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1. It’s 5 pm on a Thursday, you are…

2. Having received a rejection letter from Nurture Journal, you…

3. Exciting results from your team reveal a new factor for economic development. You…

4. The Society of Serious Scientists has asked its members to suggest topics for its annual meeting. You propose…

5. Departmental rumours of plagiarism are stirring in relation to a particular colleague. You…

6. The local Liberal Socialist Party invites you to be a panellist on migration. You…

7. Student evaluations conclude that your quantum mechanics lectures are “boring”. You…

8. The Journal of Standard Research asks you to peer-review an article. You…

9. Your PhD student’s new antibiotic works! She wants to launch a start-up. You…

10. The Swiss Fund for Research has asked you to deliver a statement on the importance of international participation in science. You...

Your personality corresponds to …
The careerist

To work as a researcher, you need tenure. And for this, you need publications. Because more publications mean more citations. More citations, more grant money. More money, more postdocs. And more postdocs, more publications... That’s how it works – it’s the great Circle of Science. In fact, you probably stopped reading already and started writing a new article… and thinking about how to stretch it into two articles.
The careerist
The careerist
To work as a researcher, you need tenure. And for this, you need publications. Because more publications mean more citations. More citations, more grant money. More money, more postdocs. And more postdocs, more publications… That’s how it works – it’s the great Circle of Science. In fact, you probably stopped reading already and started writing a new article… and thinking about how to stretch it into two articles.
The innovator
The innovator
Science fosters economic growth and social development, no question about it. But it’s not what drives you. You prefer the thrill of putting together a team of hard workers and turning abstract discoveries into products – and profits. You fear neither marketing experts nor patent lawyers. They don’t understand the first thing about your research nor do they ever question it – hence you find so much pleasure in talking to them.
The opener
The opener
Science belongs to society, and sharing it maximises its impact. Your favourite word? “Transparency”. All your publications are accessible as preprints or in open-access journals. Your code is on Github, your data on Figshare, and your reviews on the web. The only thing you don’t publish are your research hypotheses. What if a colleague were to… Sharing may be caring, but there’ll still be time for caring later on.
The purist
The purist
Transdisciplinarity and productivity… mainstreaming and streamlining… These terms remind you of how science is increasingly managed, evaluated, guided. Its essence – free and critical thinking and independence – must be saved from the bureaucrats. As a scientist, self-doubt is your mantra. Except when it’s time to ask yourself: What’s the real impact of my work?
The communicator
The communicator
If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound? Nope, and this applies fully to research. Every year, more than two million scientific articles are published, so why bother writing another one, if nobody is going to read it? The only way is to make some noise: on Twitter, in the media, at conferences. Even if it means cutting corners, simplifying and promising a lot… or as it happens sometimes, too much.
The politician
The politician
Nothing infuriates you more than hearing some public figure spewing out yet another misinformed opinion and ignoring scientific fact wholesale. Well, as they refuse to be informed, you will just have to inform them. That’s why you joined the Party, the NGO, the commission, the expert group. Because science is objective! And especially objective when it happens to align with your personal opinion.
The educator
The educator
The future belongs to the youth. That’s why you devote time to teaching and to mentoring your PhDs. You want to transmit your knowledge and experience. And it pays off: every year, you win the Best Teacher Award. True, the competition is not so stiff, as your colleagues tend to delegate their underpaid and overstressed postdocs to fill in for them. An easy win for you!
The builder
The builder
New research infrastructure, the next centre of excellence, a tri-national campus… none of this will just appear out of thin air. People have to get involved, and you’re one of them. It’s not that you like meetings and protocols, or reports and planning. But you do know what is at stake: ensuring that Swiss research stays on top internationally. And this cannot hurt your career, right?
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The innovator

Science fosters economic growth and social development, no question about it. But it’s not what drives you. You prefer the thrill of putting together a team of hard workers and turning abstract discoveries into products – and profits. You fear neither marketing experts nor patent lawyers. They don’t understand the first thing about your research nor do they ever question it – hence you find so much pleasure in talking to them.
The careerist
The careerist
To work as a researcher, you need tenure. And for this, you need publications. Because more publications mean more citations. More citations, more grant money. More money, more postdocs. And more postdocs, more publications… That’s how it works – it’s the great Circle of Science. In fact, you probably stopped reading already and started writing a new article… and thinking about how to stretch it into two articles.
The innovator
The innovator
Science fosters economic growth and social development, no question about it. But it’s not what drives you. You prefer the thrill of putting together a team of hard workers and turning abstract discoveries into products – and profits. You fear neither marketing experts nor patent lawyers. They don’t understand the first thing about your research nor do they ever question it – hence you find so much pleasure in talking to them.
The opener
The opener
Science belongs to society, and sharing it maximises its impact. Your favourite word? “Transparency”. All your publications are accessible as preprints or in open-access journals. Your code is on Github, your data on Figshare, and your reviews on the web. The only thing you don’t publish are your research hypotheses. What if a colleague were to… Sharing may be caring, but there’ll still be time for caring later on.
The purist
The purist
Transdisciplinarity and productivity… mainstreaming and streamlining… These terms remind you of how science is increasingly managed, evaluated, guided. Its essence – free and critical thinking and independence – must be saved from the bureaucrats. As a scientist, self-doubt is your mantra. Except when it’s time to ask yourself: What’s the real impact of my work?
The communicator
The communicator
If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound? Nope, and this applies fully to research. Every year, more than two million scientific articles are published, so why bother writing another one, if nobody is going to read it? The only way is to make some noise: on Twitter, in the media, at conferences. Even if it means cutting corners, simplifying and promising a lot… or as it happens sometimes, too much.
The politician
The politician
Nothing infuriates you more than hearing some public figure spewing out yet another misinformed opinion and ignoring scientific fact wholesale. Well, as they refuse to be informed, you will just have to inform them. That’s why you joined the Party, the NGO, the commission, the expert group. Because science is objective! And especially objective when it happens to align with your personal opinion.
The educator
The educator
The future belongs to the youth. That’s why you devote time to teaching and to mentoring your PhDs. You want to transmit your knowledge and experience. And it pays off: every year, you win the Best Teacher Award. True, the competition is not so stiff, as your colleagues tend to delegate their underpaid and overstressed postdocs to fill in for them. An easy win for you!
The builder
The builder
New research infrastructure, the next centre of excellence, a tri-national campus… none of this will just appear out of thin air. People have to get involved, and you’re one of them. It’s not that you like meetings and protocols, or reports and planning. But you do know what is at stake: ensuring that Swiss research stays on top internationally. And this cannot hurt your career, right?
See all profiles...
close
The opener

Science belongs to society, and sharing it maximises its impact. Your favourite word? “Transparency”. All your publications are accessible as preprints or in open-access journals. Your code is on Github, your data on Figshare, and your reviews on the web. The only thing you don’t publish are your research hypotheses. What if a colleague were to… Sharing may be caring, but there’ll still be time for caring later on.
The careerist
The careerist
To work as a researcher, you need tenure. And for this, you need publications. Because more publications mean more citations. More citations, more grant money. More money, more postdocs. And more postdocs, more publications… That’s how it works – it’s the great Circle of Science. In fact, you probably stopped reading already and started writing a new article… and thinking about how to stretch it into two articles.
The innovator
The innovator
Science fosters economic growth and social development, no question about it. But it’s not what drives you. You prefer the thrill of putting together a team of hard workers and turning abstract discoveries into products – and profits. You fear neither marketing experts nor patent lawyers. They don’t understand the first thing about your research nor do they ever question it – hence you find so much pleasure in talking to them.
The opener
The opener
Science belongs to society, and sharing it maximises its impact. Your favourite word? “Transparency”. All your publications are accessible as preprints or in open-access journals. Your code is on Github, your data on Figshare, and your reviews on the web. The only thing you don’t publish are your research hypotheses. What if a colleague were to… Sharing may be caring, but there’ll still be time for caring later on.
The purist
The purist
Transdisciplinarity and productivity… mainstreaming and streamlining… These terms remind you of how science is increasingly managed, evaluated, guided. Its essence – free and critical thinking and independence – must be saved from the bureaucrats. As a scientist, self-doubt is your mantra. Except when it’s time to ask yourself: What’s the real impact of my work?
The communicator
The communicator
If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound? Nope, and this applies fully to research. Every year, more than two million scientific articles are published, so why bother writing another one, if nobody is going to read it? The only way is to make some noise: on Twitter, in the media, at conferences. Even if it means cutting corners, simplifying and promising a lot… or as it happens sometimes, too much.
The politician
The politician
Nothing infuriates you more than hearing some public figure spewing out yet another misinformed opinion and ignoring scientific fact wholesale. Well, as they refuse to be informed, you will just have to inform them. That’s why you joined the Party, the NGO, the commission, the expert group. Because science is objective! And especially objective when it happens to align with your personal opinion.
The educator
The educator
The future belongs to the youth. That’s why you devote time to teaching and to mentoring your PhDs. You want to transmit your knowledge and experience. And it pays off: every year, you win the Best Teacher Award. True, the competition is not so stiff, as your colleagues tend to delegate their underpaid and overstressed postdocs to fill in for them. An easy win for you!
The builder
The builder
New research infrastructure, the next centre of excellence, a tri-national campus… none of this will just appear out of thin air. People have to get involved, and you’re one of them. It’s not that you like meetings and protocols, or reports and planning. But you do know what is at stake: ensuring that Swiss research stays on top internationally. And this cannot hurt your career, right?
See all profiles...
close
The purist

Transdisciplinarity and productivity... mainstreaming and streamlining… These terms remind you of how science is increasingly managed, evaluated, guided. Its essence – free and critical thinking and independence – must be saved from the bureaucrats. As a scientist, self-doubt is your mantra. Except when it’s time to ask yourself: What’s the real impact of my work?
The careerist
The careerist
To work as a researcher, you need tenure. And for this, you need publications. Because more publications mean more citations. More citations, more grant money. More money, more postdocs. And more postdocs, more publications… That’s how it works – it’s the great Circle of Science. In fact, you probably stopped reading already and started writing a new article… and thinking about how to stretch it into two articles.
The innovator
The innovator
Science fosters economic growth and social development, no question about it. But it’s not what drives you. You prefer the thrill of putting together a team of hard workers and turning abstract discoveries into products – and profits. You fear neither marketing experts nor patent lawyers. They don’t understand the first thing about your research nor do they ever question it – hence you find so much pleasure in talking to them.
The opener
The opener
Science belongs to society, and sharing it maximises its impact. Your favourite word? “Transparency”. All your publications are accessible as preprints or in open-access journals. Your code is on Github, your data on Figshare, and your reviews on the web. The only thing you don’t publish are your research hypotheses. What if a colleague were to… Sharing may be caring, but there’ll still be time for caring later on.
The purist
The purist
Transdisciplinarity and productivity… mainstreaming and streamlining… These terms remind you of how science is increasingly managed, evaluated, guided. Its essence – free and critical thinking and independence – must be saved from the bureaucrats. As a scientist, self-doubt is your mantra. Except when it’s time to ask yourself: What’s the real impact of my work?
The communicator
The communicator
If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound? Nope, and this applies fully to research. Every year, more than two million scientific articles are published, so why bother writing another one, if nobody is going to read it? The only way is to make some noise: on Twitter, in the media, at conferences. Even if it means cutting corners, simplifying and promising a lot… or as it happens sometimes, too much.
The politician
The politician
Nothing infuriates you more than hearing some public figure spewing out yet another misinformed opinion and ignoring scientific fact wholesale. Well, as they refuse to be informed, you will just have to inform them. That’s why you joined the Party, the NGO, the commission, the expert group. Because science is objective! And especially objective when it happens to align with your personal opinion.
The educator
The educator
The future belongs to the youth. That’s why you devote time to teaching and to mentoring your PhDs. You want to transmit your knowledge and experience. And it pays off: every year, you win the Best Teacher Award. True, the competition is not so stiff, as your colleagues tend to delegate their underpaid and overstressed postdocs to fill in for them. An easy win for you!
The builder
The builder
New research infrastructure, the next centre of excellence, a tri-national campus… none of this will just appear out of thin air. People have to get involved, and you’re one of them. It’s not that you like meetings and protocols, or reports and planning. But you do know what is at stake: ensuring that Swiss research stays on top internationally. And this cannot hurt your career, right?
See all profiles...
close
The communicator

If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound? Nope, and this applies fully to research. Every year, more than two million scientific articles are published, so why bother writing another one, if nobody is going to read it? The only way is to make some noise: on Twitter, in the media, at conferences. Even if it means cutting corners, simplifying and promising a lot… or as it happens sometimes, too much.
The careerist
The careerist
To work as a researcher, you need tenure. And for this, you need publications. Because more publications mean more citations. More citations, more grant money. More money, more postdocs. And more postdocs, more publications… That’s how it works – it’s the great Circle of Science. In fact, you probably stopped reading already and started writing a new article… and thinking about how to stretch it into two articles.
The innovator
The innovator
Science fosters economic growth and social development, no question about it. But it’s not what drives you. You prefer the thrill of putting together a team of hard workers and turning abstract discoveries into products – and profits. You fear neither marketing experts nor patent lawyers. They don’t understand the first thing about your research nor do they ever question it – hence you find so much pleasure in talking to them.
The opener
The opener
Science belongs to society, and sharing it maximises its impact. Your favourite word? “Transparency”. All your publications are accessible as preprints or in open-access journals. Your code is on Github, your data on Figshare, and your reviews on the web. The only thing you don’t publish are your research hypotheses. What if a colleague were to… Sharing may be caring, but there’ll still be time for caring later on.
The purist
The purist
Transdisciplinarity and productivity… mainstreaming and streamlining… These terms remind you of how science is increasingly managed, evaluated, guided. Its essence – free and critical thinking and independence – must be saved from the bureaucrats. As a scientist, self-doubt is your mantra. Except when it’s time to ask yourself: What’s the real impact of my work?
The communicator
The communicator
If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound? Nope, and this applies fully to research. Every year, more than two million scientific articles are published, so why bother writing another one, if nobody is going to read it? The only way is to make some noise: on Twitter, in the media, at conferences. Even if it means cutting corners, simplifying and promising a lot… or as it happens sometimes, too much.
The politician
The politician
Nothing infuriates you more than hearing some public figure spewing out yet another misinformed opinion and ignoring scientific fact wholesale. Well, as they refuse to be informed, you will just have to inform them. That’s why you joined the Party, the NGO, the commission, the expert group. Because science is objective! And especially objective when it happens to align with your personal opinion.
The educator
The educator
The future belongs to the youth. That’s why you devote time to teaching and to mentoring your PhDs. You want to transmit your knowledge and experience. And it pays off: every year, you win the Best Teacher Award. True, the competition is not so stiff, as your colleagues tend to delegate their underpaid and overstressed postdocs to fill in for them. An easy win for you!
The builder
The builder
New research infrastructure, the next centre of excellence, a tri-national campus… none of this will just appear out of thin air. People have to get involved, and you’re one of them. It’s not that you like meetings and protocols, or reports and planning. But you do know what is at stake: ensuring that Swiss research stays on top internationally. And this cannot hurt your career, right?
See all profiles...
close
The politician

Nothing infuriates you more than hearing some public figure spewing out yet another misinformed opinion and ignoring scientific fact wholesale. Well, as they refuse to be informed, you will just have to inform them. That’s why you joined the Party, the NGO, the commission, the expert group. Because science is objective! And especially objective when it happens to align with your personal opinion.
The careerist
The careerist
To work as a researcher, you need tenure. And for this, you need publications. Because more publications mean more citations. More citations, more grant money. More money, more postdocs. And more postdocs, more publications… That’s how it works – it’s the great Circle of Science. In fact, you probably stopped reading already and started writing a new article… and thinking about how to stretch it into two articles.
The innovator
The innovator
Science fosters economic growth and social development, no question about it. But it’s not what drives you. You prefer the thrill of putting together a team of hard workers and turning abstract discoveries into products – and profits. You fear neither marketing experts nor patent lawyers. They don’t understand the first thing about your research nor do they ever question it – hence you find so much pleasure in talking to them.
The opener
The opener
Science belongs to society, and sharing it maximises its impact. Your favourite word? “Transparency”. All your publications are accessible as preprints or in open-access journals. Your code is on Github, your data on Figshare, and your reviews on the web. The only thing you don’t publish are your research hypotheses. What if a colleague were to… Sharing may be caring, but there’ll still be time for caring later on.
The purist
The purist
Transdisciplinarity and productivity… mainstreaming and streamlining… These terms remind you of how science is increasingly managed, evaluated, guided. Its essence – free and critical thinking and independence – must be saved from the bureaucrats. As a scientist, self-doubt is your mantra. Except when it’s time to ask yourself: What’s the real impact of my work?
The communicator
The communicator
If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound? Nope, and this applies fully to research. Every year, more than two million scientific articles are published, so why bother writing another one, if nobody is going to read it? The only way is to make some noise: on Twitter, in the media, at conferences. Even if it means cutting corners, simplifying and promising a lot… or as it happens sometimes, too much.
The politician
The politician
Nothing infuriates you more than hearing some public figure spewing out yet another misinformed opinion and ignoring scientific fact wholesale. Well, as they refuse to be informed, you will just have to inform them. That’s why you joined the Party, the NGO, the commission, the expert group. Because science is objective! And especially objective when it happens to align with your personal opinion.
The educator
The educator
The future belongs to the youth. That’s why you devote time to teaching and to mentoring your PhDs. You want to transmit your knowledge and experience. And it pays off: every year, you win the Best Teacher Award. True, the competition is not so stiff, as your colleagues tend to delegate their underpaid and overstressed postdocs to fill in for them. An easy win for you!
The builder
The builder
New research infrastructure, the next centre of excellence, a tri-national campus… none of this will just appear out of thin air. People have to get involved, and you’re one of them. It’s not that you like meetings and protocols, or reports and planning. But you do know what is at stake: ensuring that Swiss research stays on top internationally. And this cannot hurt your career, right?
See all profiles...
close
The educator

The future belongs to the youth. That’s why you devote time to teaching and to mentoring your PhDs. You want to transmit your knowledge and experience. And it pays off: every year, you win the Best Teacher Award. True, the competition is not so stiff, as your colleagues tend to delegate their underpaid and overstressed postdocs to fill in for them. An easy win for you!
The careerist
The careerist
To work as a researcher, you need tenure. And for this, you need publications. Because more publications mean more citations. More citations, more grant money. More money, more postdocs. And more postdocs, more publications… That’s how it works – it’s the great Circle of Science. In fact, you probably stopped reading already and started writing a new article… and thinking about how to stretch it into two articles.
The innovator
The innovator
Science fosters economic growth and social development, no question about it. But it’s not what drives you. You prefer the thrill of putting together a team of hard workers and turning abstract discoveries into products – and profits. You fear neither marketing experts nor patent lawyers. They don’t understand the first thing about your research nor do they ever question it – hence you find so much pleasure in talking to them.
The opener
The opener
Science belongs to society, and sharing it maximises its impact. Your favourite word? “Transparency”. All your publications are accessible as preprints or in open-access journals. Your code is on Github, your data on Figshare, and your reviews on the web. The only thing you don’t publish are your research hypotheses. What if a colleague were to… Sharing may be caring, but there’ll still be time for caring later on.
The purist
The purist
Transdisciplinarity and productivity… mainstreaming and streamlining… These terms remind you of how science is increasingly managed, evaluated, guided. Its essence – free and critical thinking and independence – must be saved from the bureaucrats. As a scientist, self-doubt is your mantra. Except when it’s time to ask yourself: What’s the real impact of my work?
The communicator
The communicator
If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound? Nope, and this applies fully to research. Every year, more than two million scientific articles are published, so why bother writing another one, if nobody is going to read it? The only way is to make some noise: on Twitter, in the media, at conferences. Even if it means cutting corners, simplifying and promising a lot… or as it happens sometimes, too much.
The politician
The politician
Nothing infuriates you more than hearing some public figure spewing out yet another misinformed opinion and ignoring scientific fact wholesale. Well, as they refuse to be informed, you will just have to inform them. That’s why you joined the Party, the NGO, the commission, the expert group. Because science is objective! And especially objective when it happens to align with your personal opinion.
The educator
The educator
The future belongs to the youth. That’s why you devote time to teaching and to mentoring your PhDs. You want to transmit your knowledge and experience. And it pays off: every year, you win the Best Teacher Award. True, the competition is not so stiff, as your colleagues tend to delegate their underpaid and overstressed postdocs to fill in for them. An easy win for you!
The builder
The builder
New research infrastructure, the next centre of excellence, a tri-national campus… none of this will just appear out of thin air. People have to get involved, and you’re one of them. It’s not that you like meetings and protocols, or reports and planning. But you do know what is at stake: ensuring that Swiss research stays on top internationally. And this cannot hurt your career, right?
See all profiles...
close
The builder

New research infrastructure, the next centre of excellence, a tri-national campus… none of this will just appear out of thin air. People have to get involved, and you’re one of them. It’s not that you like meetings and protocols, or reports and planning. But you do know what is at stake: ensuring that Swiss research stays on top internationally. And this cannot hurt your career, right?
The careerist
The careerist
To work as a researcher, you need tenure. And for this, you need publications. Because more publications mean more citations. More citations, more grant money. More money, more postdocs. And more postdocs, more publications… That’s how it works – it’s the great Circle of Science. In fact, you probably stopped reading already and started writing a new article… and thinking about how to stretch it into two articles.
The innovator
The innovator
Science fosters economic growth and social development, no question about it. But it’s not what drives you. You prefer the thrill of putting together a team of hard workers and turning abstract discoveries into products – and profits. You fear neither marketing experts nor patent lawyers. They don’t understand the first thing about your research nor do they ever question it – hence you find so much pleasure in talking to them.
The opener
The opener
Science belongs to society, and sharing it maximises its impact. Your favourite word? “Transparency”. All your publications are accessible as preprints or in open-access journals. Your code is on Github, your data on Figshare, and your reviews on the web. The only thing you don’t publish are your research hypotheses. What if a colleague were to… Sharing may be caring, but there’ll still be time for caring later on.
The purist
The purist
Transdisciplinarity and productivity… mainstreaming and streamlining… These terms remind you of how science is increasingly managed, evaluated, guided. Its essence – free and critical thinking and independence – must be saved from the bureaucrats. As a scientist, self-doubt is your mantra. Except when it’s time to ask yourself: What’s the real impact of my work?
The communicator
The communicator
If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound? Nope, and this applies fully to research. Every year, more than two million scientific articles are published, so why bother writing another one, if nobody is going to read it? The only way is to make some noise: on Twitter, in the media, at conferences. Even if it means cutting corners, simplifying and promising a lot… or as it happens sometimes, too much.
The politician
The politician
Nothing infuriates you more than hearing some public figure spewing out yet another misinformed opinion and ignoring scientific fact wholesale. Well, as they refuse to be informed, you will just have to inform them. That’s why you joined the Party, the NGO, the commission, the expert group. Because science is objective! And especially objective when it happens to align with your personal opinion.
The educator
The educator
The future belongs to the youth. That’s why you devote time to teaching and to mentoring your PhDs. You want to transmit your knowledge and experience. And it pays off: every year, you win the Best Teacher Award. True, the competition is not so stiff, as your colleagues tend to delegate their underpaid and overstressed postdocs to fill in for them. An easy win for you!
The builder
The builder
New research infrastructure, the next centre of excellence, a tri-national campus… none of this will just appear out of thin air. People have to get involved, and you’re one of them. It’s not that you like meetings and protocols, or reports and planning. But you do know what is at stake: ensuring that Swiss research stays on top internationally. And this cannot hurt your career, right?
See all profiles...
close
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