Why Communication Matters as Much as Experiments in Science?
When Aziz Ben Ammar started his PhD in the HYDROCOW project, specifically working on computational strain modeling of Xanthobacter SoF1, he expected pure science mode: coding, reading, experiments, repeat. But surprise — science is not just science. Soft skills hit him in the face like a cold German winter morning. In this blog post, he explains why he believes soft skills such as communication and teamwork are just as essential as his Python scripts.
When people think of scientists, they usually imagine someone locked in a lab 24/7, white coat on, coffee in hand, reading papers like it's an Olympic sport, waiting for that one magic idea to change the world. But let me tell you — once you enter this fascinating world, that stereotype collapses faster than a badly designed PCR run.
That’s exactly what happened to me. When I started my PhD in the HYDROCOW project, specifically working on computational strain modeling of Xanthobacter SOF1, I expected pure science mode: coding, reading, experiments, repeat. But surprise — science is not just science. Soft skills hit me in the face like a cold German winter morning.
Soft skills — this “mysterious” term that includes communication, teamwork, problem-solving, patience (lots of patience), and all the things they don’t really teach you in textbooks. And honestly, these skills might sound secondary, but trust me, they are as critical as my Python scripts.
Let’s talk about communication. You can be a genius with infused science, but if you can’t explain your work properly, congratulations — only your laptop will truly appreciate your greatness. During my university years in Sousse, Tunisia, I had professors who were absolutely brilliant scientifically. Coming from a developing country with limited resources and still reaching that level? Respect. But the ones who inspired me the most weren’t just the scientifically strongest — they were the ones who explained things clearly, passionately, sometimes with jokes, and somehow made biochemistry sound like a Netflix thriller. That’s the power of soft skills. You can have the fanciest slides in the universe, but if you present them in a way that puts people to sleep… that’s actually very sad.
And it doesn’t stop there. Conferences? Same thing. You're basically doing academic stand-up comedy. You need to grab attention, keep people interested, answer questions without panicking, and pretend your code didn’t break the night before (even though we all know it did).
Another myth: scientific breakthroughs = one genius in a dark room. Nope. Behind every innovation, there’s usually a full squad — sometimes multiple teams, labs, or even countries — communicating, brainstorming, solving problems, and yes, arguing (politely… most of the time). Teamwork is not optional. It’s survival.
Plus, your experiments and models will rarely work perfectly the first time. Or the second. Or the fifth. So patience, resilience, and time management aren’t just useful — they are your emotional support system. After two years of PhD life, this is one of the things that surprised me the most. Science is not only about brains — it’s about balance. You gather knowledge, and then you season it with soft skills to actually make it reach people, inspire them, and contribute to the scientific world.
So yeah — soft skills in science are not “extra.” They are the secret sauce. And without them, your science stays in your notebook instead of reaching the world — or at least the next scientist who might build on it.
Aziz Ben Ammar
PhD candidate in metabolic modeling, RWTH Aachen University