Question: What do you think the biggest scientific contribution you have made is?

  1. So far, my biggest contribution is through communication. My research career has really only just started.

    I had a lady come up to me a month ago at a talk i was giving and she told me she had just graduated from a masters degree that day, and wanted to thank me because i was the one who inspired her to do it. That is probably one of the most rewarding things.

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  2. One would be the various discoveries of relativistic jets in the centres of other galaxies. Another would be the $50m radio telescope that I’m in charge of building at the moment and will be complete in November – this will allow fundamental new observations of the early Universe to be made. Finally, I’ve had some really excellent PhD students, who are just now starting out in their careers and are very clever. So, in the end, my greatest scientific contribution may be training someone who makes a revolutionary new discovery.

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  3. Hi Kingofhos and Kayladiamond,
    I’m only at the beginning of my scientific career, but I have contributed to working out the biological pathway that a certain fruit fly species uses to produce its pheromone. I’ve also made some chemicals that no one else has ever made before, so I have contributed to the knowledge about the different ways we can make chemicals like these.
    I also tutor other students, so I certainly hope that I have also been able to help someone with their understanding of things, and have contributed in some small way to their continued interest in science.

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  4. Hey kingofhos and kayladiamond. For me it would be providing a greater understanding of pancreatic cancer to ultimately improve treatments and therefore outcome/survival of patients with this terrible disease. I have published numerous journal articles all available to scientists and the public throughout the world. We have some pretty cool results coming out soon too which will progress our knowledge even more.

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  5. Helping in the development of potential antibiotics was pretty awesome but I feel I have been able to achieve more as a communicator in recent years.

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