How to find your 'big' research question.

It's incredibly important to have that one 'big' general science question that drives your day-to-day work. How do you find it? How do you know you have it?
#motivation #science #research #phdlife
Link to the video mentioned: • How to keep up motivat...
Matthias Rillig, professor of ecology at Freie Universität Berlin, chats about life in academia.
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[@mrillig]

How did you find your 'big' question? Let me know here...

[@samirahujang729]

Thank you... very light heartening

[@mrillig]

Thanks!

[@tabbyrex6383]

Thank you for sharing! I also started off interested in plants in undergrad, and worked on fine roots in my masters, and now for phd I'm working on soil!

[@mrillig]

That seems to be a common progression! Good luck with your work!

[@user-cm1rv4mm2r]

Thank you so much for sharing this.🍀

[@mrillig]

You're welcome! :)

[@wajidumar4300]

Thank you for such a nice talk ...your talks always enhance my motivation

[@mrillig]

That's great to hear, thanks! :)

[@balptekin1145]

Thanks for the great video. It is interesting to think about big questions and I think it is definitely hard to pick one to focus your career on. I’ve always been curious and I have so many questions. And I have been jumping from one question to another. I have been enjoying this process because I like the process of learning. However, career wise, I think it is probably better focus on one topic, so you really can get advanced in it.

[@mrillig]

There is nothing per se wrong with having broad interests, especially early on (and then again later); but mid-career, it is important to be able to show some aspect of continuity in your work, but this can also be in terms of methods and approaches. Otherwise the system will not reward you and turn against you at some point. It is very important to be recognized as someone working on a particular topic.