A basic scientist is driven by curiosity, a desire to understand how things work, and to try and answer fundamental questions.
Basic research in mental health focusses on developing scientific theories and discovering new ideas to better understand the mechanisms of mental health disorders, and to identify potential new treatments. Scientific discoveries at this stage aim to increase knowledge in this field and inform research efforts in translational and applied research.
There is not always an obvious or direct link between the basic science question and the clinical application, however many clinical advances and breakthroughs have come from curiosity-driven discovery science and often in unexpected ways. Basic scientists play a crucial role in building strong foundations of knowledge to enable these transformative discoveries in mental health.
5 REASONS WHY BASIC SCIENTISTS MAKE GOOD RESEARCHERS
- Natural curiosity and desire to understand how things work.
- Thirst for knowledge – to keep asking why and what does it mean.
- Experience in identifying fundamental questions to ask.
- Determination in methodically working towards the answer – whatever the result might be.
- The skills required in mental health research are already part of a basic scientist’s DNA – such as analytical experience in interpreting data, examining reports, and understanding statistics.
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“Mental health research needs the expertise of scientists from many different disciplines. If you’re wondering if it’s for you, then it probably is!”
– Dr Liz Tunbridge, neuroscientist