Category Archives: confidence

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

On Rejection

On Rejection 4 months ago I sit here at my computer in my kitchen, wearing PJs and surrounded by Kleenex stained black with mascara. I came home sick from work, so the multitude of Kleenex are saturated with a combination … Continue reading

Posted in alternative career, confidence, dream job, job search | 7 Comments

The hardest semester of my life

Don’t worry, this post isn’t a complaint. I had the hardest semester of my life but I got something great out of it. I started a new job this fall – one of my top-choice careers, at one of my … Continue reading

Posted in academia, alternative career, confidence, dream job, early career scientist, education, finishing postdoctoral training, flexibility, gratitude, happiness, Illness, letting go, new job, no regrets, part time work, strengths and weaknesses, teaching, transitions, uncertainty | 2 Comments

Gender exclusive STEM education?

This summer I enrolled my 6-year old daughter in a math camp exclusive to girls, “Girls Rock Math.” I knew about the existence of the camp before my daughter was old enough to enroll, and this year as she became … Continue reading

Posted in confidence, diversity, education, female scientist, sexism, Uncategorized, Women in STEM | Leave a comment

Job Interview Questions

When I was first interviewing for jobs I got the question “what are your career goals?”  The question was something I had given a lot of thought to but I’d never actually transferred these ideas into an interview appropriate answer … Continue reading

Posted in academia, advice, alternative career, biotech, communication styles, confidence, dream job, industry, industry vs academia, Interview, job search, new job, pharma, postdoc, presenting, professional, start up, transitions | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

A year of saying NO

I didn’t plan it that way, it just happened. I realized a couple months ago when I took on a few new things, that I had pointedly avoided taking on anything new or extra for over a year – since … Continue reading

Posted in academia, confidence, flexibility, happiness, having it all, letting go, motherhood, no regrets, pause, postdoc, transitions | 1 Comment

Why I’m Hopeful

Today, it is easy to be discouraged about the state of the world. On NPR today, I heard about the hunger crisis. Yesterday, I talked to a P.I. at a large research institution in despair about the proposed budget and … Continue reading

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Resolution Revisit

http://www.unilad.co.uk/video/john-oliver-perfectly-explains-why-2016-is-so-awful/ At the  beginning of this year we here at Portrait of the Scientist made resolutions for ourselves for 2016. Here is how  reality lived up to those goals. Peírama: My goals were to gain confidence and enjoy the ride. Over … Continue reading

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Take the good and leave the rest

I took a postdoc with a intense advisor because I wanted to be tougher. I had a great grad school experience with a great mentor. I worried that, although I felt strong from this experience, perhaps I felt this way … Continue reading

Posted in academia, confidence, criticism | 2 Comments

Mission Statement

There is so much that I love about my career as a Research Scientist in BioTech. I love the creativity and intellectual stimulation, the teamwork and independence, the opportunity to apply expertise but always keep improving and learning, and I … Continue reading

Posted in alternative career, biotech, confidence, dream job, early career scientist, female scientist, flexibility, happiness, industry, job search, no regrets, pause, resolution, strengths and weaknesses, women in science | Leave a comment