From Lab Coats to Editor's Desk

Abstract

Raffaele Colosimo provides an engaging overview over his journey from academia to the publishing industry, highlighting key moments, challenges, and insights.

We all might have at some point heard stories about people in the field of food science switching from academic jobs to industry ones. Most likely, the first thing that comes to your mind might be, perhaps, R&D and product development. However, I am here to tell you my story of moving from academia to the publishing industry—a world where there is no space for flour or dough, but manuscripts and (digital) ink.

My interest in food science deepened during my MSc in Human Nutritional Science. After starting an experimental thesis on cereal fermentation characterisation, I was attracted by the idea of doing research. The work in the lab and the thrill of discovery were exciting, and I was convinced to pursue a PhD at that point. I was in Pisa, Italy, but looking for opportunities in the UK since I wanted to have an international experience and improve my English skills. It was the warm summer of 2017, two months to graduation and still lots of writing and experiments to perform and no PhD programme found yet. It was exciting to see potential PhD programmes and get carried away by the possibility of enrolling on a project for years. I sent a couple of applications and gained time for an interview that went very well; preparation is key, and I got ready by watching online videos (e.g., YouTube), summarising and rehearsing my current work in the lab, and having a mock interview with people with experience in the field, and…I got the position! This was in Norwich, at the Institute of Food Research, which switched its name to Quadram Institute Bioscience some months before my arrival. Wind of change. For me and the institute.

I spent four years in Norwich and loved every second. The so-called ‘fine’ city is welcoming and liveable, and the University of East Anglia (UEA) and the research park were my second home back then, where I used to spend entire days with my lab coat. The aim of my PhD was to understand the digestion and health impact of mycoprotein-based products. Mycoprotein is the mycelial biomass used in meat replacement products obtained by the fermentation of a fungus. I spent most of the time in the lab, so immersed in simulating human digestion that, some days, I almost forgot to have some food for myself. Experiments in the lab were quite satisfying when they worked. It was not that great when they did not, but there was always time to try again the day after. One of the best moments was seeing those numbers appearing from an instrument confirming your research questions (the eureka moment!). Years passed by and I started seeing the fruits of my hard work in the lab through the publication of scientific papers in top-tier journals in the field. The writing part was a struggle at the beginning, but practice makes you better, and of course, I had the support of brilliant scientists around me who were always ready to lend a hand and help me improve. This made me realise the importance of a strong team that values teamwork and collaboration; many of these colleagues are now friends.

As a professional who now evaluates manuscripts every day, I would suggest that any early career scientist starting to write a manuscript should focus on the findings and create figures/tables that can clearly show what the results are telling. From this, start writing the methods used to reach these results, and then in the results section, describe the trends. Once you have materials and methods and figures/tables with a description of the results, the discussion, introduction and abstract come next. The introduction and discussion should narrate a story and intrigue the reader: why/how did you do this investigation? How can this be translated into real applications (depending on the type of study)? Limitations and strengths should also be discussed. Finally, when your paper is ready, choose the journal to send it wisely. Read the aim and scope of the journal and follow the guide for authors to match your manuscript to the journal formatting (unless it is a ‘your paper, your way’ journal with no strict formatting requirements).