Life In a large scientific collaboration

I will be talking about life in a large scientific collaboration. The dynamics of dealing with many groups, collaborating with people from various linguistic and cultural origins can be a daunting experience. However, it is exactly this diversity of culture and learning that can make it an invigorating journey. You need to find your place in terms of professional contribution as well as personal liaisons to be productive and innovative in a large work culture. Scientific problems today are not solved by one person hunched over an old notebook. It is solved by sharing computer codes, experimental infrastructure and your questions over coffee with your colleagues. An affinity to take in and impart healthy criticism is a must for productive throughput of work. I will discuss all these aspects as well as issues that may arise from adjusting to a new country, customs, food, transportation or health-care system. The purpose of the talk is to familiarize you with what I have learned through my past five years of stay at CERN and working in the ATLAS collaboration.