Not Dead Yet.

I have been a scientific grasshopper throughout my career, moving from question to question within the domain of lupus. This has proven to be immensely gratifying. Scientific exploration is endlessly fascinating, and succeeding in studies you care about with colleagues and trainees leads to strong and lasting bonds. Science isn't easy; being a woman in science presents challenges, but the drive to understand a disease remains strong.

Using virtual interviewing to create a more accessible hybrid academic job market.

Virtual interviewing has become ubiquitous with the academic job market. Here, we highlight the best practices for candidates and departments to consider when using virtual interviewing. We propose how virtual interviews can be leveraged and adapted for hybrid academic job searches combining virtual and in-person activities in a post-pandemic world.

Moving Through Barriers in Science and Life.

This first serious attempt at an autobiographical accounting has forced me to sit still long enough to compile my thoughts about a long personal and scientific journey. I especially hope that my trajectory will be of interest and perhaps beneficial to much younger women who are just getting started in their careers. To paraphrase from Virginia Woolf's writings in A Room of One's Own at the beginning of the 20th century, "for most of history Anonymous was a Woman." However, Ms. Woolf is also quoted as saying "nothing has really happened until it has been described," a harbinger of the enormous historical changes that were about to be enacted and recorded by women in the sciences and other disciplines. The progress in my chosen field of study-the chemical basis of enzyme action-has also been remarkable, from the first description of an enzyme's 3D structure to a growing and deep understanding of the origins of enzyme catalysis.

Take a Deep Breath and Switch.

Choosing a research topic is an important decision at any level. The choice shapes decisions about what graduate lab to join, which post-doctoral position to pursue, how to start an independent lab, and what companies might make good employers. The thing to remember is that "the choice" can, and perhaps should, be made many times during a career, and each time, it can take an exciting new turn. Lara Szewczak sat down with Amy Gladfelter and Tony Hyman to talk about what it takes for a researcher to pivot-to decide that they want to embark on a new line of research. What does it mean at different points in a career, and how can you motivate colleagues to follow? Annotated excerpts from this conversation are presented below, and the full conversation is available with the article online.

Postdocs, What Would You Tell Your Younger Self?

Looking back at the time spent in graduate school and postdoctoral training can be illuminating. We asked postdoctoral researchers to tell us what kind of advice they would give to their younger selves.

Breaking Out of the Academic Pipeline.

For many graduate students, the academic path may not be the best fit, and with limited faculty positions available, many students are now looking to other career possibilities. University programs are helping students to explore and pursue alternative careers.

Choosing a career in industry: An interview with Rachel Haurwitz.

Scientists often contemplate careers in academia versus the biotech industry. We spoke with Dr. Rachel Haurwitz about her career trajectory, being a female scientist in the biotech world, how research in academia compares to industry, and career advice for young scientists thinking about venturing outside of academia into this area.

Meet the authors: Prashant Rawat and Marc Boehning.

We talk to Prashant Rawat and Marc Boehning, collaborators and co-first authors of "Stress-induced nuclear condensation of NELF drives global transcriptional downregulation" (this issue, previewed by Xu et al.), about their motivation for becoming scientists, the challenges they faced in the course of their project, and the importance of collaboration for scientific research.

Meet the authors: Kyosuke Nakamura, Georg Kustatscher, and Anja Groth.

Here, we talk to first authors Kyosuke Nakamura and Georg Kustatscher, as well as co-corresponding author Anja Groth, about their paper "Proteome dynamics at broken replication forks reveal a distinct ATM-directed repair response suppressing double-strand break ubiquitination" (in this issue of Molecular Cell) and their scientific journeys until now.

Voices on Diversity: Creating a Sense of Belonging.

As part of our commitment to amplifying the voices of underrepresented scientists, we are publishing the insights and experiences of a panel of underrepresented scientists. Here they tell us about behaviors that can lead underrepresented scientists to feel that they do not belong and what the scientific community can do to provide better support. These are the personal opinions of the authors and may not reflect the views of their institutions.

Voices on diversity: recruiting underrepresented scientists.

As part of our commitment to amplifying the voices of underrepresented scientists, we are publishing the insights and experiences of a panel of underrepresented scientists. In this piece, they discuss strategies to recruit underrepresented minority students to universities and careers in science. These are the personal opinions of the authors and may not reflect the views of their institutions.

Meet the authors: Ewelina M. Malecka and Sarah A. Woodson.

We talk to Ewelina Malecka and Sarah Woodson about their paper, "Stepwise sRNA targeting of structured bacterial mRNAs leads to abortive annealing," who inspired them along their scientific paths, the research in Sarah's lab and the environment she looks to create, as well as Ewelina's advice for aspiring scientists.

Meet the author: Alice Clare Newman.

We talk to Alice Clare Newman, new mother, postdoc, and first author of "Immune-regulated IDO1-dependent tryptophan metabolism is source of one-carbon units for pancreatic cancer and stellate cells," about her paper, juggling family and career, and life-changing moments that led to the realization that life doesn't wait for science.

Introducing new group leaders: Christina Towers.

Christina Towers discusses her search for a collaborative institute and why she chose the Salk, San Diego, to establish her lab studying autophagy in cancer. She shares her advice for applying, the importance of identifying what you want, tackling the perceived requirement for geographic mobility, and her hope to hire people who share her curiosity and love of asking questions.

Introducing new group leaders: Leanne Li.

Leanne Li tells us about the research in her recently established group at the Francis Crick Institute in London, her search for a multidisciplinary institute, and how her own varied background came together to study the emerging field of cancer neuroscience. She shares advice for applying, her experience of remote hiring, and how diversity, both academically and culturally, stimulates creativity.

Promoting a MOSAIC future in science.

Discoveries at the frontiers of science and finding solutions to pressing biomedical problems will be accelerated when talent, which is widely distributed, is better aligned with opportunities. Strategies to enhance a MOSAIC (Maximizing Opportunities for Scientific and Academic Independent Careers) professoriate and diversify the biomedical landscape are discussed.