Science and the Crooked Path
Emily Schoerning is a benchtop researcher turned education specialist. Raised in a working-class family on a diet of Isaac Asimov, she decided she would become a scientist when she was nine years old. She stuck to her plan, defending her...
You’re the Surgeon?
Dr. Qaali Hussein: "Despite my academic standing and extracurricular activities, my pursuit of surgery has always been received as an improbable endeavor. A hijab wearing Muslim girl was nobody’s idea of what a surgeon should be. And when I did...
Debugging The Girl Code: My Journey in Computer Science and Confidence
Anagha Krishnan: Days later, my mind was reeling. How could she say something like that? My mother, who couldn’t attend the conference with me, was very angry when she heard the story. “That’ is absolutely ridiculous,” she said, “You can...
The PhD Delusion
My parents were still on cloud nine about their daughter having finished a PhD at a highly-ranked university, doing ground-breaking research on cystic fibrosis. They were talking about it as if I had been on a wonderful, noble mission which...
Taking a Multidisciplinary Approach to Learning
Johnathan Yeo: I was amazed at the depths that biology could go. There was so much more to learn, discover and connect. Again, I learned by forming links between areas such biology and chemistry.
How My PhD Training is Empowering Me
Teresa Ambrosio: "I wasn’t aware I was suffering from depression for so long and I blamed chemistry for missing out on all the other aspects of life. I suddenly realized that my whole world was my 1x2 square meter desk...
Eureka! My Path to Studying the Epigenome
Bo Xia is a Ph.D. candidate at NYU School of Medicine. He is co-mentored by Dr. Itai Yanai and Dr. Jef Boeke. Bo is fascinated by the nature of the genome. He uses novel single-cell and spatial-resolved transcriptomics to study...
Positivity in the Face of Setbacks: My Developing Journey in Science
Saumya Menon - Motherhood is a full time job. My family is my priority but I continue to yearn for the day when I will get the opportunity to continue my journey pursuing a career in research. I am confident...
A Science Outreach Story
Claudia Gisela Willmes - I enjoyed helping students understand the importance of animal research and to challenge their assumptions about the kind of experiments that scientists conduct.
My Kaleidoscopic Journey in Science
If you observe carefully, you’ll find a similar pattern in science and life. Both teach you the same lessons. The lessons that you learn from science help you solve problems in life as well.
The Humbug Scientist
Camille McIntyre: No research, animal care, education, or science anything occupation seemed to want me. Internships didn’t want me, not even for free. Retail stores didn’t seem to want me either. My period of unemployment made me question everything about...
A PhD in a Pageant Gown: On Fear, Growth & Defining Success
Dr. Vania Cao is the Commercial Programs Lead at Inscopix Inc. She is a neuroscientist, writer, business consultant and Founder of Free the PhD, a career transition platform supporting fellow PhDs to land a job and life they'll love outside...
Building My Research Lab in India
Dr. Dileep Vasudevan: What I have learned from my experience is that one needs to have immense amount of patience and perseverance to survive in academic research. The little moments of happiness that come in between times of failures should be...
A Journey in Science as a Dentist for Everyone
Dr. Nicholas Gordon: "As I look back over my journey in science, I realize that at each step of the way, I had friends and family who encouraged me as challenges arose."
How Science Hobbies Shaped My Life
To me, science isn’t just about discovering new theories and laws. It’s also about engaging in a deeper way with our world through intuition, observation, and formal education.
Tell the Negative Committee to Shut Up
Tell the negative committee that meets inside your head to sit down and shut up
What Do You Want to be When You Grow Up?
The good thing about hitting rock bottom is that the only option left is to emerge. And that's what I did.
How to Create a Supportive Space for Scientists to Share Stories of Struggles
To test out these hypotheses, Shaina Lu, a graduate student in Tony Zador’s lab, had an idea: why don’t we hold an “open mic night” for people to share stories of struggles and setbacks in a safe, supportive, and respectful...
Science and Hope
Far from finding understanding for my passion for science, I found scientists who tried to discourage me. Each "no" was another incentive to work harder and show them that my passion was greater than their negative comments.
Inspiring Quotes in Science
A collection of inspirational quotes in science from around the world.
A New Beginning: From Bench to Boardroom
When I began my PhD, I was quite certain that I would pursue a research career. But unlike most of my classmates, I was set on going into industry rather than academia.
What Keeps Me Ticking
Besides a few of my teachers, I didn’t know any scientists; I didn’t even know what a PhD was. To be honest, I had no clue what I was getting into. However, the same stubbornness that had made me throw...
Science is Sharing Cups of Tea
How does one learn to lead? One learns to lead organically by watching penguins, spending days together at sea, having critical conversations, and sharing cups of tea. Because, science, belief in ourselves and others, and caring should flow and be...
Can You Ever Escape Your Personal and Scientific Bubbles?
I’ve wanted desperately from early on to have a straightforward path. I imagined that everyone knew what they were supposed to be doing professionally, and that they were surely great at it. Everyone but me. I always thought that I...
No Place Like Home
The journey to where I am in life right now has been filled with twists and turns. I have met many amazing people along the way who have shaped who I am and helped direct my passion for science. My...
From Bug Barns to Morse Code
When I was seven or eight years old, my parents asked me what I wanted for my birthday. I thought real hard and then confidently stated, “I want either a diamond or a bug barn.” I collected bugs in that...
Moments: My Daughter’s Journey in Science as a Father
People always ask me how my daughter Amoy got into science. My first thought typically: "Is there an actual event that I can pinpoint?" Was there one particular thing I could isolate and say, "this was the moment." There were definitely several defining moments I can think back to. Moments like...
Warm Waters and White Sand Beaches: My Journey Studying Human Impacts on the Ocean
I am a climate scientist, with one foot in the modern ocean trying to understand impacts on California species and ecosystems, and one foot in the past, probing the paleoclimate world for lessons we can learn.