Research Writer Interview With Aston

My name is Aston and I am a 28 year old research assistant, freelance editor and entrepreneur based in Saskatoon, SK, Canada. After completing a Bachelor of Science (Agriculture/Horticulture) in 2007 at the University of Saskatchewan, where I was awarded the ‘Top Graduate in Horticulture’ prize and numerous other scholarships, I went on to pursue my Master of Science in plant science. I conducted original research on the carotenoid profiles of durum wheat varieties grown in Canada, with the aim of improving the visual, nutritional, and economic appeal of this crop in Canada as well as abroad. During my time in graduate school, I was awarded the prestigious Canadian Wheat Board fellowship in 2008, as well as the ‘Outstanding M.Sc Student of the Year’ award in 2009. I also worked as a Teaching Assistant in agronomy and statistics classes, where I gained valuable experience in tutoring and mentoring students.

Upon completing my M.Sc degree in 2010, I was immediately employed as a research assistant in the Department of Plant Sciences/Crop Development Centre at the University of Saskatchewan, Canada. Simultaneously, I sought freelance work as an English editor and proofreader, taking advantage of my excellent English skills and over six years’ worth of experience in academia. Since 2010, I have been working as an independent contractor for the company Paper Talks, where I copyedit, proofread and polish journal articles written by Chinese scientists. Several of these papers have been published in reputed journals. In addition, I have established profiles (with glowing reviews) on Elance and Freelancer, where I take on additional projects whenever time allows. In 2011, my desire to keep myself occupied with a variety of career paths led me to start my own SPIN-farming business. Briefly, I rent urban plots of land from homeowners to grow regular and exotic crops in an environmentally-friendly manner. The produce is sold seasonally (May-October) at the Saskatoon Farmers’ Market. I am now planning to expand my career into the realm of academic writing in my areas of expertise.

Since the age of five, I have been a voracious reader. Possessing English as my native language, I kept myself occupied by reading classical and modern English literature. I was consistently at the top of my English classes in high school. My love for the English language combined with my passion for gardening, farming, plants and the environment, inducing me to seek education in agriculture & plant science. The combination of six years’ worth of university studies, three years of employment as a researcher and two years of employment as a freelancer has honed my academic writing skills to the point where it is natural for me to seek the next step – freelance writing. My position as a research assistant provides me access to a wide variety of academic journals. I am also an information junkie with respect to various scientific topics, which makes me particularly adept at writing in the subject areas of earth & atmospheric sciences, biology, chemistry, and of course the agricultural sciences. I received consistently high scores on my academic essays in university, even before I had gained my aforementioned experience. Therefore, I consider myself a fine addition to your writing team and will be pleased to write on a fairly wide variety of science topics at the high school, bachelor’s and master’s level. My philosophy is that a thorough and well-written academic paper depends on three factors: an experienced and knowledgeable writer, sufficient time, and sufficient pay.