Mac grad makes the case for why scientists are needed more than ever – “in uncertain times, we need people who know how to stay calm, curious and courageous”

About to graduate with no idea what comes next?

Mac grad Matthew Johnson says not knowing what comes next is more than okay. “It’s the only right answer. In today’s world, knowing the answer isn’t nearly as important as knowing how to figure it out.”

Knowing how to do that will be your most valuable and transferable skill as a freshly minted grad, according to Johnson. “All great journeys start with ‘I don’t know yet.'”

He made his case while delivering the closing keynote at the Biology Department’s annual undergraduate symposium, capping off a day of research presentations by more than 100 students.

For most of his undergrad degree, Johnson says he had no idea that he’d fall in love with research. He also had no idea what would come next. After graduating with a bachelor of science degree in 2001, Johnson spent the summer in professor Suleiman Igdoura‘s research group working on a Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada-funded project. That summer project led to Johnson staying on for the next two years as a graduate student, with Igdoura as his supervisor.

Igdoura introduced Johnson as the keynote speaker at the symposium. He told students that Johnson was thoughtful, driven and exceptionally talented – someone who approached research with rigor and class. “Having Matt share his experience, his perspective and his journey with our students was deeply meaningful to me. It was, in many ways an emotional moment to welcome Matt back as a keynote speaker.”

After grad school, Johnson was a visiting scholar at the Genomics Research Centre at Griffith University on Australia’s Gold Coast. He then became a research scientist and team leader at a medical device start-up where “other duties as assigned” were pretty much his entire job description.  This is where and when he figured out what would come next in his career.

“Everything in a start-up is a problem that needs solving. That immersive problem-solving experience spoiled me – I realized I only wanted to be in places where there are new things to figure out.”

And that’s what he’s done, building a career at the leading edge of health care and technology. Johnson is currently on the Canadian leadership team with GE HealthCare and serves on McMaster’s Seed Fund Investment Committee, supporting the entrepreneurial ambitions of students and faculty.

While he’s no longer a researcher, Johnson says studying science at McMaster for seven years continues to pay dividends in his career.

“Science isn’t a subject – it’s a mindset. Working in research rewired my brain. I see the world through a researcher’s eyes. That gives me the perspective and confidence to take on the unknown and tackle things I haven’t done before. I approach every problem, every opportunity and even my career like an experiment.”

Now more than ever, the world needs scientists in leadership roles everywhere and not just in labs, Johnson told the students. “We live in uncertain times. There are so many problems to solve and so much to learn. Right now, the unknown is all there is. So we need people like you who know how to stay calm, curious and courageous in the face of all that uncertainty and take on big social, environmental, economic and geopolitical problems. We need scientists everywhere and we need you to lead.”

And it’s how science grads lead that makes all the difference, says Johnson. “Scientists are special people – you’re an essential buffer in our society.” By championing empiricism – the cornerstone of the scientific method where all knowledge originates in experience and observations – Johnson says scientists act as an antidote to hegemony and hubris.

“So what will you do with this gift you’ve been given?” Johnson asked students at the end of his keynote. “The right answer is ‘I don’t know yet’. Everything starts from there. We don’t know what’s next but we know how to figure it out.”