Here's how you can conquer self-doubt and cultivate confidence in Materials Science.

Some things to consider when starting materials science: 1. Understand the scientific method - stick to it when the hypothesis seems to be far from answering. 2. Adopt experiential learning - use applied research strategies to understand theory and application. 3. Go back to chemistry fundamentals every so often - No one has Gen Chem 1/2, Organic Chem 1/2, and Physical Chem 1/2 memorized. Knowledge from all of these courses will be called upon. Don't be afraid to have to look something up. Sometimes the textbooks are more useful than the internet here. 4. Think about the application - materials science is only useful if the material can be used for something. Think about that at the very start of project ideation. Weigh out pros/cons.

What are the new trends in nanotechnology in 2024? When I got my PhD between 2015-2021 - the "new and sexy" focus was on carbohydrate-based nanoparticles, "smart" polymers, superhydrobobic coatings (SLIPs), quantum dot-based technologies (namely for imaging), and lithography-printed sheets for both imaging or medical applications. Is this still the case? Has the race to control gene editing contributed to a shift from less synthetic nano-scaffolds to more biological ones (i.e. AVVs, lentivirals, phage, etc.)?

Here are some of the best ways to practice your skills within the realm of material science and nanotechnology: 1. Learn new bioconjugate techniques, even if you do not need to use them for your thesis. This will give you an advantage at graduation and might help you view your work in a new light. 2. Cross reference your work with whatever sub-field is relevant. For example, if you make polymeric nanoparticles - read some hardcore polymer synthesis papers. This will enrich your knowledge of the field as a whole and might give you some creative ideas. 3. Nothing is a "crazy idea" in this field. Feel free to tinker and ideate. Also, think outside of the box. Try new crosslinking strategies and materials that no one has ever used!

"Failure" is a funny term for this field. If you study mechanical engineering, you know we denote failure as when a material breaks under a certain load force. But we as humans can't handle to fail in the same way, we must be elastic. In the formulation stage of materials science, failure means something much different. It can mean that your hypothesis was stated incorrectly, or that there are some extraneous variables you didn't control, or even that the technology you are using is not advanced enough to answer the research question. Be open to those modes of failure and realize that it is way less detrimental to your work than the mechanical engineering definition. It usually illuminates you to what you were missing. Embrace that.