-
Recent Posts
- How do THEY do it all? June 25, 2019
- Book Club – The Autobiography of a Transgender Scientist April 29, 2019
- How to welcome a new person to your department March 29, 2019
- I Am Not an Easy Man March 21, 2019
- Navigating lab in a wheelchair March 13, 2019
See posts in these categories
academia a day in the life advice alternative career biotech bosses broken dreams confidence dream job early career scientist female scientist flexibility having it all industry job search Leaving Academia motherhood new job pharma postdoc research role models sexism strengths and weaknesses support teaching transitions Uncategorized uncertainty women in scienceArchives
Author Archives: ragamuffinphd
The Three-Postdoc Postdoc
This new year, I will be starting a new job. Sort of. This will be my third postdoc in as many years. Because my first mentor left the institution one year after I started (coinciding with the birth of my … Continue reading
Posted in academia, confidence, Laboratory, motherhood, postdoc, Women in STEM
Leave a comment
Justifying your time
In assessing my mental state over the 8 months that I have been in this new postdoc position, I have observed a trend. It’s not good. I spend a great deal of mental energy — from the time I drop … Continue reading
The Six Month Postdoc Evaluation
I started an academic postdoc position 6 months ago, as a new mom reeling partly from maternity leave and partly from the conditions of leaving my previous postdoc. When I started this position, I wrote about how terrified and isolated … Continue reading
Motherhood has changed my perspective on my career
Motherhood has changed my perspective on my career. (gasp!) During graduate school, everyone told me that this would be a bad thing. It would be a sign of failure if growing a family altered my career objectives. I have decided … Continue reading
Posted in academia, alternative career, efficiency, motherhood, postdoc, women in science
Leave a comment
New Mom in a New Job
I had no idea what to expect during my first week back to work after maternity leave at a brand new job. Just before my son was born, I landed a new academic postdoc position after being ousted from my … Continue reading
Posted in academia, female scientist, motherhood, new job, postdoc
1 Comment
New Year, New Job, New Working Mom: My First Week
Whose idea was it to start baby’s daycare and mom’s new job on the same day? I have been a mom for 4 months. My son has been through two surgeries, chronic issues with cranial helmet therapy, gone from remarkably … Continue reading
Posted in academia, female scientist, motherhood, new job, postdoc, Uncategorized
Leave a comment
When Your Pregnancy is a Job Hunt, or The Amazing Community of Women in Science Part II
Several months ago, I wrote about the experience of being 5 months pregnant and told that my postdoctoral mentor was leaving our institution. This was my chance to leave my oppressive pit of a working environment without burning any bridges. … Continue reading
When Your Postdoc Mentor Switches Institutions, or The Amazing Community of Women in Science
I am 9 months into my first postdoc. I am 6 months pregnant. I will be unemployed two days after my son is due to be born. One month ago, my postdoc mentor announced that he has accepted an incredible … Continue reading
A Tale of Three Labs: Reflections on Environment Dynamics
Sticking to the scenario in which I am a fish, I’d like to reflect on having been a variably sized fish in various sizes of pond… and learning to swim in corresponding tides. In this metaphor, ponds have tides. Before … Continue reading
Posted in academia, advice, Laboratory, postdoc
Leave a comment
A Portrait of the Scientist as a Young Woman 