Most senior mining executives at Rio and BHP attended the same universities, meet at the same conferences and have spent their careers working in areas where both companies operate, like the Pilbara.
From the field of 25 in 1974, the NCAA tournament expanded to 64 participants in 1985, to 65 in 2001, and to 68 in 2011 (corresponding "play-in games" were added in 2001 and 2011), including not only conference championship teams but other outstanding teams from the same conferences as well.
It makes sense, for example, to ask professors within a field to rate others in their field: they read one another's work, attend the same conferences, and hire one another's graduate students, so they have real knowledge on which to base an opinion.
In a similar vein, being a part of a scientific couple is more than just working in the same building or attending the same conferences.
Industry researchers graduate from the same doctoral programs that generate academic researchers, belong to the same scientific societies, attend the same conferences, publish in the same journals, and register with the same patent office.
Indeed, academics in diabetes or cardiovascular research are likely to attend the same conferences and belong to the same networks as do researchers from hospitals, research organisations, and companies, so they should be able to help you identify potential opportunities.
