checking out publication track record of a scientist for whether to take a job from them?

Question

a guy has offered me a job (conditional on him being able to scrounge some grant monsy etc.) and i am trying to check out his credibility in the field (which tells me both how good the job is and the likely hood that said grant money is worth waiting for). The job is only RA level, but it will still be good to work with the most reputable poeple i can find.

He doesn't seem to have any publications in the specific field the job would be investigating. I asked him for some recomended reading and he says he has a couple of paitents, and i have found a few with his last name and first innitial so that seems to check it out?

I want to find some of his other publications but he has a common surname and first innitial so it seems hard to fathom which are his. He has given some from his lab in general, which seem pretty goood, but i wanrt to check out his personal track record as well.

General advice from some scientists please?

his personal track record in public publications may have been hindered by working for companies for a few years, hence patients instead.

how much "checking out" is polite and socially acceptable in Auslralian science?

Answer 1

Talk with other people in his department at the school, including other faculty members. Start out by telling them what you are interested in doing, and ask them for recommendations on who at the school would be good to work with. Keep an open mind, since there might be other good candidates. Then, ask about this specific person. The department should also have a record of his works, at least those not covered by corporate trade secret and nondisclosure agreements.

Another obvious approach is to ask the candidate why it would be good for you to work for him.

I can't comment on Australian social norms. Science is more international than most fields.

Answer 2

Kirstin... This is going to blow your socks off.... A traditional Con Artist who should have staid in Real Estate selling the same property twice If you ask me..And then his Investment plan on the Stock exchange falls through...
Though most of my insight derives from Real Live. I do not suffer them gladly.

This guy real name or no, has found a namesake to conquer the World with, complete with a scientific Prefix so to speak... The only other guy I know to have done such a thing was found out, when he was appointed in The Dutch Cabinet.
Needless to say. He was a member of our Parliament, for only 14 hours.