Night Science
45 | Peter Ratcliffe on being the Master of Daydreams
Nov 13, 2023
Peter J. Ratcliffe, 2019 Nobel Prize recipient in Physiology or Medicine, discusses the importance of defining your own research question. He shares his groundbreaking work on oxygen sensing in animal cells and the trade-off between planning and discovery. The guest explores the benefits and drawbacks of multiple people in meetings and highlights the unexpected path to major discoveries. They also discuss alternative measures of scientific quality beyond key performance indicators.
35:17
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Quick takeaways
- Defining your own question is essential for making important discoveries and solving novel problems, even in the face of pressure to follow popular trends.
- Balancing planning and embracing the present moment allows for creative idea generation and unexpected breakthroughs.
Deep dives
Find your own question and avoid fashionable fields
The speaker emphasizes the importance of finding one's own question to think about, rather than joining a fashionable field. They argue that joining a fashionable field may lead to high publication rates, but it decreases the chances of making a distinctive impact and solving novel problems. The speaker also mentions that influential figures such as reviewers, mentors, journal editors, and grant-giving agencies often pressure researchers into following popular trends. However, the speaker believes that personal attributes such as being awkward and unwilling to conform to common subjects are crucial for pursuing one's own problem.
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