EMBL Fellows' Competency Framework

EMBL Fellows’ Competency Framework EMBL Fellows’ Competency Framework | EMBL Fellows Career Service Page 2/6 Version 1.2 | Last update November 2025 EMBL Fellows’ Competency Framework EMBL Fellows’ Competency Framework ............................................................................................................2 Introduction: .....................................................................................................................................................................2 EMBL Fellows’ Competency Framework ........................................................................................................................3 Appendix – acknowledgements / sources / references ...............................................................................................5 Imprint ...................................................................................................................................................................6 Introduction: Competency Frameworks describe the competencies (areas of ability) that enable you to excel in a particular role or organisation. The EMBL Fellows’ Career Service Competency Framework focuses on competencies that can support PhDs and postdocs in their research and longer-term careers. The framework was created to describe skills that support an academic research career and was informed by interviews with EMBL group leaders (see appendix). For those considering non-academic career options, we also use a modified version of the framework to a describe the skills used in other career areas in the career area information articles on our website, supported by data from a careers survey. The framework can help you reflect on your areas of strengths and weaknesses, and define career development priorities for your PhD and postdoc. The nineteen competencies are grouped into six areas. A description of each competency can be found overleaf. You do not need to be excellent in all areas and there is no one recipe (or definition) for success. Nevertheless, to help with prioritization, each competency is given a broad classification: • foundational competencies support the work of academic researchers at all levels, • vantage competencies may not be needed in the short-term, but are important in the mid-term, for example, to design and deliver more complex or interdisciplinary projects or to build a network and reputation as a good scientist, • advanced competencies are critical for success as an academic group leader but may be less important for early career researchers. For EMBL Fellows, we also provide an accompanying handout that lists internal training and resources related to each competency; as well as an additional appendix with quotes from our group leader interviews. EMBL Fellows’ Competency Framework | EMBL Fellows Career Service Page 3/6 Version 1.2 | Last update November 2025 EMBL Fellows’ Competency Framework 1. SCIENTIFIC KNOWLEDGE 1Ai. possesses deep knowledge of a particular scientific field - develops and applies an in-depth knowledge of a chosen scientific field - is well-informed on the biological questions related to own project(s) and broader field - is able to critically but fairly evaluate own and others' work within this field foundational 1Aii. possesses expertise in relevant techniques and technologies - develops and applies technical knowledge, including - where relevant - hands-on technical ability - develops and applies an understanding of appropriate experimental design and data analysis - is able to critically but fairly evaluate own and others’ work that uses this technique/technology foundational 1B. develops broad scientific knowledge - develops broad scientific knowledge that assists in identifying connections between research in different areas, and in recognizing the broader significance of their own and others’ research - may develop in-depth knowledge in additional research areas vantage 2. SCIENTIFIC THINKING 2A. exhibits clarity of thought - is able to integrate information, make inferences and formulate good questions - applies critical thinking to their work and decisions - able to identify the goal of each single experiment and how an experiment integrates in global research goals foundational 2B. applies resilient problem solving - applies resilience, focus and drive to work on difficult problems, where the solution is not immediately clear and may require many attempts - continuously and systematically checks outcomes with expectations to identify issues as early as possible foundational 3. INDEPENDENCE & LEADERSHIP 3A. participates in scientific discussions - enjoys and actively contributes to open-minded scientific discussion - conveys genuine curiosity and passion for their own work and that of others foundational 3B. employs independent thinking - applies creative, out-of-the-box thinking and is open to new perspectives - considers multiple alternatives and not tied to dogma - is willing to go beyond their comfort zone, follow unconventional paths and be wrong - seeks inspiration and feedback, but takes ownership and responsibility - takes the initiative and is perceptive of opportunities - makes connections to move existing projects forward and identify new research directions vantage 3C. focuses on a clear research vision - develops a clear vision for their research - sets goals and makes decisions accordingly, adjusting as needed - prioritizes actions that will help realize their goals, balancing focused research work with other activities key for the success of their longer-term vision – such as developing knowledge of the field, deep thinking and opportunities that build a network vantage 3D. contributes to collegial efforts - displays collegiality – understands and contributes to the broader work of teams, organisations and the scientific community - contributes to and takes responsibility for decision-making processes within the organization/scientific community (e.g. by serving on relevant committees) - makes scientific resources and data available where possible, and engages in technology transfer where appropriate vantage 3E. provides mentorship and leadership - mentors and nurtures team members and/or less experienced scientists - motivates and inspires in order to develop people to their full potential - provides a direction for other’s work - ensures that group efforts are coordinated and goals are aligned - clearly communicates overarching aims - provides an organisational framework for others, delegating as needed advanced EMBL Fellows’ Competency Framework | EMBL Fellows Career Service Page 4/6 Version 1.2 | Last update November 2025 4. COMMUNICATION 4A. communicates science effectively - is able to explain complex arguments and knowledge to both specialist and non-specialist audiences - identifies the core message and adapts the level of detail, style of rhetoric and structure for the audience and medium – for example, a classroom-based lecture course foundational 4B. creates clear data visualizations - creates informative and appropriate visualizations of data and ideas, for example, for slides and figures foundational 4C. delivers strong oral presentations - creates clear, structured scientific presentations - speaks eloquently about their work - uses voice and posture effectively in talks vantage 4D. masters scientific writing - transmits ideas in clear, structured and precise prose in scientific papers, grants and research proposals - applies a knowledge of how papers / grants / proposals are reviewed vantage 5. PROFESSIONALISM & EFFECTIVENESS 5A. works in an organized manner - works in an organized and structured way - makes good use of available resources - works with accuracy and precision to ensure a high quality of work - manages the level of perfectionism to ensure results are delivered. foundational 5B. upholds scientific integrity - proactively identifies and manages issues relating to ethics, conflicts of interest, gender and diversity, legal, regulatory, data privacy, and safety - seeks advice when appropriate to ensure that their research is conducted in a responsible manner - develops a knowledge of, and advocates for, responsible research assessment best practices foundational 6. EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE 6A. works well with others - has well-developed interpersonal, social awareness and relationship management skills - understands the perspectives, motivations and needs of others; is able to empathise and notices the emotions of others - is able to work to a common goal - builds successful and effective collaborations - communicates and negotiates constructively, proactively manages conflicts, and shares relevant information in a timely manner foundational 6B. develops self-awareness - seeks feedback from others - reflects on own goals, emotions, skills, interests and values vantage 6C. practices self-management - works on strategies to improve skills or work-around weakness, including self-directed learning and relevant trainings where necessary - overcomes any self-doubts / imposter syndrome - works to manage emotions - communicates goals to others - practises self-care to maintain health and motivation - adapts to changing situations vantage EMBL Fellows’ Competency Framework | EMBL Fellows Career Service Page 5/6 Version 1.2 | Last update November 2025 Appendix – acknowledgements / sources / references The following EMBL group leaders (listed with their job titles at the time) took part in the interviews on skills and characteristics of successful scientists, which informed the backbone of this framework: • Miki Ebisuya - Group Leader, EMBL Barcelona • Paul FlicekAssociate Director of EMBL-EBI Services (now no longer at EMBL) • Eva Kowalinski - Group Leader, EMBL Grenoble • Mikhail Savitski - Team Leader and Head of Proteomics Core Facility, Genome Biology • Nassos Typas - Group Leader, Genome Biology We also thank Sam Krahl (EMBO), Cath Brooksbank, Marta Lloret Llinares, Vera Matser and Amanda Greaney (EBI) for sharing their expertise and existing frameworks. Other competency frameworks consulted during creation of the EMBL Fellows’ Career Service Framework include: • Verderame, M. F., et al. (2018). "Competency-based assessment for the training of PhD students and earlycareer scientists." Elife 7: 1444. doi: 10.7554/eLife.34801 • Vitae Research Development Framework https://www.vitae.ac.uk/researchers-professionaldevelopment/about-the-vitae-researcher-development-framework • EBI competency framework draft Feb 2020 (personal communication) • National Postdoc Association Core Competencies https://www.nationalpostdoc.org/page/CoreCompetencies? • BioExcel - D4.2 – Competency framework, mapping to current training and initial training plan https://ec.europa.eu/research/participants/documents/downloadPublic?documentIds=080166e5abb 04c08&appId=PPGMS • John Hopkins Office of Postdoctoral Affairs - Core Competencies for Postdoctoral Research Fellows | https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/som/offices/pda/core_competencies/ • CORBEL organizational competency framework https://zenodo.org/record/154085#.WYGGb4jys2w EMBL Fellows’ Competency Framework | EMBL Fellows Career Service Page 6/6 Version 1.2 | Last update November 2025 Imprint Document authors: Rachel Coulthard-Graf and Patricia Cabezas EMBL Fellows’ Career Service EMBL Meyerhofstr. 1 69117 Germany Email: [email protected] This handout is part of our complementary skills resources, available from: https://www.embl.org/about/info/embl-fellows-career-service/info-resources/complementary-skills-resources/ The DOI for this handout is: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17453153 V1.2 - Last update: November 2025 Licensing Our materials are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International license except where further licensing details are provided. Acknowledgements The EMBL Fellows' Career Service incorporates the EMBL Interdisciplinary Postdoc (EIPOD) career development service. EI3POD and EIPOD4 have received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under Marie Skłodowska-Curie grant agreements 664726 (2015-2020) and 847543 (2019-2025) respectively