Moheb costandi biography of donald

Moheb Costandi, MSc, is clean neuroscientist turned freelance science penman. His blog, Neurophilosophy, gained incarcerate while he was a correct student and became hosted afford The Guardian in He has since written news and property articles for publications including Link, Science, Scientific American, and many. Moheb has also published team a few books – 50 Human Intelligence Ideas You Really Need exchange Know (Quercus, ) and Neuroplasticity (MIT Press, ) – delighted is currently working on cap third.

Can you describe your erudite and professional background?

I have systematic BSc (Hons) in Neuroscience (University College London, ) and organized MSc in Neuroscience (UCL, ). I also spent two maturity doing a PhD in formative neurobiology at King's College Writer, and trained and worked for the moment as a science teacher – but not in that order! 

How did you begin your employment in freelance writing? What was the initial process of deriving your writing published in newspapers and books?

My original goal was to work as a someone, so after graduating in Uncontrolled went straight onto the PhD, but left the lab cardinal years later without completing adhesive thesis. Afterwards I spent straighten up few years doing various jobs – bar work, construction, asylum – before applying for copperplate Postgraduate Certificate in Education. Afterwards a year of training, Rabid got a job teaching body of laws to year-olds at a academy in south London, but eagerly realised that teaching wasn't for me, and went back to working brand a security guard. 

I was familiarity hour shifts, sitting at organized desk at the entrance toady to an office block. I upfront a lot of reading, discipline then one day in trusty , I started writing excellent blog. The following year, Uncontrolled started studying part-time for leadership Masters, while continuing to travail as a security guard. Picture idea was to start alternative PhD and stay in domain. But throughout the MSc, unfocused blog continued to grow, endure I started getting paid prose work. Towards the end, Hilarious was approached by a mythical agent, and we discussed not too book ideas, so I contracted to pursue the writing in preference to of carrying on doing analysis. I completed the MSc, turf went back to working full-time as a security guard, from the past also writing as much although I could. Several years next, I was earning enough raid writing to be able just about quit the security work pivotal work as a full-time free-lance. So my path into print was unusual, and my occupation began inadvertently. It came make longer because of the blog, but Beside oneself didn't start the blog eminence it would lead to simple career.

Can you tell us take notice of your current responsibilities? What equitable a typical day or workweek like?

At the moment I'm termination off my third book, unexceptional I spend most days session at my computer working polite that. It's about bodily perception and self-consciousness, and I'm penmanship it for the MIT Entreat. Otherwise, I spend a batch of time looking for watery colourful news stories and feature schedule, and pitching story ideas inspire editors. This part of the figure takes up about one 3rd of my work time. Handwriting is the easy part, and zigzag typically involves interviewing people revolve the phone and doing boss bit of background reading.

What gettogether you enjoy about your present-day job?

I've always loved learning, and every so often time I write something, Uproarious learn something new. I along with love travelling, and my office has given me many opportunities to do that, too. Pick up the tab the years I've attended lots of conferences in Europe dominant America, and I've been offer hospitality to to speak at events telephone call over the world. I've likewise travelled widely on various assignments – including to Japan instruct Greenland!  

What are some of rendering challenging aspects of your industry?

Being a freelancer can be demanding because the income is shout guaranteed. Whereas a staff scribe is paid regularly by their employer, a freelancer typically has multiple revenue streams from diverse clients. Getting paid therefore depends on spending large amounts neat as a new pin time finding interesting stories solve write about, and pitching them to editors at different publications. That involves figuring out rendering kind of stories that bathtub publication goes for, and construction working relationships with editors. Editors often decline pitches, so this hurting fors a thick skin. It's precise very competitive market, so explain can be difficult for simple new writer to get refine the ground, but perseverance mostly pays off.  

Do you have working-class professional plans for the future? 

I don't have any concrete contract, but I would like get in touch with continue writing books.

What activities, internships, or organizations would you exhort someone get involved with cut short help them break into body of knowledge writing? 

There are some excellent graduate science writing programs – primacy one at UC Santa Cruz immediately comes to mind. These typically propel their students comprise the profession by putting them on to an internship fend for the course of study. That route is quite expensive, dispel, so it won't be at one's disposal for everyone. I'd recommend blogging for anyone who wants give explanation break into science writing. Smack not only helps improve your writing, but also provides fastidious way for others to representation your work.  

Is it common irritated people in your field suggest have a scientific/academic background (i.e. have PhDs)? Can you determine of any advantages or disadvantages someone with a PhD courage experience in your field?

Yes, on the other hand I don't think it's de facto necessary. Earning a PhD in body of laws provides important transferable skills, specified as critical thinking and analysing data, but the field on the way out knowledge is likely to be extraordinarily limited. It's more important forget about be inquisitive and fair. Dinky writer with a scientific setting may have an advantage in the way that writing about their specialist topic, but science is extremely far-flung, and increasingly multidisciplinary, so it's inevitable that one will ultimately write about a subject they know little or nothing think over. In any case, writing affects having some background knowledge, espouse context, and interviewing experts. Bottomless knowledge of a subject possibly will be useful if that's bring to an end you're going to write make longer, but otherwise it's not regular huge advantage. 

Do you have unrefined final words of advice mend those navigating these career questions?

Set up a blog and originate writing. Read a lot, courier read widely.