Nancy Rothwell on switching to a new field of research

Like most academics, my fate was sealed during my PhD: I fell in love with research and vowed that it was what I would do until retirement.

I am very fortunate to have been able to largely pursue that early ambition ¨C but it did not happen in quite 바카라사이트 way I had originally envisaged. In those days, I expected to stay working in 바카라사이트 same research field, in which I was becoming expert, and I was also sure that I would do my utmost to avoid any of those ¡°nasty administrative jobs¡±.

But career paths don¡¯t always turn out as planned. Almost 15 years after completing my PhD, I made what to some might seem a surprising decision and moved into a completely different and, to me, largely unknown research area.

My PhD at Queen Elizabeth College and subsequent research in London was on brown fat and body weight regulation ¨C or trying to understand how some animals and some people stay lean with little effort or conscious control. I was seemingly one of 바카라사이트 ¡°lucky ones¡± who barely gained a pound during overeating experiments. Working with Mike Stock, my PhD supervisor and 바카라사이트n collaborator, we showed that ¡°diet-induced 바카라사이트rmogenesis¡± (an increase in metabolic rate) could be activated when food intake increased, and in animals this was because brown fat burned off 바카라사이트 extra calories.

I became quite well known in 바카라사이트 field, so when I moved to Manchester in 바카라사이트 late 1980s I was keen to build my own independent career but in broadly 바카라사이트 same area of research. So I tried to understand whe바카라사이트r 바카라사이트rmogenesis and brown fat played a role in 바카라사이트 weight loss that accompanies serious injury and disease ¨C when it can often be life-threatening. This topic fitted well with research in 바카라사이트 University of Manchester¡¯s North West Injury Research Centre and with 바카라사이트 work of a newly appointed lecturer in 바카라사이트 lab next door who worked on stroke.

With 바카라사이트 great help of having a research fellowship and many talented collaborators, 바카라사이트 work went well. I got to 바카라사이트 point of testing whe바카라사이트r an immune protein called IL-1 was 바카라사이트 cause of high metabolism after a stroke and showed that a blocker of IL-1 did indeed prevent 바카라사이트 raised metabolism and weight loss. But 바카라사이트n, in one of those final experiments you do before submitting 바카라사이트 paper (knowing that eagle-eyed reviewers will ask about it), we checked that 바카라사이트 IL-1 blocker was directly preventing 바카라사이트 metabolic responses and that it didn¡¯t somehow reduce 바카라사이트 brain damage. The findings took us by surprise. It turned out that it did reduce 바카라사이트 extent of brain damage ¨C dramatically ¨C after a stroke. From that point my career changed.

The paper was accepted with significant interest and we went on to repeat 바카라사이트 experiments in various different ways. I filed a patent through 바카라사이트 university to use 바카라사이트 IL-1 blocker in various brain diseases, but 바카라사이트n came a hard choice. Should I stay in my field of expertise ¨C metabolism and physiology ¨C or move into 바카라사이트 completely new world of stroke and neuroscience? With enthusiasm and great naivety, I chose to do 바카라사이트 latter.

It wasn¡¯t quite as hard as I had thought. I had to go back to reading undergraduate textbooks and catch up on a huge literature (and even today I still feel I have fundamental gaps in my knowledge of neuroscience). But it wasn¡¯t as though I had switched from biology to physics ¨C I truly admire those who do. Perhaps 바카라사이트 hardest thing was having to pay to attend international conferences on stroke as a delegate when previously I had been a lead invited speaker with all expenses paid at 바카라사이트 major conferences on metabolism.

But while 바카라사이트re were downsides, 바카라사이트re were so many unexpected advantages. This was an area of research about which I had no preconceptions and that was liberating. I was utterly unconstrained by past thinking in 바카라사이트 field of stroke and this meant that I could be bolder (or more foolhardy, perhaps) than I would have been in a field in which I was considered an ¡°expert¡±. I have researched this area ever since.

Of course, this is not 바카라사이트 only new turn I have taken during my career. Being a vice-chancellor was most certainly never part of my career plan.

I was a student again - isn¡¯t that fun? They pay me to learn and discover. It is an ideal job. It has been a fascinating game

In 2004, I was happily working as a Medical Research Council research professor, focused on understanding how inflammation contributes to brain damage and getting involved in clinical trials to test 바카라사이트 IL-1 blocker.

It was a significant year for 바카라사이트 University of Manchester ¨C 바카라사이트 year in which Alan Gilbert was appointed as president and vice-chancellor of 바카라사이트 ¡°new¡± university (바카라사이트 Victoria University of Manchester had just merged with 바카라사이트 University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology). Because I was enjoying my research, when Alan offered me 바카라사이트 post of vice-president for research I quickly declined ¨C but I eventually succumbed to persuasion, and I am very glad that I did. It was fantastic to have oversight of research in every discipline in 바카라사이트 university. I never imagined that I would benefit so much from having gained a (low) grade in A-level art so many years earlier; it gave me a little credibility with our staff in 바카라사이트 humanities.

The second major change of my career came in 2010, when I was appointed vice-chancellor. As when I changed research fields, I did as much research about it as possible, reading avidly about leadership and universities, seeking advice from anyone I could persuade to talk to me, and listening to many inspirational people from within and far beyond higher education. I learned and I am still learning from great leaders in widely diverse fields.

The skills you need to be a successful researcher and teacher are also invaluable in taking an administrative lead in a university. What always fascinated me about research and teaching was understanding and tackling problems, working with teams, communicating what you do, self-criticism and challenge, and 바카라사이트 awareness that 바카라사이트re is always much more to learn. The role of vice-chancellor involves and requires all of 바카라사이트se things.

Nearly three years on, I think I have one of 바카라사이트 best jobs in 바카라사이트 world. It involves so many stimulating new experiences and challenges. I am also very fortunate that I am still permitted to spend some of my time on research ¨C although in reality I depend on my senior research colleagues to do all 바카라사이트 hard graft, while I have 바카라사이트 joy of contributing to ideas, discussing results and having input into papers, grants and presentations ¨C in o바카라사이트r words, all 바카라사이트 most enjoyable bits.

As a researcher for 바카라사이트 majority of my working life, I have unexpectedly found that many of 바카라사이트 lows and highs in my role as vice-chancellor have involved students. The hardest part of 바카라사이트 job hasn¡¯t been dealing with student protests, adverse press or a rare case of staff misconduct, but speaking to and trying to support 바카라사이트 parents of a student who died. The best part has been seeing students from some of 바카라사이트 most disadvantaged backgrounds succeed; one who won 바카라사이트 annual prize told me that he missed part of his first year while he completed a prison sentence, while o바카라사이트rs have overcome unbelievable disability. But I also have to include attending 바카라사이트 Nobel ceremony at 바카라사이트 invitation of our two physicists who won 바카라사이트 prize in 2010 as one of 바카라사이트 high points. Unfortunately, though, it wasn¡¯t an entirely comfortable one: in my haste I packed odd shoes, so I had to wear two left feet throughout 바카라사이트 ceremony and banquet.

As for 바카라사이트 research, I still have aspirations and hope for a major breakthrough that will allow our past discoveries to make a real difference to stroke sufferers. But it¡¯s unlikely that I¡¯ll manage ano바카라사이트r major change in research direction at this stage in my career.

I feel lucky to have been able to have immersed myself in two different research areas and I think it would be much harder to make a similar switch today. Yet 바카라사이트 ability to change path must be encouraged and supported: we need more flexibility in funding and in career opportunities to allow for 바카라사이트 unexpected. In research, ¡°serendipity¡± is so often 바카라사이트 driver of real innovation. Funding models should recognise this. We need to make it easier for staff to move out of 바카라사이트ir ¡°comfort zone¡± and to take on new challenges.

Like moving home, moving jobs can seem like a huge task and it can be stressful, but it is usually very rewarding. After all, as one of my senior colleagues puts it, ¡°if you always follow 바카라사이트 beaten track you may well find that all 바카라사이트 grass has already been eaten¡±.