Becoming a Scientist

What qualities do you need to succeed in biomedical research? Some of the world's most prominent biomedical researchers may surprise you with their answers. As you'll see in their video responses, they say that intelligence alone is insufficient; success in science also depends on several other qualities.

Joseph S. Takahashi, Ph.D.

Good scientists are "naturally inquisitive and curious about the world"— and they have the drive to find answers to their questions. So says Joseph Takahashi, who studies the biological rhythms that cause organisms to wake or sleep. Scientists "really have to be motivated," he says, a trait that needs to accompany intelligence and organization skills. Perhaps the most difficult requirement, Takahashi says, is the ability to write clearly: "You need to be able to communicate what you find."