An illustration of a man teaching a class from inside a box, with text: How I got over my fear of teaching
"Looking back, saying 'yes' to teaching was one of the most transformative decisions of my career. It didn’t just make me a better educator; it made me a better scientist." #ScienceWorkingLife https://scim.ag/4sE0Dk4
An illustration of a man in a hospital bed imagining himself in a lab. Text is: How opening up about being a cancer survivor reshaped my Ph.D. journey.
"Being a survivor doesn’t make me a better scientist, but it shapes how I think about my science." #ScienceWorkingLife https://scim.ag/4sPrusQ
An illustration of a person sitting at a desk looking at a face on a laptop screen and a couple people. Hedline is, "Why I may ‘hire’ AI instead of a graduate student."
"In our culture, preferring an algorithm to a trainee feels like a betrayal of the academic mission." #ScienceWorkingLife https://scim.ag/4bjmEwT
An illustration of scientists working in a field, with text: Why we should look beyond grades to spot potential in STEM
"… watching these students, I am reminded how transformative that moment can be when someone finally sees in you what you could not yet see in yourself." #ScienceWorkingLife https://scim.ag/46GFzAr
An illustration of a man in the sky above a town with email addresses around him, with text: When I lost my university email, my identity as a scientist took an unexpected hit
"Losing my institutional email address felt like losing a small but vital piece of the scientist I had become." #ScienceWorkingLife https://scim.ag/3OGpS67
An illustration of a person talking to a crowd of people with green, yellow, and red faces. Hedline is: "I wasn’t sure students were grasping my lessons—so I devised an experiment."
"The broader lesson is that science communication, like science, thrives on evidence and awareness." #ScienceWorkingLife https://scim.ag/4rnF4n7
An illustration of a man speaking at a podium in front of a group, with another person sitting inside the podium. The headline is: Staff scientists shouldn’t feel invisible. We deserve more voice
“We’re all valuable cogs in the system.” #ScienceWorkingLife https://scim.ag/4aBvber
A conceptual illustration of multiple people looking to center, with conversation bubbles with baby and academic related drawings inside. Hedline is: As women in academia, having children can feel impossible. Talking about it makes us feel less alone
"The academic structure … makes planning for a family feel like an impossible luxury."
In this #ScienceWorkingLife, two postdocs share how, as women in academia, having children can feel impossible—and how talking about it makes them feel less alone. https://scim.ag/46uBWgD #WomenInScienceDay
An illustration of a woman with a child-shaped hole in her body standing across the river from a child. The hedline is: How a research trip helped me overcome separation anxiety as a new mother
"If you’re a parent dreading the first experiment or conference abroad, my best advice is what I was told: The hardest part is often thinking about going." #ScienceWorkingLife https://scim.ag/4bzRGTb
An illustration of a woman talking to other people with a cloud of bright colored symbols behind her. The headline is: I needed a culture shift in my lab. I’m grateful one student spoke up
"… I realized that an environment where people would feel free to share their thoughts with me and think creatively, regardless of the power hierarchy, was exactly what I wanted in my lab." #ScienceWorkingLife https://scim.ag/4adQwdQ
An illustration of a man pulling a large clock behind him, with the hedline: How chasing a high-impact publication nearly broke me
"… I have come to appreciate that success isn’t solely a matter of high-impact papers or the steep climb up the academic ladder. For me, it now means tracing my own path, one that is sustainable and isn’t defined by what others expect of me." #ScienceWorkingLife https://scim.ag/4abAzWo
An illustration of a woman sitting at a desk with smaller chairs lined up behind her talking to someone standing across from her. Hedline is: As a new assistant dean, I felt out of my depth—until I looked to my past for guidance
"… I wish I could tell my grad school self it’s OK to feel out of your depth; even deans can feel that way." #ScienceWorkingLife https://scim.ag/45KrQYK
An illustration of a man at a podium talking to people in different towers, with the hedline: What business school taught me about running a research lab
"… what I took from the MBA wasn’t a corporate playbook—it was a mindset. It taught me to view the lab as a dynamic organization whose success depends as much on trust, motivation, and leadership as on technical expertise." #ScienceWorkingLife https://scim.ag/4swOBJz
An illustration of a man walking through a bubble quote. Hedline is: I almost quit my Ph.D. A lab mate gave me the confidence to continue
"I didn’t know how I was going to make it through my studies. But amid my struggles, a caring colleague said something that would forever shape my approach to science and mentoring." #ScienceWorkingLife https://scim.ag/4aG4JSw
An illustration of researchers turned into fish, with text: I thought imposter syndrome caused my Ph.D. struggles. I was wrong
"Why did I act embarrassed about something that had finally given me the passionate spark I had been looking for in science?"
Check out one of our top #ScienceWorkingLife essays of 2025: https://scim.ag/4jr2yok
"I still remember the first morning I biked to university in Copenhagen, the February air reddening my cheeks. I was thrilled to be on an exchange semester overseas, but I saw it as just a detour from my imagined career
Check out one of our top #ScienceWorkingLife essays of 2025: scim.ag/3YH0vTm
An illustration of a man walking out of a dark, paper-filled world into a bright, colorful one. With text: I thought science hinged on prestige. Moving abroad made me reassess my priorities
"I was thrilled to be on an exchange semester overseas, but I saw it as just a detour from my imagined career path. I didn’t realize I was already pedaling toward a different life ..."
Check out one of our top #ScienceWorkingLife essays of 2025: https://scim.ag/3Y573en
More details on each paper will follow in the new year.
For now, it’s time to wind down & celebrate the festive season.
Wishing everyone a restful break and a great 2026! 🎄🥳 🥂
#research #PhD #Science #ScienceWorkingLife #NewYear 🧪🏃♂️🦴💪
An illustration of a woman carrying a big clock. The hedline is: I was a ‘go, go, go’ academic. A fellowship abroad transformed my approach
"Productivity, I’ve come to see, is not measured only by research papers and grants. It is also sustained by presence, rest, and the relationships that give meaning to the work." #ScienceWorkingLife https://scim.ag/3KNJ1Bm
An illustration of people writing on papers, with text: Academic writing was a struggle—until I formed a peer group with other graduate students
"Having someone beside me changed everything. It was a means to ensure accountability." #ScienceWorkingLife https://scim.ag/4rFa7LM
An illustration of a man standing in water that comes up to his neck surrounded by fish, with text: I dropped out of high school. Now, I’m living my dream as a fish scientist
"No one should be made to feel inferior or that they do not belong in science because of their origins." #ScienceWorkingLife https://scim.ag/48JF6Pg
An illustration of a woman at a laptop with hair covering one eye, Why I stopped hiding my disability as a Ph.D. student
“The fear I had of being seen as weak was overshadowed by the warmth I received.” #IDPWD #ScienceWorkingLife https://scim.ag/4rv2gjJ
The 100 Hour Rule
Professionals love dramatic overnight turnaround stories.
Eighteen minutes a day. One skill, practiced on the margins of a busy life. It stacks.
What could you master if you gave it just 18 minutes a day?
#Discipline #ScienceWorkingLife
An illustration of a woman wearing an axolotl costume in front of an audience, with text: Embracing my silly side makes me a better scientist. I wish I’d done it sooner
"In the end, I have come to realize that being authentic at work is not a weakness, but rather a strength." #ScienceWorkingLife https://scim.ag/49B7hRv
An illustration of a man carrying a laptop climbing up stairs with people underneath them, with text: As an international scholar, my academic dreams belong to my family, too
"Looking back, that season taught me lessons I’ll hold forever. I learned to ask for help without shame and lean on my support system of friends and classmates. Most importantly, I learned to keep sight of why I came here in the first place." #ScienceWorkingLife https://scim.ag/49lcqwR
An illustration of a man giving a woman a door, with text: How I balanced my Ph.D. research with opening doors for others.
"In the face of these challenges, I felt more strongly than ever that I should help open doors for others."
In this #ScienceWorkingLife, Edgar Virguez writes about working to make academia more inclusive while balancing #PhD research. https://scim.ag/3WRLJIL #InternationalStudentsDay
An illustration of several hands writing on the same piece of paper, with text: How I recovered from a collaboration gone wrong
"After 16 years in academia, I’ve become more selective about collaboration. It remains a joy and a blessing, but I’ve also learned how quickly 'we' can turn wicked." #ScienceWorkingLife https://scim.ag/43ibPrT
An illustration of a man sitting at a desk in front of a crowd, with the hedline: Transitioning to ‘emeritus professor’ wasn’t always easy. Here’s how I adjusted.
"For me, success in retirement has involved mapping out a realistic plan that is both enjoyable and academically fulfilling." #ScienceWorkingLife https://scim.ag/47iicOq
An illustration of a woman holding a heart with the date June 19 on it. Hedline is: Being a Black scientist can be lonely. Juneteenth helped me find myself
"Juneteenth represents historical freedom, and I’ve finally found my freedom to fully exist as myself." #ScienceWorkingLife https://scim.ag/47so6Lu
