Simon Powell

When I was a teenager, the average life expectancy for men was 68. Now that I have exceeded that age, the world looks very different. I succeeded with most of my first 10 grant applications; now I have to write 10 applications to have a chance that one will be funded. Aging!

I have been in the US over 30 yrs and for most of that time we have worried about healthcare reform. In reality, almost nothing has changed. The cost of healthcare is going to continue to rise, so we need a fundamental change in approach or, like social security, it will break.

2/13 and 2yrs on. The time spent working on a paper today? 4-8 years! Average time spent by a reviewer on the paper? 40-80 minutes! Let's write papers more clearly but, as reviewers, let's give them the respect they deserve!

Birthdays during COVID make you appreciate family, friends and colleagues AND make you wish for a return to science by hypothesis and mechanism. Stop the "wallpaper" papers! "Omics" generated plots that suggest significance but mostly lack discovery!

A good mentor has a track record of mentoring over many years. Before you have a track record, a good mentor understands how to grow academically. A good mentor WANTS to help junior colleagues succeed and stays with the role consistently over time. @rweichselbaum @GeneCollector