Having started my professional life in research and having spent a significant part of it in a R&D role , I have been dwelling on a question - Is there any thing like a R&D mindset ? Would like to share some thoughts around it.
First about the mindset of a researcher. The aim of a researcher is to discover. She wants to explore , and for that she needs a very open mind. A mind that is clean of all preconceived notions. A mind that a equally ready for any conclusion. The researcher uses all methods of science including hypothesizing, observation and inference to arrive at the discovery of facts / principles.
Next about the innovator. The aim of the innovator is to make use of the knowledge of principles in the problem domain to create a solution for a previously understood need. For this she needs a sensitivity to understand a given need combined with the audacity to tread on a path which presumably no one has so far.
Now talking about the R&D mindset . I would think about it as a combination of Researcher and Innovator. From what I know, nothing in an engineering / science curriculum prepares a person's mindset for R&D. They teach you the science / engineering principles and skills, but I believe that the predictor of success in a R&D role would be the R&D mindset.
Every engineer does not aspire a R&D role. For those who aspire such a role, I wonder if the educational psychologists could come up with any educational method to create / develop an R&D mindset for a budding engineer ?
Or is there a possibility of a finishing school to create a R&D professional from an engineering / medical major ? Some open questions !
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