touch with each other. Similarly, make good use of your shared skills and expertise for the advancement of technology and the good of society.

Dr. Olumide Odeyemi (University of Tasmania, Australia) is a multi-award winning research scientist, researcher and research development specialist with more than 50 journal articles and more than 1200 citations. He has trained more than 2000 students and academics in academic skills, research skills, research(er) development and scholarship and research grant applications.