- Befriend a statistician. Not too long ago, someone asked me for the one most important piece of advice I would give researchers new to the field. I quoted a colleague who said to befriend a statistician.
- Cultivate relationships through professional associations. I regularly present at sessions sponsored by the American Society of Nutrition at Experimental Biology and carefully plan my schedule so that I can talk with other presenters whose abstracts intrigue me.
- Review. Yes, it’s time-consuming, but will worth it because of how much you can learn and because of how satisfying it is to help other researchers.
- Be open to random opportunities that arise. Career goals are worth thinking about, but don’t discount opportunities that present something new and different.
- Find a mentor, formal or informal.