Chemists ‘must adapt to the digital age’ NEWS


LABORATORY INFORMATICS


A survey carried out by Elsevier’s Reaxys team found that chemists may need to gain more experience with emerging technologies to help drive innovation and career progression within the field of chemistry. Chemistry is suffering due to its reputation for not being as innovative as other sciences, such as biology and physics, according to the survey of 186 industry professionals. Some 78 per cent of chemists said


the fact other scientific fields have more ‘newsworthy’ breakthroughs is a contributing factor in potential chemists choosing to enter other disciplines, and 80 per cent suggested the overemphasis placed on research that has practical applications is stifling innovation. Reaxys is a chemistry research tool from


Elsevier that retrieves literature, compound properties and chemical reaction data by combining a streamlined user interface with search and indexing enhancements powered by machine learning algorithms. Elsevier launched it in 2016 to overcome bottlenecks in chemistry research. The survey highlighted other areas of


concern, as 76 per cent of respondents noted trouble attracting new talent and 21 per cent of those surveyed feel there are insufficient opportunities to collaborate with researchers in other fields. ‘These findings highlight that one of the


most conflicting challenges is the demand to deliver practical applications, while at the same time achieving breakthrough discoveries that raise the bar for society. Scientific innovation needs the space to explore, collaborate and seek multidisciplinary partners – but the speed at which innovations become practically impactful is often insufficient to the demands of stakeholders from a business and funding perspective,’ said Tim Hoctor, VP of professional services at Elsevier. ‘The question is, how should current and future chemists adapt and be trained for this environment? In addition, many chemists seem to believe there is a lack of recognition for chemistry innovation, which is negatively impacting the field’s reputation. The industry as a whole needs to do more to highlight the role chemistry plays in our lives – from improving the batteries in our


phones to providing clean drinking water and combatting climate change – in order to attract the top talent,’ added Hoctor. To do this, and facilitate exciting chemistry innovation, data, digital tools and new technologies will have a vital influence. Indeed, the research found that technology is increasingly playing a critical role in climbing the industry ladder, with an overwhelming majority (84 per cent) of chemists stating that being ‘technologically savvy’ is either ‘crucial’ or ‘very important’ to career progression. However, despite this broad consensus, opinion was divided as to what being ‘technically savvy’ meant in practice. When asked about specific skills required to succeed as a modern chemist, only 26 per cent said that access to deep dive data analysis tools counted as a key requirement, 12 per cent mentioned familiarity with machine learning and 22 per cent argued for access to computational chemistry resources. These answers may suggest modern chemists need to become more specialised, and gain experience in emerging technologies as the field advances.


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