|
||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||
Hello Nature Index readers, This week, we explore key challenges faced by researchers, particularly those early in their career. From the heart-pumping stress of defending a dissertation to managing responsibilities in a work-from-home environment and knowing how to stand out in large teams, these pressures can make or break a researcher. Coming up with innovative ways to provide support and ensure equity has never been more important. Also this week, the autism research paper that caused a stir due to language choice. |
||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||
A physical chemist tracked their heart rate as they defended their dissertation, and the results, while perhaps not surprising, are fascinating. Recorded using an Apple Watch, the peaks and valleys of their heart rate tell the story of what is, for many PhD candidates, one of the biggest challenges of their career. The researcher has published additional graphs on Reddit, which show their heart rate during their PhD comprehensive exam, and when they presented their research during a fourth-year PhD seminar. | ||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||
Managing time effectively is a challenge at the best of times, let alone during a pandemic. It may simply be too hard for many people forced to juggle working from home with caregiving and even schooling responsibilities. That creates the risk of not just career damage but of wiping out a generation of women from the scientific workforce, along with all their gains. "Ten simple rules for women principal investigators during a pandemic" published in PLOS Computational Biology, was written to help reduce that risk. The article grew out of an online group for women PIs in biomedical engineering; one of their suggestions is to find a peer group of women for professional support. The authors also urge female PIs to push back against the myth of being able to work as well as or better than before the pandemic. "When you hear statements such as 'Everyone is writing more grants now' and 'Since we have more time, let’s have a virtual conference about this topic', it’s more than OK to push back that this is not your reality, regardless of the reason." |
||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||
You have been sent this email because you have signed up to receive the Nature Index newsletter. You can unsubscribe from the newsletter at any time. Nature | The Springer Nature Campus, 4 Crinan Street, London, N1 9XW, United Kingdom Nature | Shiroyama Trust Tower 5F, 4-3-1 Toranomon, Minato-ku, Tokyo, Japan Nature Research, part of Springer Nature. © 2020 Springer Nature Limited. All rights reserved. |