Finding Myself Between Cacti in Mexico

Stefan de Folter

Every now and then, there are moments in life when you pause to think about all the good things that have happened. It is in those moments that one can become aware of how fast time flies. One moment you are a trainee worrying about the future, and with a blink of an eye, you are a faculty member with a great family and a backyard with cacti! I am thankful for the success I have enjoyed in my career thus far – having more than half a hundred of papers, and even a handshake with the president of Mexico for receiving a national research award given by the Mexican Academy of Sciences (AMC). Sometimes I am asked: what is the secret? The quick answer I could give without much thinking is that it is just work. However, is that all it takes?

Let me take you on my journey in science.

As a kid already interested in plants, I did my undergraduate studies in Plant Biotechnology at Van Hall Larenstein University of Applied Sciences in the Netherlands where I finished in 1998. In the last year of my studies, I worked in a plant molecular biology lab at the Plant Research International Research Institute (nowadays part of Wageningen University & Research) in the Netherlands. I worked on analyzing Arabidopsis mutants, cloning and mapping a gene of interest – still without a genome sequence – making transgenic plants, doing some microscopy, and all the other things you could do to study a gene. After graduating, I was asked to stay a few months more. This happened a couple of extra times till I finally got my permanent contract.

Good or bad?

I am convinced it was good. However, my backpack that was ready to travel the world stayed in my closet. I started to work on the involvement of transcription factors in flower development. After several years watching PhD students pass through the lab, I too wanted to start my own PhD research in the hopes of working on a functional genomics project on all MADS-box transcription factors of Arabidopsis.

Stefan de Folter

At the end of 2005 – when my PhD dissertation was under review by the reading committee – I did a short academic stay at the national university (UNAM) in Mexico City. The opportunity gave me a chance to experience Mexico from the scientific side. Beforehand, I only knew the country from prior holiday travel because my wife is Mexican and is also a scientist. We had met years before at work in Wageningen transforming Arabidopsis plants. Coming back from my short academic stay in Mexico, I defended my PhD thesis in 2006. After a one year postdoc in the same lab in Wageningen, I was offered the opportunity to start my own lab in 2007 in Mexico at a new research institute called LANGEBIO. The institute was part of the national research center called CINVESTAV-IPN. Surprisingly, I was given this opportunity without me speaking any Spanish!

Being a research professor is not a 9-5 job. The work is never finished and there is always the next question. That is the fun of doing science.

Okay, it was me who liked the adventure, and of course, a Mexican spouse makes the difference. In fact, we started the lab together! She now runs her own lab. So, I was excited to finally get the chance to use that backpack stored in my closet and to learn Spanish! Many ask what Mexico is like. The simple answer is that Mexico is great! I make it a point to enjoy the good things and not focus on the bad things which you can find anywhere one lives. Yes, there are differences: culture, organizational structures, climate, food (really nice!)… Well, reagents have a tendency to arrive late, or sometimes not at all. You learn to plan and be creative, and sometimes you have to be a bit more patient. There are many talented students as well as leading research centers and universities. Though, I think that it would be good and important that more money be made available for science in Mexico.

Nowadays, I think the modern busy life style of many people does not permit much time to think deeply. Often, we do not take the time to think about what we really want and articulating important questions in our lives. For trainees in science, it is crucial to find good mentors who will help you think deeply about important biological questions whose answers will lead to the generation of new knowledge. Moreover, trainees need to also think deeply about how they want to use their science in  starting a lab, a postdoc position, being a representative of a company, founding a company, teaching, or even becoming a politician? There are many possibilities that science offers. One is not better than the other. It is a personal decision. Personally, my idea was to stay at the bench; though, after a few years, I changed my opinion and started my PhD research with the work I was already doing. Finally, the daily job changed from the bench to the desk. Do I regret it? No, not a single day.

How do you choose a lab? How do you build a career in science? Choosing a lab is important from the beginning. It matters as early as during your undergraduate studies. This is especially important when the plan is to stay in academia. How many articles are published per year by the lab, what type of articles, in which scientific journals, lab composition (students vs. postdocs), lab atmosphere, lab reputation, professor’s expectations, and so much more. There are a lot of things to take into account. On the other hand, when I started my undergraduate thesis work, I did not really know all this. I made my decision mostly based on that I liked the field of work and the place. Sometimes, this is enough. When I started the PhD in the same lab, I already knew the lab for several years, and I had no doubt that I was in the right place.

Being a research professor is not a 9-5 job. The work is never finished and there is always the next question. That is the fun of doing science. If you think that is not fun, reconsider whether this is the path for you. When starting a scientific career – particularly referring to graduate students – it is not the hours in the lab that make the difference. When possible, produce results for more than one article, even if your dream is to put all the results in one article for one of the big journals out there, because it would still only be one article. To be competitive, you need to have a good number of articles on your CV. That is the unfortunate reality of the scientific enterprise: publish or perish. Of course, it matters where your articles are published.  As such, a balance in quantity and quality is useful. The magic number does not exist. But again, it is important to remember that science offers multiple avenues for you to find your own meaning and purpose. Academia is just one pathway.

What about collaborations? Collaborations can be very fruitful. Though, one has to very selective. Many times, the best collaborations are based on long friendships, trust, respect, and honesty. I have been lucky to have found great collaborators, with my wife being my favorite collaborator. Coming back, so what are some secrets for success in science? Preparation, persistence, support, some luck, taking advantage of opportunities, hard-work, finding good mentors…. and having fun along the way. As you advance in the career, remember to treat people like how you would like to be treated.

Cover Image by rawpixel from Pixabay