Patrik Rorsman Its Early-Career Fellowship Programme

CAREERS

SWEDEN TURNING POINT Basic-research boost One of Sweden’s largest private research funders has awarded the first 30 grants in Patrik Rorsman its early-career fellowship programme. The Wallenberg Academy Fellows initiative of the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation Physiologist Patrik Rorsman accepted a in Stockholm aims to “kick-start” Swedish prestigious 7-year, Can$10-million (US$10- science, especially basic research, says million) grant to serve as the Canadian Göran Sandberg, the foundation’s executive Excellence in Research Chair in Diabetes at director. “Sweden is still performing well, the University of Alberta in Edmonton. But but we need young people to focus on last autumn, after seven months in the post, science,” he says. At least 250 fellows across he returned to the University of Oxford, UK, all disciplines will be funded. Researchers forgoing the generous funding. in and outside Sweden are nominated by Swedish universities, which will hire them What persuaded you to accept the Canadian as faculty members if they are selected. Excellence in Research Chair? Grantees receive 7.5 million kronor I’m a bit of a gypsy as a scientist. I had made (US$1.1 million) over 5 years, with the two other big moves before settling at Oxford. potential for a 5-year renewal. Applications So when Alberta approached me with sig- for the next round are due by 1 March. nificant funding and plans to spend mil- lions expanding their facilities, I was easily seduced. A former postdoc and valued col- UNITED KINGDOM league of mine, Patrick McDonald, is now a was in Canada. And although I had never research star there, and the prospect of work- intended to come back, I had submitted Visa policy warning ing with him again was appealing. Alberta has a grant application to the Wellcome Trust A fall in the number of students entering access to human pancreatic islet cells, which biomedical research foundation before I left, the United Kingdom could cause problems are the focus of my work. And my children as a goodwill gesture to Oxford, and ended for graduate courses in science, technology, would be finishing school in the United up getting it. engineering and maths (STEM), warns Kingdom in a few years, so my family and I Universities UK (UUK) in London, which thought it was a good time to move. Do you plan to continue collaborating with represents more than 130 institutions. colleagues at Alberta? According to the Office for National Describe the challenges you faced at the I certainly hope we will continue working Statistics, 8.2% fewer international students University of Alberta. together in future. For example, one of my arrived in the country in the year to March I had no complaints about the university or postdocs, Matthias Braun, with whom I’ve 2012 than in the previous year. The UUK the faculty; our problems were more related published almost 30 papers, came to Alberta says that the drop may be linked to changes to human resources. My wife, who had been with me, and decided to stay. that make visas harder to get. Jo Attwooll, promised a job in university administration, a policy adviser for the UUK, notes that had problems negotiating holiday time — Would you encourage other nations to start a UK graduate STEM classes have tended which was important to her, given that our research-chair programme like Canada’s? to include a lot of non-European students. children were to stay in the United Kingdom. Yes. But it takes a lot of courage, because it “Immigration policy could affect the Ultimately, she did not accept a position. And involves federal dollars and there will always number of students taking these courses although my staff members were told that be opposition from people who want to see and thus their viability,” she says. their immigration would be fast-tracked, the money used in other ways. But if you feel several people were experiencing difficulties. that the science needs an influx of new ideas and people, this is the programme you need. UNITED STATES Was it a difficult decision to return to Oxford? It will help to get some really good people — Yes, for several reasons: my salary was signifi- you need significant funding to draw inter- Graduates can go abroad cantly higher in Canada, for example. But I national talent. The US National Science Foundation enjoy being on the same continent as my wife, (NSF) has expanded an international and she didn’t want to sacrifice her career. It What advice would you give to people collaboration initiative for its graduate is unfortunate that she and the university considering offers from foreign universities? fellows. Fellows may now apply to spend couldn’t come to an agreement. It would It depends on who you are and your domestic 3–12 months at an institution in Norway, have been a great experience and opportunity. situation, but I encourage colleagues to take Finland, Denmark, Sweden, Japan, And, because I am Swedish, I was looking for- advantage of this perk of our profession — South Korea, Singapore or France, with ward to being near mountains and snow. Part the thrill of living and working in a different a living allowance from the host nation of me regrets that it didn’t work out. place. One of the big problems in science is and travel subsidized by the NSF. “In this that there is too little mobility between coun- era of science with more international Did you create a safety net at Oxford in case tries. But it is important to make sure that collaboration and interdisciplinary work, it didn’t work out in Canada? you negotiate the most favourable terms pos- we want to encourage our graduate Not deliberately, but a few factors left the sible. It is such an upheaval to move from one students to step into those environments,” door open. I had decided to take a year of country to another. ■ says Maria Zacharias, a spokeswoman leave from Oxford so that my family could for the NSF. Applications must be in by stay in our UK home for the first year that I INTERVIEW BY VIRGINIA GEWIN 1 February; awardees will be told in April.