Did you know that James Watson was just 25 years old when he discovered the double helix structure of DNA with Frances Crick (who was also a doctoral student at the time)? Or that Albert Einstein published his Theory of Special Relativity paper in the same year he received his doctorate, aged 26?

Innovative, dynamic young researchers are the key to sustaining the UK’s knowledge-based economy – and who knows, maybe even discovering a cure for cancer.

It’s not always an easy road, and for many in the early stages of their career, publishing in a reputable journal is just the first hurdle. Researchers are now required to be communicators. To find their way in a crowded arena – you need visibility; and a fresh-faced breed of researchers is now embracing traditional and digital platforms to shout about their science.

We want to recognise these young researchers for the role they are playing in advancing research and human knowledge. So we’re calling on you – the research community – to nominate peers, colleagues or friends that you know have gone above and beyond the publication of their research paper, and used any kind of public activity to address misleading information about scientific or medical issues; bring sound evidence to bear in a public or policy debate or helped people to make sense of a rather complex scientific issue.

There are no restrictions on what or how, we only ask that they are currently living in the UK, affiliated with a UK university and began publishing no earlier than 2012.

Simply visit the dedicated Mendeley group and enter the researcher’s name, age, institute and the reason for the nomination, along with links to supporting evidence such as a blog, Twitter account or YouTube video.

We then encourage all nominees (and their nominators) to invite peers and colleagues to ‘like’ their nomination post – those posts with the most likes will make the shortlist, which will be put in front of our specially selected judging panel.

And did we mention that the winner will receive £1,500?! Nominations are open until midnight on 30 September, so not long left, and the winner will be announced at an event in London on 5th November.

Maitumelo to Joseph, September’s Advisor of the month. Joseph is a Librarian with the University of Botswana.

Joseph completed his first degree (BSc Computing) with at Botho University in-collaboration with Open University UK, before moving to University of Botswana to further career on Librarianship. Subsequently, he became an assistant librarian with Botho University in Botswana for 2 years, where he gained his first experience in Librarianship and professional research. Joseph is now at the University of Botswana.

How did you get into your field and what is your research story?
Very interesting, the love of books, reading, news, journals resulted in me becoming a librarian not computer technician as per my academic training. During my academic training, there was a module known as Information Search & Analysis Skills (ISAS), to fulfil the requirements of this module, one needed to do a lot of current research and trending issues on the market. So it was a challenge to a lot of us, so I decided to dedicate my weekends on research, I became the best, my deans recognised my hard-work and started giving me part time jobs as research assistant on their own research work. The more money came in, the more the love for research grew. I was then introduced to Zotero to assist me in managing my references, pdf articles and bibliographic information. It was a challenge, even the Dean was a novice to it, I had to learn it, I had to look for better tools. My cousin, who was by then a PHD student at Edinburgh Scotland via Skype, introduced me to Endnote to ease my part time job as research assistant. Interesting!! I gained more recognition, i became the God of research in my university, it was cash-in every time. This is the same passion that gained me a job opportunity when i graduated. Until now i am research even if i have not yet published a paper so far (only co-authored in two papers that a currently under review with some journal), i assist a lot of professors, PHD’s, Bachelors, Dr’s to do well in their research. I think my passion is to see research successful. I help people manage their own research.

On my line-of duty, supporting research at a librarian point of view, I realized a lot of loop-holes in the research management tools we have been using; therefore, I compared three tools that can best suit my clients. Mendeley became the better best option to go for. I started learning it, on my own, with YouTube and manuals on the website and practicals, eventually i managed to draw a customised manual which can meet my client’s research needs.

Where do you do your research/work the best? What kind of environment suits you? 
Supporting research means my office receives research titles from Students of all levels including staff (PhD’s and professors) and do a literature search and build a library for them and also train them how to manage their own research. These require a very quiet place like a library with glass made office so that one can see incoming clients. That’s exactly how my office is- Quite, welcoming, controlled climate and exciting!

How long have you been on Mendeley?
I have known Mendeley for almost 3 years.

How does Mendeley influence your research?
Mendeley has made my job so easy to manage because it is:
• Easy to use
• User friendly
• Its up-to-date
• Keeps its users and trainers on board all the time
• Responds to queries promptly
• It is technology advanced.

Why did you decide to become an Advisor and how are you involved with the program?
I registered to be user of Mendeley then I was given an offer to become an advisor which i quickly acted upon, i joined the advisory group. I believe am still at the learning curve, i learn everyday on Mendeley group, i also put advisory where i think it’s necessary.

What academic/researcher/librarian would you like to work with or meet, dead or alive?
o I want to be given the chance to bench mark with other researchers/librarians who have an extensive experience on Mendeley.

What book are you reading at the moment and why?
The Bible. I love God.
Research Text Books. To do well my professional research life.
Electronic Engineering. Preparing for the next academic year, I will be pursuing MSc Electronic Engineering.
How to Get Rich! To get rich and help those who a disadvantage.

What is the best part about working in research?
Meeting different people of different levels with different research needs; seeing research articles I helped in, and getting published in a reputable journal; seeing Ph.D students graduate and others getting promotions because I laid my hand of assistance on their research work; and making my office a Research Hub is the best part ever working in research.

And the worst/most challenging part about working in research?
The worst is when a client brings their titles while they are due for submission. Extra time will be needed to get it done on time. Very straining but thanks to Mendeley, it makes it for me!!!

What is the one thing you want people to know about Mendeley?
The worst is when a client brings their titles while they are due for submission. Extra time will be needed to get it done on time. Very straining but thanks to Mendeley, it makes does for me!!!

“Meet the brightest minds on the planet” – is how BBC London described the Falling Walls Conference. Each year on November 9th, an audience of 700 international decision makers in politics, business, science, media and culture from more than 80 nations gathers in Berlin to discover which walls will fall next in science and society.

In addition to the main conference, the Falling Walls Lab offers a great opportunity to young researchers, entrepreneurs and scholars to present their outstanding ideas, research projects and initiatives in just three minutes to an expert jury panel and 100 peers.

Applications for an international Lab or for the Finale in Berlin can be submitted online at http://www.falling-walls.com/lab/apply until September 15th 2015.

In the run up to this years event, we had the chance to speak with Prateep Beed, who has participated in the lab twice. He is co-founder of the not-for-profit Think Tank, Biomimicry Germany and here he tells about his personal Lab experience, how his participation in the Lab has influenced his work and career and why he recommends young researchers to apply for the Falling Walls Lab.

You are the co-founder of a not-for-profit organization called Biomimicry that is based in Berlin. What does Biomimicry stand for?

Biomimicry is a young but emerging field which inspires cross-disciplinary experts, tech entrepreneurs and designers to learn from nature. From the tensile strength of spider webs, structural non-toxic colours of a butterfly wing to smart biomaterials like hemp and bamboo – nature has optimized and benchmarked several clever strategies over years of evolution. Biomimicry is the scientific design discipline of studying and emulating nature’s effective design strategies to drive product and systems innovation.

At Biomimicry Germany, a Berlin-based organization for nature-inspired innovations, we spear-head a new systematic way of capturing nature’s creativity and introduce it in service, architecture, technology, and business innovations alike. Using Biomimicry as an innovation tool to create tangible designs and products we align our solutions to nature’s best design strategies thereby incorporating sustainability in our innovations with minimal-to-zero negative impact on the environment.

For our work in the field of education and developing sustainable solutions for societal problems we received the Deutschland Land der Ideen prize in 2014 and Werkstatt N – Nachhaltiges Rat prize in 2015.

Two times – in 2012 and in 2013 – you have been already selected as one of 100 finalists at the Falling Walls Lab in Berlin, an international platform for young researchers and innovators. At the Lab 2013 you presented the work of Biomimicry. Can you tell us a little bit more about your 3-minute presentation and what the atmosphere was like?

Due to my background in engineering and biology, I was always fascinated how biological systems compute. Presenting an idea in 3 minutes is a challenge – more so when it is about a methodology rather than a product. However, since there are several convincingly intuitive examples in nature made my task at hand easier. A tree is till date the best example of how single elements (leaves) can be arranged on a structure to optimize the usage of sunlight. Using this as an inspiration, I introduced the methodology of Biomimicry where biology informs technology for optimizing our designs. In nature, ‘form follows function’ and if we ask the right questions, then at every design table, a biologist can provide key insights as to how nature.

The Falling Walls Lab provides a great atmosphere for a field like Biomimicry. During the coffee-breaks, a lot of people walked up to me and said ‘hey, as a child I was fascinated by …’. These were the best feedback I got for my talk – yes we all have an equal access to nature and its time we unlock our creativity. Sometimes it is beneficial to see the world as a 6-year old and to ask questions differently.

What was your personal Lab experience? How did your participation in the Lab influence your work and career?

Somewhere in the audience was the architect Max Schwitalla who was invited to attend the Falling Walls Lab. He dropped me an email a couple of days later expressing his interest and fascination about Biomimicry. The talk was a catalyst for a project that followed. With the studio Schwitalla, Schindler AG and Biomimicry Germany we took part in the AUDI Urban Future Award 2014 looking at the future of mobility. We, the Berlin team in this competition was given a specific mobility challenge – how to blur the boundaries between private and public mobility. Using inspiration from nature and algorithms for destination control we proposed a mobility concept that would reduce commuting times between destinations in an urban landscape. By hi-jacking the existing infrastructure we integrate automated-driving on a test-track in Berlin. This not only frees-up existing and valuable urban space but also optimizes efficient use of transportation, challenges the typology of a car and addresses the changing attitude of users from that of a ‘car-owning’ to a ‘car-sharing’ one.

Why would you recommend young researchers to apply for the Falling Walls Lab? How is this competition different from other science slams or events?

The Falling Walls Lab is unique in a way that it attracts researchers and innovators from multiple and varied disciplines – from astrophysics to cancer biology, from sustainable farming to artificial intelligence. This broad span of enthusiastic researchers creates a stimulating environment making room for great discussions. Ideas are appreciated, debated and new ideas are born. This is what makes the Falling Walls Lab unique. An added plus is the Falling Walls Conference the following day which gathers eminent scientists to inspire the younger generation. At the Falling Walls Lab everyone’s a winner, everyone sets a spark, everyone goes home richer by knowing 99 other bright minds. This is a unique opportunity.