Category Archives: support

Book Club – The Autobiography of a Transgender Scientist

Posted on April 29, 2019 by SweetScience

Ben Barres was a remarkable scientist – a modern-day giant who will undoubtedly be remembered in the field of neuroscience as a pioneer in uncovering the critical role of glia. He will also be remembered as a powerful proponent for … Continue reading →

Posted in Book Club, bosses, change, diversity, early career scientist, female scientist, LGBT, memoir, mentoring, research, role models, sexism, support, women in science, work-life balance | Leave a comment

How to welcome a new person to your department

Posted on March 29, 2019 by SweetScience

I recently went to a fun dinner party with a few colleagues from my new department, and I’d estimate that about half the faculty know me by name if they see me in the halls, which is pretty good… except … Continue reading →

Posted in academia, advice, early career scientist, empathy, Environment, mentoring, new job, support | Leave a comment

When should details of misconduct be made public?

Posted on March 23, 2018 by SweetScience

Amid the #metoo movement, we have seen extreme publicity of the Hollywood allegations of sexual misconduct, including the shocking and sensational details revealed by victims coming forward. We have seen some spread of this movement and publicity to other arenas … Continue reading →

Posted in #metoo, academia, conflict, misconduct, Public, public image, sexism, support, women in science, Women in STEM | 1 Comment

Writing your own letter of recommendation

Posted on August 23, 2017 by SweetScience

In response to a recent post, a reader asked for advice on writing a letter of recommendation – specifically for oneself! Yes, for better or worse, “minor fraud” and ethics aside for this post, this is very common and important … Continue reading →

Posted in academia, advice, bosses, finishing postdoctoral training, graduate school, job search, mentoring, postdoc, professional, research, strengths and weaknesses, support, uncertainty | 1 Comment

Feedback on job applications

Posted on July 17, 2017 by SweetScience

My partner and I applied separately for a number of Assistant Professor positions last year. We both had varying degrees of success at different institutions that really showed us where we stood in terms of what kinds of institutions were … Continue reading →

Posted in academia, advice, early career scientist, finishing postdoctoral training, gratitude, Interview, job search, lack of jobs, mentoring, postdoc, strengths and weaknesses, support | 1 Comment

I’m pregnant YAY!!! Now what?!

Posted on February 20, 2017 by Curiouser&Curiouser

Long time readers of this blog may know that my husband and I have been trying to get pregnant for many years. Well, it finally worked!!! I’m now 31 weeks along and we are beyond excited. We had our babyshower the … Continue reading →

Posted in biotech, bosses, female scientist, flexibility, motherhood, part time work, pharma, support, women in science | Tagged , , | 4 Comments

Dual-body career planning

Posted on October 24, 2016 by SweetScience

The ‘dual-body problem’ gets a bad rap in academia. It’s seen as a major difficulty even though virtually all couples with at least one career in academia, and many other fields, have the same basic issue to deal with. This … Continue reading →

Posted in academia, advice, dream job, early career scientist, flexibility, having it all, job search, support, uncertainty | 1 Comment

Are you prepared to deal with chronic illness?

Posted on October 6, 2016 by SweetScience

I could probably count on one hand the number of sick days I’ve used in my adult life before this year. I figured that would change when I had a baby, either to stay home with a sick kid or … Continue reading →

Posted in academia, advice, flexibility, Illness, part time work, postdoc, support, uncertainty, vulnerability | Leave a comment

Do the same rules apply to all genders as mentors?

Posted on July 11, 2016 by SweetScience

Image source: http://zap2it.com/2015/01/parks-and-recreation-leslie-knope-feminist-goddess/ I have great summer student. She was a student of mine at my previous institution and came to do research in my current lab for her summer internship. On her first day I was really busy and … Continue reading →

Posted in advice, bosses, female scientist, mentoring, role models, sexism, support, women in science | Leave a comment

Listen to yourself

Posted on April 25, 2016 by SweetScience

For the last six months I’ve been co-facilitating a peer mentoring group for postdocs, a group initiated by our postdoctoral affairs office. We’re seven people, all in some kind of biomedical research, but not necessarily with the same career goals. The … Continue reading →

Posted in academia, advice, alternative career, dream job, flexibility, job search, strengths and weaknesses, support | 1 Comment