On innovation, and building and sustaining a successful career in research

Innovation and the generation of new knowledge are fundamental research goals. As such, proficiency in these areas is essential to becoming a successful researcher. Yet, although a principal goal of graduate school is to train students to become effective researchers, innovation is seldom explicitly discussed. The goal of this article is to fill this gap. Specifically, I provide some insights into the process of innovation and suggest activities that may help to increase one's capacity for innovative thought, and ultimately, help build a successful, sustained career in research.