Question: why would you describe yourself as curious, determined and creative

Hussain Jaffery answered on 14 Nov 2015:

Great question.

I could use many adjectives to describe myself but I think that these are three of the most important descriptions of my personality, both as a scientist and in my personal life.

I don’t want to seem too self-indulgent but I’ll explain why I chose those three words.

I am curious, almost to a fault. I really wish it was possible to know everything. I try to keep learning new things in all different fields – the goal is to understand the world better, which will help me to make better decisions in my life.

I like to think of myself as determined. I like to see things through to the finish and am never happy with a job half done. Determination is important when you want to get to your goal in life, whatever that may be in the short or long-term.

Creativity flows through my veins. I am constant getting new ideas and wondering, ‘what if this was a the case…?’ or ‘I wonder what if you did this…?’. Everyone has thoughts like these, and one just has to recognise their usefulness or artistic value.

I need all of theses characteristics when doing science: curiosity to have a desire to know, determination to complete the experiment or project, and creativity to come up with new or interesting ways of doing things. 🙂