The people I work with here are very much as I expected, yet they are all quite different. There’s the one that you have to hear the whole history of a subject/the universe when you ask a simple question, there’s the one who gets flustered when anyone asks a direct question, the ones who are so passionate about their science that they almost become the topic that they study. Then there’s the understated, kind ones and of course there’s always a few with an ego. There’s also that one that you’re afraid for anyone important to meet, because they are likely to say something that seems bonkers, but it probably a little too truthful, or a little too clever for most of us to even comprehend. There seems to always be one of those.

I work with scientists.

They have such passion for their work and that often overflows into their ‘other’ lives. They sleep whilst typing, using only one finger on each hand, they wake up at dawn and bounce their way back to their work. In fact mostly they are open and caring, and tend to trust slowly – but once you earn their trust you are in for a treat!

Often they are frustrating, they are intelligent people who sometimes can’t read a room, or an individual and quite often their creativity (yes science is a creative endeavour) and their intelligence combine to make them think that a) they can re-invent the wheel – their new … and … improved way would be so much better.  Or b) that they can do my job easily so why must I keep insisting that things take time, money and people.

Often I smile and listen until they re-discover that the tried and tested methods still work, and that they have no patience in the slightest for the what I do. I think of myself as the one who holds their hands, tries to makes them look good and works to ensure that so long as they keep the science coming, we’ll make sure that the right people know about it at the right time.

Their innovative ways of thinking help me, I like to be creative, and I think that they appreciate that I am always willing to consider a new idea. They mean I have to stay on top of my game and keep thinking of new ways to do things. Of course, there are some that never want to change, no change please. No no no. I guess that just goes to show that we’re all human. Yes, even scientists.