Nature quotes Gill in article on networking
Jacquelyn Gill, a palaeoecologist at the University of Maine, was quoted in a Nature article on the positive and negative effects conferences and networking can have on career development. Conferences can offer many opportunities for early-career scientists to meet mentors and collaborators, as well as impress potential employers, according to the article. But bad behavior, whether in or outside a session, can harm a researcher’s reputation and jeopardize job prospects for years, the article states. “You kind of muck your way through it,” Gill said of conference etiquette. “You figure out the cultural norm from watching other people.” Although conference parties are natural places to make friends, there are social pitfalls, such as drinking too much alcohol, that should be avoided, Gill said. “You’re around all the people who are going to make decisions about your future — the people who are going to review your papers, who are going to decide if they want to give you a scholarship or a research grant or a postdoc,” she said.