·不要陷入技術(shù)細(xì)節(jié)，平衡專(zhuān)業(yè)和個(gè)人

Sell yourself and your science in a compelling personal statement
在令人信服的個(gè)人陳述中推銷(xiāo)你自己和你的科學(xué)
Don’t get bogged down in technical details, and balance the professional and the personal.
不要陷入技術(shù)細(xì)節(jié)，平衡專(zhuān)業(yè)和個(gè)人。

Personal statements — essays highlighting personal circumstances, qualities and achievements — are used extensively in science to evaluate candidates for jobs, awards and promotions. Five researchers offer tips for making yours stand out in a crowded and competitive market.
個(gè)人陳述——強(qiáng)調(diào)個(gè)人情況、品質(zhì)和成就的文章——在科學(xué)領(lǐng)域被廣泛用于評(píng)估職位、獎(jiǎng)項(xiàng)和晉升的候選人。五位研究人員提供了一些技巧，可幫助您在擁擠且競(jìng)爭(zhēng)激烈的市場(chǎng)中脫穎而出。
STEVE OH: Convey personal qualities beyond academic interests
STEVE OH：傳達(dá)超越學(xué)術(shù)興趣的個(gè)人品質(zhì)
Steve Oh is director of the Stem Cell Processing Group at the A*STAR Bioprocessing Technology Institute in Singapore.
Steve Oh 是新加坡 A*STAR 生物加工技術(shù)研究所干細(xì)胞加工小組的主任。
As a principal investigator, I have read a good number of personal statements from students applying for science scholarships and jobs. The ones that stand out recount the applicant’s biography, bringing out their character as well as their professional qualities.Personal statements are often centred on academic and research achievements. But, in my opinion, a good scientist should also demonstrate social skills, be interested in making an impact on society through, for example, entrepreneurship, and have awareness of the world outside the country they live in. Memorable personal statements tend to bring out ‘soft’ skills, such as having macro-level thinking abilities and awareness of the impact that science can have on society.
作為一名首席研究員，我閱讀了大量申請(qǐng)科學(xué)獎(jiǎng)學(xué)金和工作的學(xué)生的個(gè)人陳述。脫穎而出的簡(jiǎn)歷講述了申請(qǐng)人的傳記，展現(xiàn)了他們的性格和專(zhuān)業(yè)素質(zhì)。個(gè)人陳述通常以學(xué)術(shù)和研究成果為中心。但是，在我看來(lái)，一名優(yōu)秀的科學(xué)家還應(yīng)該表現(xiàn)出社交技能，有興趣通過(guò)創(chuàng)業(yè)等方式對(duì)社會(huì)產(chǎn)生影響，并對(duì)他們所居住的國(guó)家之外的世界有認(rèn)識(shí)。令人難忘的個(gè)人陳述往往會(huì)帶出“軟”技能，例如具有宏觀思維能力和對(duì)科學(xué)對(duì)社會(huì)影響的認(rèn)識(shí)。

Careers Collection: Publishing
To achieve this balance of professional and personal, consider two elements. First, explain your motivations to pursue a scientific career. These might include a family illness, an inspiring talk by a scientist, or great mentorship from a colleague. Second, describe how you have gone out of your way to get experience in science, such as proactively seeking opportunities for a laboratory internship, or what you have learnt from overcoming difficulties with your experiments. This information brings out qualities, such as curiosity and perseverance, that are crucial to being a good scientist.
為了實(shí)現(xiàn)專(zhuān)業(yè)和個(gè)人的平衡，需要考慮兩個(gè)因素。首先，解釋一下你追求科學(xué)事業(yè)的動(dòng)機(jī)。這些可能包括家庭疾病、科學(xué)家鼓舞人心的演講或同事的偉大指導(dǎo)。其次，描述你如何不遺余力地獲得科學(xué)經(jīng)驗(yàn)，例如主動(dòng)尋找實(shí)驗(yàn)室實(shí)習(xí)的機(jī)會(huì)，或者你從克服實(shí)驗(yàn)困難中學(xué)到了什么。這些信息帶來(lái)了好奇心和毅力等品質(zhì)，這些品質(zhì)對(duì)于成為一名優(yōu)秀的科學(xué)家至關(guān)重要。
I vividly remember the personal statement of one of my PhD students. He described his struggle with having only one healthy kidney — and how, despite this, he continued to do sports like rock climbing. He also wrote about how he did badly in his undergraduate studies: he had to take a year off to recharge before returning to school and excelling. His story shows resilience and honesty — traits that I love in a researcher.
我清楚地記得我的一位博士生的個(gè)人陳述。他描述了他與只有一個(gè)健康腎臟的斗爭(zhēng)——以及盡管如此，他如何繼續(xù)進(jìn)行攀巖等運(yùn)動(dòng)。他還寫(xiě)了自己在本科學(xué)習(xí)中表現(xiàn)不佳的情況：他必須休學(xué)一年來(lái)充電，然后才能回到學(xué)校并取得優(yōu)異的成績(jī)。他的故事展現(xiàn)了韌性和誠(chéng)實(shí)——這是我喜歡的研究人員的特質(zhì)。
SILVIA KARIUKI: Do not be afraid to defend your decisions
SILVIA KARIUKI：不要害怕捍衛(wèi)你的決定
Silvia Kariuki is a postdoctoral fellow at the Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI) Wellcome Trust Research Programme in Kilifi.
Silvia Kariuki 是位于基利菲的肯尼亞醫(yī)學(xué)研究所 (KEMRI) 威康信托研究項(xiàng)目的博士后研究員。
When I was planning to return to Kenya, where I grew up, to start a postdoctoral project, fellow researchers, friends and family members all asked why I was choosing to go back. They felt my career would suffer because Kenya’s scientific infrastructure is not as advanced as that in the United States, where I spent 13 years working and completing my undergraduate and PhD degrees.
當(dāng)我計(jì)劃返回我長(zhǎng)大的肯尼亞開(kāi)始博士后項(xiàng)目時(shí)，其他研究人員、朋友和家人都問(wèn)我為什么選擇回去。他們認(rèn)為我的職業(yè)生涯會(huì)受到影響，因?yàn)榭夏醽喌目茖W(xué)基礎(chǔ)設(shè)施不如美國(guó)先進(jìn)，我在美國(guó)工作了 13 年并完成了本科和博士學(xué)位。
Two years into my return to Kenya, when writing my personal statement for the Wellcome International Training Fellowship to follow up on my postdoctoral project, I explained that the Kenya Medical Research Institute–Wellcome Trust Research Programme in Kilifi could provide a good research environment for me. I would be able to study human genetic variants that confer protective effects against severe malaria infection, and my research would have a real-world impact by informing the production of malaria therapies. In my personal statement, I wrote that I wanted to pursue my scientific career in Kenya despite the scepticism I had faced — and it convinced the fellowship committee that I had thought deeply about my career move.
返回肯尼亞兩年后，在為惠康國(guó)際培訓(xùn)獎(jiǎng)學(xué)金撰寫(xiě)個(gè)人陳述以跟進(jìn)我的博士后項(xiàng)目時(shí)，我解釋說(shuō)肯尼亞醫(yī)學(xué)研究所-基利菲的惠康信托研究項(xiàng)目可以為我提供良好的研究環(huán)境。我將能夠研究對(duì)嚴(yán)重瘧疾感染具有保護(hù)作用的人類(lèi)基因變異，并且我的研究將通過(guò)為瘧疾療法的生產(chǎn)提供信息而對(duì)現(xiàn)實(shí)世界產(chǎn)生影響。在我的個(gè)人陳述中，我寫(xiě)道，盡管我面臨著懷疑，但我想在肯尼亞繼續(xù)我的科學(xué)事業(yè)，這讓獎(jiǎng)學(xué)金委員會(huì)相信我已經(jīng)對(duì)我的職業(yè)發(fā)展進(jìn)行了深入的思考。
I also seek advice from mentors when writing a personal statement. I usually send mine to two to three senior scientists who have had more experience writing them and who have been on review committees for fellowship applications. One suggestion I usually get is to be ‘more human’. The judges would like to hear your personal voice and read about your motivation, even if these might be unconventional.
在撰寫(xiě)個(gè)人陳述時(shí)，我也會(huì)尋求導(dǎo)師的建議。我通常會(huì)將我的論文發(fā)送給兩到三位資深科學(xué)家，他們?cè)谧珜?xiě)論文方面有更多經(jīng)驗(yàn)，并且曾是獎(jiǎng)學(xué)金申請(qǐng)審查委員會(huì)的成員。我經(jīng)常得到的一個(gè)建議是“變得更加人性化”。評(píng)委希望聽(tīng)到您的個(gè)人聲音并了解您的動(dòng)機(jī)，即使這些可能是非常規(guī)的。
KELLY CLANCY: Use stories to show who you are
凱莉·克蘭西：用故事來(lái)展示你是誰(shuí)
Kelly Clancy is a postdoctoral fellow in neuroscience at University College London.
凱利·克蘭西是倫敦大學(xué)學(xué)院神經(jīng)科學(xué)博士后研究員。
Stories can make a personal statement stand out. It’s hard, of course — I’ve heard colleagues say it’s a trope for neuroscience-related personal statements to open with something like “I got interested in neuroscience after seeing my grandmother suffer from Alzheimer’s.” But I think that cynicism is unfair: it’s a beautiful impulse to get into science for a personal reason, and having a personal connection to science can drive important new insights.
故事可以使個(gè)人陳述脫穎而出。當(dāng)然，這很難——我聽(tīng)同事說(shuō)，這是一種與神經(jīng)科學(xué)相關(guān)的個(gè)人陳述的比喻，可以用“在看到我的祖母患有阿爾茨海默氏癥后，我對(duì)神經(jīng)科學(xué)產(chǎn)生了興趣”這樣的開(kāi)頭。但我認(rèn)為憤世嫉俗是不公平的：出于個(gè)人原因進(jìn)入科學(xué)是一種美好的沖動(dòng)，而與科學(xué)的個(gè)人聯(lián)系可以帶來(lái)重要的新見(jiàn)解。
I included the story that inspired the project I’d proposed in my application to the Branco Weiss postdoctoral fellowship. My best friend from high school had lost three limbs to an improvised explosive device while serving as a medic in Afghanistan. I described how this incident led to my interest in the field of neuroprosthetic devices that can restore motor capabilities, and the shortcomings I wanted to address with my work.
我在申請(qǐng)布蘭科·韋斯博士后獎(jiǎng)學(xué)金時(shí)納入了啟發(fā)我提出項(xiàng)目的故事。我高中時(shí)最好的朋友在阿富汗當(dāng)醫(yī)生時(shí)因簡(jiǎn)易爆炸裝置失去了三個(gè)肢體。我描述了這一事件如何引起我對(duì)可以恢復(fù)運(yùn)動(dòng)能力的神經(jīng)假體設(shè)備領(lǐng)域的興趣，以及我想在工作中解決的缺點(diǎn)。
My advice for writing a personal statement is to not get bogged down in technical details. Don’t just focus on what you want to study — explain why. Demonstrate how you think. What led you to do the work or research you’ve undertaken so far? What are the questions that drive you and your science, and why are they important? Perhaps most importantly (and this is for all of us, not just those writing personal statements): ask, “What drives my science? Is it a reflection of my ego, wanting to be right or smart and to get high-profile publications? Or is it an extension of my will to do good in the world, my curiosity and my love of understanding?” The world is full of questions and problems to solve. Using stories in personal statements can help applicants to explain what scientific questions they care about, and why they matter.
我對(duì)撰寫(xiě)個(gè)人陳述的建議是不要陷入技術(shù)細(xì)節(jié)的泥潭。不要只關(guān)注你想學(xué)習(xí)的內(nèi)容——解釋原因。展示你的想法。是什么促使您開(kāi)展迄今為止所從事的工作或研究？推動(dòng)您和您的科學(xué)發(fā)展的問(wèn)題是什么？它們?yōu)楹稳绱酥匾?？也許最重要的是（這適用于我們所有人，而不僅僅是那些撰寫(xiě)個(gè)人陳述的人）：?jiǎn)枺骸笆鞘裁赐苿?dòng)了我的科學(xué)？這是我的自我的反映，想要正確或聰明并獲得高調(diào)的出版物嗎？或者它是我為世界做好事的意愿、我的好奇心和我對(duì)理解的熱愛(ài)的延伸？”世界充滿(mǎn)了問(wèn)題和需要解決的問(wèn)題。在個(gè)人陳述中使用故事可以幫助申請(qǐng)人解釋他們關(guān)心哪些科學(xué)問(wèn)題以及它們?yōu)楹沃匾?br>

Collection: the PhD 藏品：博士With the support from the Branco Weiss Fellowship, my colleagues and I have since developed neuroprosthetic techniques that were just published1 and used these methods to explore interesting basic neuroscience questions and less-invasive neurosprosthetic interfaces.
在布蘭科韋斯獎(jiǎng)學(xué)金的支持下，我和我的同事開(kāi)發(fā)了剛剛發(fā)表的神經(jīng)修復(fù)技術(shù) 1 ，并使用這些方法探索有趣的基本神經(jīng)科學(xué)問(wèn)題和侵入性較小的神經(jīng)修復(fù)接口。
WEI GAO: Demonstrate ambition and don’t exaggerate
魏高：展現(xiàn)雄心，不浮夸
Wei Gao is an assistant professor of mechanical engineering at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.
高偉是帕薩迪納加州理工學(xué)院機(jī)械工程助理教授。

A personal statement should highlight your aspirations and dreams. A CV can list all your publications, but they won’t all be read thoroughly, and members of the selection committee might miss the significance of your work.
個(gè)人陳述應(yīng)該突出你的愿望和夢(mèng)想。簡(jiǎn)歷可以列出您所有的出版物，但它們不會(huì)全部被徹底閱讀，評(píng)選委員會(huì)的成員可能會(huì)錯(cuò)過(guò)您工作的重要性。
Think of a personal statement as a document that complements your CV. I use it to explain the big problems my research is tackling and its impact. In my application to be a World Economic Forum Young Scientist, I described my concerns about worsening mental health in our society and discussed how my research on wearable sensors can improve early diagnosis of mental illness by sensing metabolites such as cortisol, a stress-related hormone, in sweat. It would be difficult to explain my aspirations clearly in a short, typically list-based, CV. In a personal statement, I can demonstrate my ambition in greater detail.
將個(gè)人陳述視為補(bǔ)充簡(jiǎn)歷的文件。我用它來(lái)解釋我的研究正在解決的重大問(wèn)題及其影響。在我申請(qǐng)成為世界經(jīng)濟(jì)論壇青年科學(xué)家時(shí)，我描述了我對(duì)社會(huì)心理健康狀況惡化的擔(dān)憂(yōu)，并討論了我對(duì)可穿戴傳感器的研究如何通過(guò)感測(cè)皮質(zhì)醇（一種與壓力相關(guān)的激素）等代謝物來(lái)改善精神疾病的早期診斷，在汗水中。在簡(jiǎn)短的、通?；诹斜淼暮?jiǎn)歷中很難清楚地解釋我的愿望。在個(gè)人陳述中，我可以更詳細(xì)地展示我的抱負(fù)。
A good personal statement should avoid exaggerating your contribution. This is especially true for a multi-author paper on which you didn’t have a leading role. Focus on the work that you led and to not overstate your contributions to your field. Even if your contribution was significant, being humble in a personal statement is a good quality. Research is a culmination of the efforts of many researchers, and is never attributable to just one person.
一份好的個(gè)人陳述應(yīng)該避免夸大你的貢獻(xiàn)。對(duì)于您沒(méi)有擔(dān)任主導(dǎo)角色的多作者論文尤其如此。專(zhuān)注于您領(lǐng)導(dǎo)的工作，不要夸大您對(duì)自己領(lǐng)域的貢獻(xiàn)。即使您的貢獻(xiàn)很大，在個(gè)人陳述中保持謙虛也是一種良好的品質(zhì)。研究是許多研究人員努力的結(jié)晶，絕不是一個(gè)人的成果。
ABHIMANYU VEERAKUMARASIVAM: Break the essay down and tailor it to your audience
ABHIMANYU VEERAKUMARASIVAM：分解文章并根據(jù)您的受眾進(jìn)行定制
Abhimanyu Veerakumarasivam is dean of the School of Medical and Life Sciences at Sunway University Subang Jaya in Malaysia.
Abhimanyu Veerakumarasivam 是馬來(lái)西亞梳邦再也雙威大學(xué)醫(yī)學(xué)與生命科學(xué)學(xué)院院長(zhǎng)。

One way to simplify the writing process is to break your personal statement down into several key elements, including who you are, what you have accomplished, why you are applying for a role or award and how you will contribute to the organization.
簡(jiǎn)化寫(xiě)作過(guò)程的一種方法是將您的個(gè)人陳述分解為幾個(gè)關(guān)鍵要素，包括您是誰(shuí)、您取得了什么成就、您申請(qǐng)職位或獎(jiǎng)項(xiàng)的原因以及您將如何為組織做出貢獻(xiàn)。
When I was organizing the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Science Leadership Programme from 2017 to 2019, my committee and I divided the application statement into a few questions focused on the ‘who, what, why and how’, which would help applicants to better structure their essays. I found this format particularly useful because, in Asia, our default culture is to not stand out, and many qualified candidates might be too shy to share their personal stories or too humble to share their achievements.
當(dāng)我在2017年至2019年組織東南亞國(guó)家聯(lián)盟（ASEAN）科學(xué)領(lǐng)導(dǎo)力項(xiàng)目時(shí)，我和我的委員會(huì)將申請(qǐng)陳述分為幾個(gè)問(wèn)題，重點(diǎn)關(guān)注“誰(shuí)、什么、為什么和如何”，這對(duì)申請(qǐng)者有幫助更好地組織他們的論文。我發(fā)現(xiàn)這種形式特別有用，因?yàn)樵趤喼?，我們的默認(rèn)文化是不脫穎而出，許多合格的候選人可能太害羞而不敢分享他們的個(gè)人故事，或者太謙虛而不敢分享他們的成就。
I found that creating a more defined structure around the personal statement allowed applicants to reflect on the experience they have gained from working in the region, which has many low-income countries and little investment in science. I would not always get these details in an open-ended personal essay.
我發(fā)現(xiàn)，圍繞個(gè)人陳述創(chuàng)建一個(gè)更明確的結(jié)構(gòu)可以讓申請(qǐng)人反思他們?cè)谠摰貐^(qū)工作所獲得的經(jīng)驗(yàn)，該地區(qū)有許多低收入國(guó)家，而且在科學(xué)方面的投資很少。我并不總是能在開(kāi)放式個(gè)人論文中獲得這些細(xì)節(jié)。
One candidate discussed the huge disparities in science in the ASEAN region and his desire to bridge the gaps. By doing so, the candidate demonstrated that he had a good awareness of his environment and the unique challenges of working in that setting while highlighting his willingness to take action to bridge the gaps.
一位候選人討論了東盟地區(qū)科學(xué)領(lǐng)域的巨大差距以及他彌合差距的愿望。通過(guò)這樣做，候選人表明他對(duì)自己的環(huán)境以及在該環(huán)境中工作的獨(dú)特挑戰(zhàn)有很好的認(rèn)識(shí)，同時(shí)強(qiáng)調(diào)他愿意采取行動(dòng)彌合差距。
Applicants should also tailor their personal statements to their audience. For instance, students applying to graduate schools and scholarships will often send generic personal statements with their applications. If applicants want an academic institution to invest in them, then their personal statements need to reflect a genuine interest in the organization they’re applying to. The candidates with better statements usually include details of labs they are interested in working in and specifics about research topics they find fascinating.
申請(qǐng)人還應(yīng)該根據(jù)受眾定制個(gè)人陳述。例如，申請(qǐng)研究生院和獎(jiǎng)學(xué)金的學(xué)生通常會(huì)隨申請(qǐng)一起發(fā)送通用的個(gè)人陳述。如果申請(qǐng)人希望學(xué)術(shù)機(jī)構(gòu)投資他們，那么他們的個(gè)人陳述需要反映出他們對(duì)所申請(qǐng)的組織的真正興趣。具有更好陳述的候選人通常會(huì)包括他們感興趣的實(shí)驗(yàn)室的詳細(xì)信息以及他們感興趣的研究主題的具體信息。