MANAGING SCIENCE: A Practical Guide
Managing Science: A Practical Guide
Torben F. Ørntoft
1. edition, 1. print
© FADL’s Forlag A/S, Copenhagen 2023
ISBN 978-87-94207-66-9
Editor: Matilde Westfall Gram
Proofreading: Sherilyn Nicolette Hellberg
Cover: Julie Panton
Graphic design: Gitte Thorsted
Paintings: Torben F. Ørntoft
Photos: Mathias Ørntoft and Egon Poulsen
Print: ADverts
Printed in Latvia 2023
I am deeply grateful to the photographers, Mathias Ørntoft (paintings) and Egon Poulsen (portrait), for their skilled photo work, as well as to Margrete Dybbroe who enthusiastically corrected my English writing. Furthermore, I thank my editor, Matilde Westfall Gram, for a smooth collaboration.
All rights reserved. Reproduction, copy, or transmission of this publication is only permitted according to the agreement between The Ministry of Children and Education and Copydan Tekst & Node.
FADL’s Forlag
Blegdamsvej 26
2200 København N
www.fadlforlag.dk
Medical Research is the English name for FADL’s Forlag’s series
Medicinsk forskning. Other Danish titles in the series are:
Forskning i sundhed (2018)
22 temateorier til kvalitativ forskning (2022)
Biostatistik & epidemiologi (2022)
Preface
This book is dedicated to the many ambitious researchers I have met on my way through the scientific world. I have educated a large number of scientists, but also spoken to and advised many researchers in relation to their daily work, especially concerning their project plans and research proposals. These scientists were all enthusiastic, zealous, and dedicated to their scientific work, but other than this they were as different as everybody else.
The research process has changed quite a bit over the past decades. From being a one-person performance where thought and work were carried out by the same individual, most research projects today are carried out by a team of experts in a multidisciplinary environment.
We still need enthusiastic researchers, though. However, the skills required today tend to focus more than previously on the ability to lead and obtain followship from co-workers and colleagues. At the same time the research process is not necessarily a national undertaking but has become more and more of an international activity, putting international collaborations into focus.
As a scientist you have to master your field of research. You must constantly keep your knowledge up to date and generate your own systematic thinking. You must be able to clearly communicate your
projects in relation to funding proposals and collaborations, and you must develop your skills as a leader and guide for a growing group of co-workers. Consequently, the process of applying for funds, the ability to attract funds, and the ability to organize a growing research group is of crucial importance today.
The purpose of this practical guide is to offer a broad selection of advice and guidance to the areas described above. I have primarily drawn on my own experience building a large research group at a university hospital, but it is up to the reader to select the subjects most relevant for his or her own work method. In my own research group, we have had frequent internal discussions on the structure of the department and the way we collaborate, and over the years we have continuously adjusted both our structure and our personal interactions to stay in sync with our steadily growing activities.
To discover how successful professors have planned their research activities, their group organisation, their daily process management, etc., I interviewed 18 professors. Success was defined as the ability to achieve substantial grants year after year and to uphold a continous high level of scientific production.
Some professors, mainly the youngest, were managing medium-sized research groups of 10-25 individuals, while other professors managed large research groups or communities with more than 40 staff members.
I chose to interview a combination of male and female professors from four Danish, two British, one Finish, and one Swedish university.
As there is an obvious difference between basic and clinical research, I chose to have both areas represented. This is not a scien-
tific study as such, but more of a look into the decisions made over time by scientists building or managing larger research groups.
Anticipating that there would be different ways of building and leading a research group, I developed a structured interview with a long list of questions. These were generated from literature on people management, mainly in private companies. These companies were all successful, but I found that there were great differences in the way they were managed. A similar difference was not found in the management of academic research groups. The way they were managed – with respect to hiring procedures, meetings, group structure, and project strategies – all seemed very similar. This is described in the related chapters and includes hints and experiences from the various areas. The greatest difference was observed in the large groups, where the working relations could be quite different.
The professors that agreed to be interviewed were:
From Denmark: Anja Groth (University of Copenhagen), Poul Nissen (University of Aarhus), Nanna Brix Finnerup (University of Aarhus), Trine Mogensen (University of Aarhus), Jørgen Kjems (University of Aarhus), Ruth Frikke Smith (University of Copenhagen), Kirsten Grønbæk (University of Copenhagen), Lars Østergaard (University of Aarhus), Henrik Toft Sørensen (University of Aarhus), Per Borghammer (University of Aarhus), Claus Lindbjerg Andersen (University of Aarhus), Henrik Clausen (University of Copenhagen), Henrik Ditzel (University of Southern Denmark) and Asbjørn Drewes (University of Aalborg).
From the United Kingdom: Ian Tomlinson (University of Oxford) and Stephan Beck (University College London).
From Finland: Lauri Aaltonen (University of Helsinki).
From Sweden: Olli-Pekka Kallioniemi (Karolinska Institutet).
I am deeply grateful to them for taking the time to do this interview.
Where possible, the flow of the text follows the natural flow of the research process. It starts with the generation of a solid research idea or hypothesis and is then followed by comments on the steps that succeed: applying for funds, setting up a research group and hiring the relevant staff, developing a much-needed managing skills and, finally, publishing a scientific paper.
With this book, I hope that you may find inspiration for your own personal development, and that it may contribute to empowering the working environments of future research groups.
I have tried to write in as focused a way as possible – i.e., to not digress and to keep it short. Most scientists already work long hours, and reading this book must be squeezed into a week full of many other tasks.
I have enjoyed a great and meaningful life as a scientist myself, and I hope that many others will have a similar chance of professional fulfilment. It is my hope that this book may contribute to that. If you would like to know more about my background, I can refer you to the last chapter of the book.
Torben F. Ørntoft, Silkeborg, Denmark, November 2022