Want to be a successful scientist? The McClements family has some tips

The latest book of prolific author David Julian McClements is a family affair. The Distinguished Professor of Food Science, along with his daughter Isobelle Farrell McClements and nephew Jake McClements, have written “How to be a Successful Scientist: A Guide for Graduate Students, Postdocs, and Professors” (Springer, 2024).

The three authors offer different perspectives as scientists at different stages in their careers. Julian McClements, who has published more than 1,300 scientific articles and numerous books, is the most highly cited author in food science in the world and a renowned expert in food design and nanotechnology.

Jake McClements recently completed his Ph.D. in the United Kingdom and is now a lecturer at Newcastle University in Newcastle on Tyne, focusing his research on developing next-generation biosensors to improve human health and well-being.

Isobelle McClements has just completed her first year as a Ph.D. student in chemistry and chemical biology at Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y.

“We hope this book will be useful for those wanting to be more efficient and impactful scientists,” Julian McClements says.

The book includes tips on designing, performing, and analyzing experiments, writing manuscripts, preparing scientific presentations, writing grant proposals, networking and defending a graduate thesis, among other things. 

“A major emphasis of the book is the importance of writing and publishing scientific manuscripts, as this is the main way that scientific knowledge is disseminated, as well as being an important element for building a strong curriculum vitae,” the senior McClements says.