Industry Transition Spotlight: Marios Tsatsos, PhD
An interview with Marios Tsatsos, PhD
1. What is your name, your full job title, and the name of the company you work for?
Marios Tsatsos, Data Scientist working for Clarivate Analytics (Web of Science Group).
2. What is your favorite part about working in industry?
The impact-oriented objectives and connectivity that such a position offers
3. What does a typical day at work look like for you?
Lots of coding, reading, paper-digging, and learning. Some team meetings (formal and informal) and, sporadically, meetings with clients and cross-team meetings.
4. How is your current industry position different than your academic postdoc or experience as a graduate student?
It’s different in the sense that the goals are distinct and set by the team rather than the individual. It’s similar in the sense that there is still research involved with the same mind-trapping and -boggling games. We are struggling to understand–via science–how things in our field have been evolving, to make sense of the data, and visualise said data in a concise form. The difference now, compared to an academic mindset, is that the end-user (i.e. the client) is always in the back of our heads.
5. If you could go back in time–before you received your job offer–and give yourself one piece of advice or encouragement, what would it be?
Patience, self-awareness and self-appraisal. Learn how to appreciate and celebrate what you have achieved so far. Find your path, believe in it, and stubbornly cling to it. The modern-day sirens (luxury, fame, status, etc.) will only send you astray.
6. What was the most important thing you did during your job search that enabled your success?
I took seriously Cheeky Scientist’s advice on how to present yourself in a business context – both online and off. I invested time in my profile, and that paid off. I learned how to translate my academic achievements into layperson language and paid close attention to the other party (rather than bragging about how smart I am as a PhD!). I realised that the best gift I could give to myself during interview preparation was to carefully study the purpose, mission, interviewing techniques, and values of the company. It is always about the employers and not the candidates.
7. What is the most memorable moment for you (so far) as a Cheeky Scientist Associate?
There have been many little moments and memorable epiphanies that added up until they eventually transformed the way I perceive, not only the industry world, but my very own aspirations too. As a job hunter, knowing that you are not playing alone out there in the “jungle” is a great feeling.
8. What do you see as the next step in your career?
Managerial roles, senior-level scientist, charitable and humanitarian action, personal art projects…
9. How can the Association and the Association’s members help you continue to achieve your career goals?
By establishing a continuous flux and platform for exchanging information. Shared experience is a multiplied experience!
10. Now that you’ve spent some time working in industry, what is the biggest piece of advice you’d like to share with those Associates who are still executing their job search?
Never give up after a failure. Focus both on your personal/professional value and where the ideal place to channel your talents will be. In other words, sharpen your greatest strength, but know who is going to benefit from it. At the end of the day, it is not about achieving a fancy job title but rather a ‘perfect match’ with a company and team. Being able to communicate with the team and managers, and being aware of yourself in your new environment, are way more important than your salary or job title.
To learn more about how you can transition into an industry career like Marios, including instant access to our exclusive training videos, case studies, industry insider documents, transition plan, and private online network, get on the waitlist for the Cheeky Scientist Association.
