Research lives and cultures

Dr Sarah Brooks is a senior lecturer in Organisational Behaviour in the Management School at The University of Sheffield. Sarah combines coaching in her work, in different ways.  She is teaching undergraduate students to gain thinking tools for career development planning, and she integrates coaching into her research portfolio, for example, with a project using coaching as a route to voice, for individuals who have experienced sexual harassment. Sarah has also built a private coaching practice called Powerful Dreaming.  Sarah’s entry into academic work came after several years working in the corporate sector as a management consultant. She was disillusioned working in this environment and started a part-time course in Psychology at the Open University. This course opened her awareness that developing people was central to her interests. She pursued this with a Master’s in Psychology. It was during this early period of uncertainty about the kind of career to pursue next that she experienced a coaching conversation. This early conversation helped her navigate her career decisions.Even though she returned to consultancy work after her Master’s, she trained in coaching skills whilst still a consultant and later continued with a formal coaching qualification and accreditation. Her combined interest in coaching and developing people led her to undertake a PhD on voice and silences in upward communication in the workplace.Sarah has chosen to align her academic role with her growing interest in coaching. Instead of splitting these two parts of her life and professional identity, she has found a way of bringing coaching as a core anchor that underpins everything she does.She describes that it felt bold and daring to have coaching as a visible anchor in her academic focus. She started to talk to other people about this integration of coaching and academic research. Hearing others share that her integration was thought-provoking helped her build confidence that this integration made sense. Interestingly, her research thread over the years has been about finding voice. This integration of her coaching into her academic work has been about finding her own authentic voice and research niche, as an academic. Listening to our conversation will prompt your thinking: How coaching conversations at critical career junctures can help ease decisions and transitionHow to bring together different parts of yourself to build your research niche and your authentic voice as an academicHow coaching skills can be woven into so many levels in academic lives More on Sarah: https://sheffield.ac.uk/management/people/academic-staff/wp/sarah-brooks

Prof. Jenny Clark is a Materials Physics research leader in the School of Mathematical and Physical Sciences at The University of Sheffield. Jenny has sailed the fellowship boat to build her research career while putting her family as one of her priorities. She is an example to showcase that whilst no one can ever “do it all”, researchers with parenting responsibilities can progress in science and protect their family time.Listening to our conversation will prompt your thinking:What are the boundaries between work and other parts of your life that you want to reassess and work on?What could be more in control/ feeling more balanced look like for you?What are you prepared to push away/ say no to/ accept not to be involved in to reclaim a sense of control?Read the full blogpost:https://tesselledevelopment.com/research-lives-and-cultures/jenny-clark

Dr Phil Elks is a Senior Research Fellow in the School of Medicine and Population Health at The University of Sheffield. His research career has been dedicated to using Zebrafish as a model to study human diseases. Being part of a vibrant community using this animal model has shaped his career.Listening to our conversation will prompt your thinking:How spotting small funding opportunities is part of shifting towards research independenceWhat informal opportunities may you consider to construct your leadership developmentWhat could be your best recruitment strategy for building your teamRead the full blog post here:tesselledevelopment.com/research-lives-and-cultures/phil-elks

Dr Cariad Evans is a virology consultant for the NHS, as well as an infectious diseases specialist. After a period of working in Africa, Cariad returned to the UK to work as a consultant.  A corridor conversation with a senior colleague kick-started her engagement in doing research via an MD. The recent pandemics have been fertile grounds to contribute to research, as well as impact national policy decisions.Listening to our conversation will prompt your thinking:Do you know your motivation and drive to stay involved in research post-PhD or MD once you return to full-time clinical practice or training?When looking at different formulas for keeping your research going- full clinical practice with research on the side, part-time clinical and part-time research or any other possible combinations, what feels most manageable, achievable or exciting?What is going to fuel your desire and interest to remain research-active: a brilliant collaborative team, the pressure to access research funding to answer challenging questions, a mentor who believes you are bringing a unique set of skills/ expertise and perspective, a topic that you feel passionate about addressing, and/or a drive to create systemic change?Read the full blog:https://tesselledevelopment.com/research-lives-and-cultures/cariad-evans

Deanne Bell is Associate Professor in Race, Education and Social Justice at the University of Birmingham. When I interviewed her, she was working at Nottingham Trent University as Associate Professor of Critical Psychology and Decolonial Studies. Her research has the potential to shift higher education towards an era where the colonial past is addressed, but first, it means “exposing and dismantling colonial systems of knowledge and exclusion.”Working in banking and playing tennis for Jamaica were early steps in Deanne’s professional life that could probably not predict the research that she is doing now. Her re-entry into academic life came about through master’s courses. Her sporting life and psychology background articulated her initial academic interest in performance psychology.She experienced a watershed moment when she encountered Frantz Fanon's seminal text, Black Skin, White Masks. Discovering and analysing this text meant opening the hidden literature of black scholars and intellectuals. This experience seems significant in the direction she started to pursue for her research. Deanne knows that being a black woman academic in a UK institution puts her in a limited pool of scholars. A recent report by the Women’s Higher Education Network indicates that in 2023, there were only 66 Black Women Professors in the UK out of 23,515 Professors (31% women). It can be hard to feel you belong when you remain one of the rare black woman academic scholar.Believing that you can progress your academic career to the next level can feel challenging when, by researching racism and coloniality, the opportunities to access research funding remain limited. Accessing research funding is one of the thresholds on the promotion academic career ladder. The limited chance of accessing research funding and the position of her work within the REF structures could make her progression even more challenging. However, this is not stopping her from doing work that she cares deeply about, and that has immense importance in challenging institutions.Deanne has been involved in several projects with Nottingham Trent University and the Wellcome trust to challenge the structures and framework that maintain a colonial past. This type of “gladiatorial” work is exhausting as it means battling on, and continuously having to justify the ongoing impact of our colonial past on institutional structures. The impact is not residual, it is at the core of how institutions function, educate, research, recruit and promote.Listening to our conversation will prompt your thinking:What do you see in your own institution that remains of a colonial past which continues to shape ways of working, policies, assessments etc. and is likely to impact researchers/ academics from minority backgrounds? If you have “white privilege”, how do you use your own voice to challenge practices and policies in your institution or even in your research group? Can you break out of the silence and not be a bystander when you see/hear racism or behaviours/ comments anchored in our colonial past?Read the whole blog post:https://tesselledevelopment.com/research-lives-and-cultures/deanne-bell

Professor Jo Richardson is Associate Dean of Research for Nottingham Business School at Nottingham Trent University and Professor of Housing & Social Inclusion. Her expertise on homelessness and methodological stance in co-production have created solid and value-based foundations for her leadership style. Jo’s career was not planned from the start as an academic career. She started as a housing practitioner working in the public sector, such as a national professional body, a housing association and a local authority. Eventually, Jo entered academia via the professional services route with a role as manager for a research centre. The encouragement of an empowering line manager enabled her to get involved in some teaching and join a part-time PhD.Her role at the time required her to gain consultancy funding to renew her year-long contracts. This was a strong motivator and excellent training for her to enter an academic role, as she was already devising different projects, accessing funding, and implementing delivery. She collaborated with multiple external stakeholders, so she built a deep understanding of knowledge exchange, getting her to grasp the ethos of the impact agenda early on.Her research niche developed from her early practitioner experiences and consultancy projects. Her passion and curiosity about the issue of homelessness had been fuelled early during a gap year as a student volunteering in New York for a homeless charity. This experience and later work as a practitioner anchored her interest in applied research, asking real-world questions that matter to society. Her grant capture strategy was one of “mixed economy”, relying on funding from many different sources. This allowed her to build a significant grant portfolio, and she became a Professor in 2014.Her next professional step meant stepping into more significant leadership shoes. Again, as with her initial line manager support to do a PhD, she was supported at this stage by the encouragement of peers and her head of department. She now sees her role as a university leader as contributing to the success of others – making them feel at home in the academic space – through working closely with early career researchers and embracing actions that support the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion agenda.Listening to our conversation will prompt your thinking:Where is your curiosity driving you in your research journey right now?If you trusted your “open-hearted curiosity”, where would this take you professionally? What are the gaps in your professional skills and portfolio?Read the full blog:

Dr Cristina Nostro is a Senior Scientist at the McEwen Stem Cell Institute at the University Health Network (UHN), a research hospital, as well as Associate Professor at the University of Toronto. She recalls challenges in demonstrating research independence.Cristina started her research career not taking no for an answer. As an undergraduate student in Florence (Italy), she had hoped to access the Erasmus programme. There had been strong links between her university and the University of Manchester. However, the programme had been stopped. She managed to challenge this change and created an opportunity that enabled her to go to the University of Manchester. She was encouraged by a professor from Florence to reach out to one of his collaborators. This led her to work in a research group in her spare time and the summer while on her Erasmus exchange; it allowed her to discover what doing research was about.After she finished her degree in Italy, she returned to the UK for a PhD at The University of Manchester. Her PhD then became a springboard for further research opportunities. She initially considered doing a Postdoc in Europe and was quickly offered a position.This first Postdoc offer built her confidence that she could indeed obtain a Postdoc. It allowed her the time to take a breather and consider more carefully what type of Postdoc she may want to do to optimise her research direction. Cristina realised this career stage was a turning point between different career directions. She also had a job offer for a position in a pharmaceutical company. Her family would have probably liked to see her return home. This can feel like being pulled in many directions. Conversations with peers and mentors were critical in convincing her that finding the right space to take her expertise mattered.The right space emerged in conversations with an academic she had met at a conference, followed by an interview and the courage to pester this academic to see a Postdoc opportunity manifests itself. Taking the first offer could have been easy, but having the patience to build a chance to be in the right space took persistence and self-belief.Listening to our conversation will prompt your thinking:How may cutting ties with your PI be needed, even when you would prefer not to, to demonstrate your independence?How supportive PIs invite Postdocs to build ownership of new research directions?What’s our role in getting others with less privilege the opportunity to discover the world of research?To read the whole blog post:https://tesselledevelopment.com/research-lives-and-cultures/cristina-nostro

Prof. Milica Radisic is a Functional Cardiovascular Tissue Engineering Professor at the Institute of Biomedical Engineering (University of Toronto, Canada).   Her work sits at the interface of engineering, stem cell biology and chemistry. Her ethos as a PI is to create interdependence between team members to build a collaborative and effective research team.Milica is part of a generation of scientists for whom the transition from PhD to academic positions could appear to have been incredibly fast compared to the current generation of aspiring academics. The funding context and institutional expectations were different at the time. Milica explains that the start-up packages were small then, and the access to research funding took a long time. This meant it took several years for newly appointed academics to get started with building their teams. Milica feels that in the current context, whilst there is a higher expectation at the point of recruitment, those appointed may be able to access research funding more quickly to start building their research group.Milica’s transition post PhD was likely helped by the fact she had done her PhD in an incredibly prestigious research environment at MIT and had been surrounded by a very talented research community.Her experience at MIT was one of support, motivation and inspiration. We often make assumptions about the research environment in US highly competitive research groups and institutions. We assume that the environment will be highly competitive between team members, but also that work-life balance will be absent. We all have heard horror stories of Postdocs experiencing unsustainable research environments in this type of highly prestigious institution.Of course, these cultures of overwork and high competition exist, and each person will experience the environment differently. Milica felt that the head of the research group was setting the tone for the research team. She experienced this environment not as one of competition within the lab, but as one of inspiration to thrive as a scientist. It all stemmed from the ethos held by the Principal Investigator to have a healthy environment for his research group.It is not because a research group is highly successful and competitive externally that this equates with an unhealthy research environment internally. Some researchers may stop themselves from considering applying for positions in highly competitive teams for fear of what the environment will be like. There is no rule. You just need to see what it is like for yourself. You cannot make assumptions about the research culture within a team, a department or an institution. You just need to discuss it with others who are experiencing it themselves or may need to experience it firsthand.Listening to our conversation will prompt your thinking:Are labels (e.g. “world-class”, “highly competitive”, “prestigious”, “high impact”) about institutions and research teams deterring you from applying for roles? How much interdependence with your research colleagues are you prepared to have? Who do you have to support you in crafting and refining new research ideas?Access the blog inspired by this interview here:https://tesselledevelopment.com/research-lives-and-cultures/milica-radisic

Dr. Catarina Henriques is a Wellcome Trust/Royal Society Sir Henry Dale Fellow at The University of Sheffield. Her journey into a research career was ignited by a TV documentary on telomeres she watched as a teenager, which fueled her enduring interest in the biology of aging. Transitioning from Portugal to the UK to pursue her research ambitions involved numerous daring conversations.Not many people can claim they visited embassies to figure out where to study at university, but Catarina did. Before the internet made information readily available, exploring educational opportunities required courage and perseverance. With the support of the British Council, Catarina discovered various Genetics degrees offered across UK universities.As an undergraduate, Catarina was on a promising path, with a degree in genetics, ample laboratory experience, and strong recommendations. However, personal circumstances required her to return to Portugal to support her family. This detour didn't deter her from her goals.Determined to work on telomeres, Catarina reached out to anyone involved in related research, leading her to a cancer research group. She maintained connections with a Principal Investigator (PI) at The University of Glasgow, collaboratively developing a PhD project that bridged her interests and academic relationships. Although her PhD project wasn't directly on telomeres, she kept her eye on developments in that area.After completing her PhD, Catarina stayed in Portugal, joining a new research group transitioning from yeast to zebrafish as a model organism. This period was instrumental in building her confidence to develop her own research team.She didn't wait for her fellowship to end to explore future opportunities. Instead, she networked and visited research groups to identify potential hosts for a fellowship. Despite an initial unsuccessful fellowship application, her groundbreaking research showing that zebrafish age similarly to humans caught the attention of The University of Sheffield.A group at The University of Sheffield was at the time looking to recruit a senior academic for zebrafish research; they contacted her PI who put her in touch with the Sheffield team. She was then recruited via some MRC funding that the department held. The timing worked in her favour as the institution at the time was running a round of internally funded fellowship recruitments which she was encouraged to apply for and was successful in gaining. This was an exciting period, as Catarina really felt that people were interested in her work and were prepared to help her, but also she was surrounded by many other researchers with expertise in zebrafish. Her momentum in building her research niche could be fuelled by colleagues in her department.Listening to our conversation will prompt your thinking:Do you know what brings you energy in your research life?What would be the risk in focusing on key research activities instead of scattering yourself and feeling overwhelmed?How do you handle conversations about research ownership? Some reflections to ponder on the transition to being a Principal InvestigatorEmbracing Uncertainty and AuthenticityEven with a fellowship, there is a long journey to feeling secure in research careers. Learning to live with this level of uncertainty is a challenge.Research fellows in their attempt to secure more permanent positions will contribute to their departments in many ways from admin roles to teaching. Excelling on all front is challenging. Knowing whether we have done enough is difficult to assess. For Catarina, like many early career academics, there is a risk of throwing yourself all over the place in your academic activities because you may feel th

Kristen Brennand is Professor of Psychiatry and Genetics at Yale University School of Medicine. She first set up her own research group in 2012 at Mount Sinai, after a Postdoc at the Salk Institute and a PhD at Harvard University. She reflects on balance in research careers.From the outside, Kristen’s research career looks like the perfect trajectory without a single faux pas, even though we fully know these do not exist. The metaphor of styles of running emerges in our conversation; running a sprint versus running a marathon is a valuable anchor in getting us to explore how we want to navigate the research environment. Building endurance in research careers becomes even more tangible during the transition from being a Postdoc to research group leaderFrom an early drive about working with the best people, in the best places, doing the best science, her energy has shifted towards being motivated in supporting her research team; connecting people and seeing the synergy that emerges from bringing together people with different expertise. The motivation is still about doing faster, bigger and bolder research but through the full synergy with her teams.Kristen shares that it was only several years after she became a PI, when she was feeling she was losing the battle to have some balance between home/ work that she started to believe things could be different. A conversation with her husband got her started in experimenting with working less hours than she had before. This was a personal challenge that shifted her perspective. The pace of working, the goals she was setting for herself, the amount of time spent at work- a lot of this could change if she started to experiment with a different approach.We are set to believe that we need to follow the paths that others have led before us. Our belief of what it takes to become an independent and successful researcher is based on how others have done it before. Their beliefs shape their mentoring approach. Learning to mentor differently is part of what is needed in research environments. We may want to navigate the research environment in our own way, not the way our mentors have done it.Listening to our conversation will prompt your thinking:How the “too many good advice of others” may not be what we needHow believing that we have choices in our way of working can create our new reality What resilience could look like for you when your research does its usual up and down looping

Dr Dawn Scholey is a Senior Research Fellow at Nottingham Trent University. She never intended to become a researcher. After working for an extended period in industry, she returned to academia as a technician. It was the cheerleading of her manager that convinced her to embark on a PhD.Dr Dawn Scholey’s career is a good example that for some people, entry into the world of research is not part of a professional masterplan. Her career driver was about learning and science, not the ambition of becoming an academic researcher. It took a lot of convincing from the part of her manager, who she describes as an inspirational leader, to make her believe that as a mum of two in her late 30’s, starting a PhD was something she could do.The cheerleading from her manager, who became her PhD and Postdoc supervisor, has been critical in enabling her to pursue her research career. She is now embracing this cheerleading role with younger researchers who are on their own research journey.Listening to our conversation will prompt your thinking:How you may not see your own potential, but having a cheerleader to make you believe in yourself may take you to places to had never imaginedHow it is never too late to take a professional challenge  Why choosing a research environment that works for you is a key decision in choosing who to work with and where to workSome reflections to ponder based on my discussion with DawnWe don’t all have a masterplanDawn’s honesty in sharing her entry into academic research is interesting, as it illustrates that starting a career on this path is not just the privilege of early career graduates, but a viable route for other professionals. Working as a technician for her manager, Dawn did not see herself as someone who could do research as a doctoral student. She was in the technician box and her professional development could have stayed there. What fascinates me is the persistence that her manager had in convincing her that doing a PhD was something that Dawn could do. Her manager could see it in her, when she could not see this in herself.Dawn is not someone who had a professional masterplan about the types of roles she wanted. She explained that she had fallen into different roles but was not aiming at a specific job.Traditional career paths rarely exist nowadays, so being open and flexible to explore career transitions is the crux of employability.If you don’t have a masterplan for your career, exposure to others and their own career paths is an important way of exploring alternative options that you may have never considered. We so often just see the success stories of others and not the meandering path they have taken. Hearing from the twists and turns of careers, when people made mistakes with jobs, applied but failed at interviews, did not receive a grant…is all part of exploring what you want for your own path. We also do not always see ourselves in some more senior roles. It often takes others to tell us to apply for a job that we felt was out of reach for us. o   How can you stay open to unexpected opportunities in your career?o   Who is encouraging you to take unusual opportunities that may create a spark of inspiration to decide what to do next?o   Who is challenging you to take opportunities even when you feel you are not good enough, ready enough, smart enough….?A supportive research environment looks like what Doing a PhD as a mature student will have come with all the challenges of balancing family and work, but it brought her some calmness that younger researchers may not experience. She embraced that listening to others and learning from them was more valuable than worrying about not knowing as much as them

Dr Ahmed Iqbal is a Senior Clinical Lecturer in Clinical Medicine, School of Medicine and Population Healthat The University of Sheffield and Honorary Consultant Physician in Diabetes for the NHS. His research interests emerged from challenging the status of understanding of the physiological impact of diseases and how this could be managed for better patients’ outcomes.More info about Dr Ahmed Iqbal: https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/smph/people/clinical-medicine/ahmed-iqbal

Dr. Sowmya Viswanathan is a Scientist at Schroeder Arthritis Institute and the Krembil Research Institute (University Health Network) and an Associate Professor at the Institute of Biomedical Engineering and at the Division of Hematology, Department of Medicine (University of Toronto).She built her industry experience developing regenerative medicine products at Johnson and Johnson before returning to academia to run a Cell Therapy Program at University Health Network as Associate Director. Her expertise as a translational scientist shifted to cell therapy trials, cell manufacturing and regulatory affairs before becoming a research group leader in 2015.

Dr Iryna Kuksa is a Senior Research Fellow in the School of Art and Design at Nottingham Trent University. She describes herself as a cross-disciplinary researcher, having studied and worked, in departments as diverse as History of Arts, British Politics and Theatre, Performance & Cultural Studies. The common thread in her research interests is Digital Technologies.Growing up in Belarus, Iryna was exposed in her family environment to lots of artists, which fostered her appreciation and interest in creativity. This environment showed her the value of inclusivity when it comes to working across different disciplines. Changes in her country’s political system created new opportunities to access scholarships via the British Council. This allowed her to get her first experience of research in the UK (Oxford and LSE) and later on to embark on a PhD at The University of Warwick.Her earlier undergraduate experiences as an industrial designer have instilled in her the curiosity of asking questions from multiple perspectives. She has shifted her research questions on personalisation towards paying more attention to reducing consumption. As a designer interested in personalisation and digital technologies, how do you reconcile your interest in new objects and products with the need to reduce consumption towards a more sustainable world. She has developed the concept of “green personalisation”.  Iryna shares:How important it is to recognise opportunities when they present themselves.How research niche and interest evolve but we don’t always need to reinvent the wheel. How having “thoughts partners” can help you shift your research ideas and perspectives. Her interactions with external stakeholders have been important in getting her to embrace the sustainability agenda and to promote among designers a rise in awareness of their role in sustainability issues.How the nature of short-term contracts continues to be a challenge and may lead researchers to accept positions with lower salaries; in her case, this allowed her to move to an open-ended contract as a research fellow.How volunteering on things that matter to you is a process to build your leadership. Iryna became actively involved in building a community of ECR to promote a positive and supportive research culture in her institution.How she has learned to become more outspoken in meetings but also how aware she is of the importance of line managers in supporting progress as an early career academic.How progression is never straightforward. Having taken maternity leaves, she is fully aware that the pace of progression and research output may have slowed down for some time. She acknowledges that as a mum of 2 kids with a supportive partner who is also an academic, the balance of work and life is an ongoing juggling exercise. How supporting PhD students provides her with a great sense of giving back to the research community.

Dr Sara Vasconcelos is an Associate Professor based at the University of Toronto in the Institute of Biomedical Engineering with a research team in the Toronto General Hospital: University Health Network (UHN). Her research focuses on tissue engineering approaches to address cardiovascular problems. Imagine getting your first grant as a PI and not been able to take it because of visa issues for your partner. That’s the arduous path Sara found herself on, before moving to Canada.Imagine getting your first grant as a PI and not been able to take it because of visa issues for your partner. This is what happened to Sara, who had gained her first grant as a PI while working in the US. Sara had the modesty and courage to go back to a Postdoc position, before applying for a second time to gain independent funding and be able to start a research group in Canada.Her early experience of the research process at the start of her PhD in Brazil taught her to be meticulous in the planning of experimental work. The level of funding for research is highly uneven across the world and the more limited access to research funding in these early years of her PhD shaped her discipline in being thoughtful during experimental design.The scope of her learning expanded during her PhD as she was given the opportunity to work in part in the US; the more generous funding situation in the US allowed her to think differently about her research.As a foreign scientist, learning to work and write in English were important stages in her professional development; she enjoyed learning about different cultures.Her US PhD mentor in Alabama invited her to come back for an additional research visit before she transitioned to a Postdoc in Kentucky. The Postdoc period was a transition for her work from in vitro to in vivo research.An ongoing source of support has been a buddy group she is part of, with other women. They meet once a month and support each other to navigate the wave of challenging situation in their academic progression. Protecting time and managing priorities remain one of the biggest challenges. Her buddy peer group is an important anchor when facing the tumultuous time of a building a research team.Sara feels that the early years of building her team were easier when she still had a small team. Now, with an expanding team, finding a way to manage the many institutional and research demands whilst maintaining a high level of support for her team means revisiting her approach to leading her group.As a busy research group leader who still wants to hear the details of each research project she supervises, but with new global responsibilities as a team leader on larger multi strand projects, Sara’s approach to supervision, delegation and research leadership is fast evolving.Sara shares that for her, managing well researchers is about starting from a mindset of curiosity in the way she engages her team member, not assuming that what would work for her will work for others. Questions are the pivots of good supervision and research management. Questions take us away from making assumption. Questions create a space for others to think.Questions build ownership.Questions allow clarity in communication.As a more senior academic, Sara is now involved in institutional committee work. Making change happen in committee work can be incredibly challenging. Sara has learned that having partners/ champions on committees and steering groups help to promote the agenda of what you think need to change. Creating partnership with others to build more voices to influence change is part of what Sara is doing in furthering her leadership involvement.Listening to our conversation will prompt your thinking:What is your approach to adapting to setbacks when things your really wanted to

Prof. Thushan de Silva is an Infectious Diseases Clinician Scientist at The University of Sheffield.His research journey started during his medical training and continued thanks to several clinical fellowships that have allowed him protected time to build his research portfolio alongside continuing clinical work.Thushan is currently working as a Senior Clinical Lecturer at The University of Sheffield. He was heavily involved in SARS-CoV-2 research through the COVID-19 pandemic and was recognised with an MBE in 2021 for services to COVID-19 research.It took Thushan several attempts to obtain a funded Clinical PhD but this did not deter him from following a mentor to undertake a PhD at an MRC centre in the Gambia. This was the perfect hub for a clinician interested in infectious diseases to experience both field work and laboratory research.This extended period of research in the Gambia during an MRC Clinical Research Training Fellowship and a Wellcome Trust Intermediate Clinical Fellowship provided a fertile terrain to build his research portfolio, but also to understand the culture of undertaking research in a Global South context. This gave him the time to build a strong network of colleagues and collaborators committed to undertake work in the African context.Researchers often worry about changing research topics at the end of their PhD or Postdoc. Thushan did change his research direction and accepts that it can be difficult to articulate a congruent and powerful narrative about a shift in research direction to the funders. His logic of choice came from feeling more inspired to continue his work on vaccine development instead of remaining in the area of pathogenesis of HIV-2 infection and the molecular epidemiology of HIV-1 and HIV-2 in West Africa.Identifying the right balance for compartimentalising research and clinical practice is a crucial step for Clinical academics. It is likely that it will require substantial negotiations in the clinical setting and the academic department.It may be worth encouraging new clinical academics and clinical PhD students to explore what is working and not working for them. They may not know until they have started. Getting them to become aware of what is going to be manageable in the long term is essential. If a pattern of clinical and academic work has been set but is not working, or is just not manageable, encouraging clinical PGR or clinical academics to not give themselves such a hard time, but go back to the drawing board and explore alternative options for work patterns.Listening to our conversation will prompt your thinking:Are the boundaries between your research and clinical responsibilities working for you?Are the boundaries between your research and clinical responsibilities working for you, or are you trying to be a superhuman? Could you negotiate an alternative pattern of work that would allow you to be more focused and effective in both area of research and clinical practice?How are your clinical and academic environments supporting and valuing your dual career?What additional research skills could you consider gaining early on in your clinical research life? 

Not everyone can say that their PhD recruitment interview took place from an exotic place; well Rebecca started her research career following a phone interview whilst she was travelling in Borneo. To me, this is an interesting career trait of not seeing limitations in a less than perfect situation, but a positive attitude in believing in positive outcomes.Dr Rebecca Dumbell is a senior lecturer at Nottingham Trent University. She is steadily building a research team having gained her academic position just when we entered the Covid pandemic. She has already acquired many valuable practices as a new PI, from practising routine reflection to co-producing agreements on communication approaches with her team.It took Rebecca 2 postdoctoral periods prior to jumping into the PI role as a lecturer at Nottingham Trent University. Her transition to gaining an academic position, from the time she started to apply for position seems to have been fairly quick. This likely stems from the many opportunities she took throughout her PhD and Postdoc positions. She describes the building of her network as being of particular importance in her career transition. Her strategy in choosing opportunities on the basis of what she enjoys has clearly paid off in her speedy transition. She is all too aware that academics need to make wise choices in the opportunities they take. Her mantra of “what can I say no to, to say yes to” written on a Post-it note on her desk is a reminder that staying focused and strategic is needed to not fall into overwhelm.Listening to our conversation will prompt your thinking:How each small leadership experiences build on each other for a transition into an academic roleHow a simple practice of pausing and reflecting is a powerful habit Why building research group practices such as co-creating an approach to communication can help everyone in the team

Dr Joby Cole is an Infectious Disease and Acute Medicine Consultant for the National Health Services and an honorary lecturer at the University of Sheffield. He has held several clinical fellowships to enable him to undertake research alongside his clinical work. His current interest to give all patients the opportunity to get involved in clinical research projects as participation improves outcomes. He is also interested in contributing to novel ways of detecting microbial resistance that would allow fast identification of resistance and a faster approach to prescribing to right antibiotics to patients.Life in research for clinical academics is not a straightforward path. With an initial clinical fellowship and then a Welcome trust fellowship to undertake a PhD, the entry route into research for Joby could have been streamlined. It was not to be, as the Covid pandemic took control of our daily lives. As an infectious disease and acute medicine consultant, the Covid period meant going back full time to the NHS on the battlefield of a Covid ward and having to pause some of the interesting research work Joby had started during his PhD.As a clinician interested in both basic science and the application of research to clinical practice, Joby sees his role as being an important voice in influencing the direction of research projects that have the potential to contribute to medicine. Bringing in the bedside perspective to his basic science research colleagues and respecting others’ perspectives and skill set are his starting points in his collaborative approaches. His experience has taught him that there is great value in experiencing being involved in research early on in your career as a clinician, and that getting involved as early as you can in your career makes transitions easier. Being a clinical academic often means being on the look-out for collaborations and funding where the limited time you have for research can be rewarded in a manageable way.How taking the time to engage in research conversations matters to explore the right fit for what you want to work on and for what type of research environment you choose to work in.How understanding the perspective and specific skill set you bring as a clinical academic allows you to initiate collaboration as a process of complementarity instead of seeing yourself or being perceived as a part-time researcher.How your contribution in research as a clinical academics has the potential to influence not only research directions, but also research practice on a much larger scale.

Dr Ruth Payne has a dual professional identity as a Consultant Microbiologist for the National Health Services (UK) as well as a Senior Clinical Lecturer at the University of Sheffield. Her interest in malaria vaccines may have been the starting point for her research career, but her expertise in vaccines became the corner stone of her ability to contribute to the Covid vaccine development efforts.  Ruth entered the world of research as a doctor following her appointment on a research fellowship position that became her PhD work at the Jenner Institute, University of Oxford (2012 - 2016). Her interest in malaria and vaccine development is anchored in a childhood spent in East Africa and in seeing first-hand the impact of this disease. After her research fellowship/PhD, she went back full time to a clinical role in Nottingham before jumping into a Clinical Academic Lectureship position.  Ruth calls herself “an accidental academic” and admits that it was the inspiring and supportive approach of her academic manager/ PhD supervisor during her research fellowship position and PhD that led her to continue a career that embraced both clinical work and research.Building a research team is never easy but establishing yourself as a new PI when you work 50% time as a clinician and 50% time in research, and then on top of that a world pandemic is forcing you to stop your research…well that is quite a start when you are a new Principal Investigator.This challenging period has brought her resilience and connections. During the Covid period, her experience in vaccine development enabled her to get involved in many new vaccine clinical trials projects, that she could never have predicted. It allowed her to jump into new projects and build very close working relationships with many new colleagues. It created opportunities to be involved at a national level in policies related to vaccine development (e.g., UK Clinical Vaccine Network, Covid19 task force of the British Society of Immunology).  Listening to our conversation will prompt your thinking:·       How embracing the silver lining of the Covid pandemic created more opportunities and exposure than ever·       How embedding yourself into larger projects creates the economy of scale needed when you get started as a new PI·       Why keeping lines of communication within your network increases your opportunities 

Prof. Jason King is a research scientist at the University of Sheffield who progressed his career via the fellowship route. He has spent the last 10 years working as a Principal Investigator and building a team with the ebb and flow of PhD students and Postdoc contracts.Jason has travelled the country from Birmingham, Cardiff, Glasgow to Sheffield from his undergraduate degrees to his current role as a Cell Biology Professor. He has held 2 fellowships, following a long postdoctoral period at the The Beatson Institute for Cancer Research.Jason shares how building a research team can sometimes feel quite haphazard, and is shaped by the opportunities that arise. As a new PI eager to start a new research group, it can be difficult to not take opportunities to recruit team members quickly. However, finding your feet when you are transitioning from a Postdoc into a fellowship may takes slightly longer than you anticipate. There is a fine balance between the eagerness of recruiting team members, the availability of opportunities and having things set up for your group to be functional.His advice to new PIs would be to take their time at the beginning of their fellowship and not recruit too many people at the same time. Research teams are always in flux with team members joining and leaving. One of Jason’s concerns is the challenge of retaining critical technical skills in the team. Thinking about the transmission of key skills within a team is an important consideration for retaining research expertise.Listening to our conversation will prompt your thinking:How to be not too precious with your research niche but flexible to see it evolve and even pivotHow constantly appraising your approach to individual team members is needed to best support themWhy promoting efficient working matters more than assuming hard workingMore about Jasonhttps://jasonkinglab.sites.sheffield.ac.uk/home

Dr Leili Rohani is a research scientist with a specialism in engineering heart tissues for cell therapy. Leili currently works at The University of British Columbia in Canada in the  department of Cardiology and cardiovascular surgery.Leili has had an itinerant research career across different countries and continents. She started her career as a graduate in Iran, then moved abroad for a PhD in Germany, followed some Postdoctoral positions in Canada as well visiting research periods in Austria and the US. Leili is now at the threshold of wanting to establish her own research group and shifting towards research independence.Her interest in stem cell therapy may see her move either way to industry or academia.Listening to our conversation will prompt your thinking: Do you have a regular assessment of your resources and support system (for work and home) to maintain your resilience?How are you broadening your own perspectives through experiencing different contexts (e.g., different countries, various professional settings, meeting other types of professionals than just your usual bubble)?What was your last “ah ah moment” that put a buzz in your research life?What magic could happen if you started thinking differently about how you are recruiting your team? Could using more evaluation of Emotional Intelligence in your recruitment strategy change for the better the dynamics and effectiveness of your team?

Dr Madeleine Jotz-Lean has always had a passion for mathematics and research, which was nurtured from an early age by her teachers and supervisors. She began her publication record early, with 10 articles to her name by the end of her PhD. After moving from the US to Sheffield into a lectureship, she became more involved and interested in teaching, as well as equality and diversity, particularly tackling unconscious bias and stereotypes. She has also been involved in public outreach, using knitting and crochet to explain complex mathematical concepts to a wider audience.Madeleine is now a Junior Professor at the University of Göttingen (Mathematisches Institut).Look at the interactive timeline:https://academicstories.group.shef.ac.uk/madeleine-jotz-lean/More recent info about Madeleine:https://www.uni-math.gwdg.de/mjotz/home.html

Jonna Kulmuni’s love of nature began at an early age but biology wasn’t her strongest subject. The challenge was what drove her to pursue a biological career and she fell in love with ants during her Masters degree, where she worked with a very supportive group and continued on to a PhD. At the same time, she completed a Masters in Science Communication – an invaluable experience, which has supported her career ever since and seen her become increasingly engaged in public outreach. She came to Sheffield in 2014 as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow and is always thinking ahead about the next opportunity to apply for funding.Jonna is now a Principal Investigator at the University of Helsinski.https://researchportal.helsinki.fi/en/persons/jonna-kulmuniView her timeline:https://academicstories.group.shef.ac.uk/jonna-kulmuni/

Prof. Jim Thomas was inspired by his father to become a scientist but, after not achieving the best degree in Chemistry at Reading, he opted to teach in the UK before going to Western Kenya with Voluntary Services Overseas, where he taught in a rural high school for several years. This lent him a great deal of perspective and led him to revisit his childhood ambition of becoming a research scientist, commencing a PhD as a mature student. While his late entry into an academic career would normally mean that path was closed, he continued to pursue it, despite being offered a job in industry with a top company. He achieved a high profile Postdoc position with a Nobel prize winner in France but soon returned to the UK, to Sheffield, where he began to apply for fellowships. He was awarded a Royal Society University Research Fellowship but also chose to take on a relatively large teaching timetable to show his commitment to the department and also to get to know students with whom he might potentially collaborate in the future. He has also engaged in science communication work, which has honed his skills in terms of writing proposals and technical papers and generally being able to write in a more interesting way.More about Jim:https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/chemistry/people/academic/jim-thomasAccess career timeline:https://academicstories.group.shef.ac.uk/jim-thomas/

Dr Julie Hyde’s love of chemistry was inspired by her father and experimenting with him in the garden shed when she was young. She left school with no qualifications but got a job in the chemical industry as an Analytical Chemist while also studying part-time at college. It was here that one of her tutors suggested applying to university, which she did. After her BSc, Julie moved into lecturing/ teaching chemistry in Further Education. During this time she taught on both academic and vocational courses as well as managing vocational programmes. This job was later combined with part-time study in her spare time for a PhD in Organometallic Chemistry and Crystallography at the University of Sheffield, aided by an extremely supportive research group and teaching colleagues. Julie currently teaches undergraduate chemistry at the University of Sheffield specialising in laboratory programmes and for the last seven years she has spent approximately three months each year delivering practical chemistry on the University’s joint BSc with Nanjing Tech University (NJTech) in China. Julie is also the Director of the Year in Industry Programme in Chemistry. Julie is a Chartered Chemist (CChem) and Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry (FRSC) and, alongside her teaching roles, she is also heavily involved in public outreach as the Schools Liaison Manager. Julie received a Senate Award in 2017 for excellence in learning and teaching in the category of Sustained Excellence and in 2018 was presented with an RSC award for her promotion of chemistry locally, nationally and internationally.https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/chemistry/people/academic/julie-hyde#tab00

Dr Nicola Nadeau became interested in the natural world at a young age. After studying Zoology at Newcastle, she secured a PhD at Cambridge in evolutionary genetics. She moved from being unsure that genetics was really the area she wanted to be in, to becoming captivated by the possibilities it presented. She thoroughly enjoyed the PhD process, helped along by a supportive department and supervisor. After completing her PhD and a brief stint as a postdoc with her PhD adviser, she moved on to a 5 year postdoc position in a different lab. With the support of her postdoc adviser, she developed a side project into a fellowship application. After a few unsuccessful attempts, she bolstered her publication record with some high profile articles and was eventually successful, securing a NERC fellowship at Sheffield. This was a major transition and quite lonely at times but she formed some strong collaborations and has now settled into managing her own research group on the evolution of structural colour in butterflies.More about Nicola:https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/biosciences/people/academic-staff/nicola-nadeauLook at her timeline and career milestones:https://academicstories.group.shef.ac.uk/nicola-nadeau/

Dr Jenny Clark developed an interest in biology at school in Belgium, but found it too qualitative and so ended up studying physics at university. She did her undergraduate and Masters at Imperial College London, with a year in Padua, but a summer stint at UCL was enough to cement a desire to work in the field of Biophysics. However, for her PhD she chose to work in a completely different research area, attracted by a more positive and supportive atmosphere. Her supervisor moved away after her first year but she managed to acquire another via email, who became a collaborator, friend and mentor to her and gave her the confidence to move on with the next stages of her career. While an academic career path does generally mean moving around quite a lot, placing her relationship and family life first has never negatively impacted on her career. She continues to love her work and find it fascinating, learning something new every day.More on Jenny:https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/physics/people/academic/jenny-clark#tab00Explore Jenny's career timeline and milestones:https://academicstories.group.shef.ac.uk/jenny-clark/

Professor Sherif El-Khamisy started off in community and clinical pharmacy in Egypt but the repetitive and unchallenging nature of the work left him seeking more. He completed a Business Administration diploma at the same time as a Masters in Pharmaceutical Sciences before securing a PhD position in Sussex, attracted by better research funding and facilities to be found abroad. This was self-funded at first, but he soon acquired a scholarship with the help of an encouraging supervisor. After a failed attempt at setting up a research group back in Egypt, he went to the US to improve his research profile and make himself more competitive for fellowship positions. He brought back the training on mouse models of human disorders he had acquired there to the Genome Centre at Sussex, where the Director was supportive and made sure he was separated from his PhD supervisor. In 2012, he successfully established a Genome Centre in Egypt in partnership with a Nobel laureate to give something back to his country and, for himself, he gained huge experience in managing infrastructure and people. After his fellowship, he was drawn to the welcoming and nurturing research environment at Sheffield, where he took up his current role in 2013.More on Sherif:https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/biosciences/people/academic-staff/sherif-el-khamisy#tab00Explore Sherif's career timeline and milestones:https://academicstories.group.shef.ac.uk/sherif-el-khamisy/

Prof.  Ivana Barbaric discovered a love of scientific research through competing in a national biology competition she entered in secondary school, for which she won 1st prize. Early on in her career, she realised the importance of networking and began to develop an international network of colleagues, as well as amassing new technical skills, through working and studying abroad. During her PhD in Oxford, she completely changed the direction of her research to focus primarily on a new found fascination with stem cells – a challenging but positive experience. She went on to a postdoc position at the University of Sheffield where she started to think about what she needed to do to obtain an academic position. She made sure to keep publishing in good journals, apply for lots of funding and show her willingness to teach, which she did by taking on undergraduate and Masters student groups and completing a Certificate in Learning and Teaching.More on Ivana :https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/biosciences/people/academic-staff/ivana-barbaricExplore Ivana 's career timeline and milestones:https://academicstories.group.shef.ac.uk/ivana-barbaric/

Dr Andrew Lin is a senior lecturer in the School of Biosciences at The University of Sheffield.He was previously Vice-Chancellor’s Fellow in the Department of Biomedical Science when he was awarded a 5-year European Research Council Starting Grant. From a young age Andrew had his sights set on a career in academic research, pursuing his passion for neurobiology. Following his PhD at the University of Cambridge, he took a slightly different direction with his postdoc to expose himself to a wider range of techniques, questions and approaches.More on Andrew: https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/biosciences/people/academic-staff/andrew-lin#tab00Explore Andrew's career timeline and milestones:https://academicstories.group.shef.ac.uk/andrew-lin/

Dr Rhoda Hawkins is academic director at the African Institute for Mathematical Sciences (AIMS Ghana). Rhoda has been a lecturer, then senior lecturer in the  Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Sheffield since 2011.Rhoda grew up in a Christian family, where she developed a keen interest in studying the world around her through science. Following her first degree at Oxford, she left to do her PhD at Leeds, where she had previously experienced a supportive research environment during a summer placement. After a number of postdoctoral positions in both Europe and the UK, one of which led her to question her place in science and academia, she regained her love of science and discovered a passion for teaching – a chance to step back from research and do something positive. She applied for a variety of fellowships before it was suggested to her that she should apply for a lectureship, as this was not necessarily more difficult to achieve. The balance between teaching and research is still important to her now in her lectureship and, while balancing the pressures and expectations of the role can be challenging, she enjoys every aspect.Have a look at milestones in Rhoda's career:https://academicstories.group.shef.ac.uk/rhoda-hawkins/More on Rhoda: https://nexteinstein.org/a-conversion-with-dr-rhoda-hawkins/https://rhoda-hawkins.sites.sheffield.ac.uk/

Dr Rebecca Corrigan first became enthralled by science at school and specialised in microbiology from the mid-point of her undergraduate studies. After a very successful summer placement, which produced 2 papers, she was certain that a career in scientific research was for her. She ended her PhD with a further 4 1st author papers that helped her secure a postdoc position but, as a naturally shy person, she had to push herself to speak at conferences and international events. She went on to produce more high impact publications during her postdoc and was able to focus on her enjoyment of bench science, including a funded trip to the US to learn a new technique to bring back to the lab. After one failed attempt, she consulted her supervisor for invaluable help and advice on applying for fellowships, which led to her securing her current 5-year role.This interview will allow you to think about:How short international research visits could be an alternative to research experiences abroadWhy early conversations with your PI are important for stepping into the next stage for your research independenceCan you build the confidence for early discussions about authorship as a Postdoc taking steps towards your fellowshipExplore Rebecca's timeline with important milestones in her research life:https://academicstories.group.shef.ac.uk/rebecca-corrigan/Hear more about Rebecca: https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/biosciences/people/academic-staff/rebecca-corrigan#tab02

Dr Rebecca Barnes has always had an enormous love of science and imparting knowledge to others. She applied for a variety of PhDs before ending up in Glasgow to study the molecular biology of parasites, where she realised a passion for the academic environment. She was invited to help set up a lab as a Postdoc by a young academic from the USA and so moved to the States, but the expectation and pressure made it a very stressful time. She transitioned to a project in a different lab and got some good data but the failures of lab work and lack of publications began to get to her. Following suggestions from her PI, she began to teach and demonstrate at a nearby community college, which cemented a desire to find a teaching-focused university role going forward. She applied for a number of jobs in the USA and the UK, ending up at Sheffield. Here, she relishes spending time with the students, supporting other academic colleagues and moving things forward in the department, having the time to direct her creative energies into more innovative teaching methods.View the video and timeline:https://academicstories.group.shef.ac.uk/rebecca-barnes/

Dr Silvia Valenzuela-Lamas is a Principal Investigator and archeologist at the Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC) in Spain.  She was previously a recipient of a prestigious European Research Council Starting Grant. She used this success to leverage a permanent position back to her home country after several years of hard work and academic uncertainty.This discussion will get you thinking about:How conversations with partners are key in negotiating the challenges of academic dual careersHow choosing what you need (more stability and more support) can give you the courage to become empowered and take controlHow the transition to the PI role becomes a privilege and a responsibility to create opportunities for others

Dr Mirna Mustapha is an MRC Senior Fellow at the University of Sheffield (UK). Her research through multiple international collaborations has led to the identification of over 15 human genes involved in deafness. She has plenty experience of being the only woman from a Global South country in the room. Why having support networks and mentors are key to survive and thrive in research careersWhy we need to continue challenging the status quo when it comes to diversity in research environmentWhy new research group leader need to be supported not just to enter academic role, but to become the best leaders and managers they can be.

Araceli is Founder and CEO of Qureca, a company that offers support to individuals and businesses in the quantum field. She has experience in both the academic and industrial world. She has created a space in-between the two to bridge gaps in understanding, communication, and conversations in quantum. Our conversation will get you to think about:How it took a lot of resilience to be accepted onto a PhD programme, as she came from an engineering industry backgroundHow she has experienced herself being one of the few women in the roomHow finding the sweet spot of your interests, skills and strengths can get you to become an entrepreneur, when you did not even know you could become one.More about her company: https://qureca.com/More about my own work as a coach, facilitator and trainer: https://tesselledevelopment.com/

Dr Natasha Chang is Assistant Professor in the Department of Biochemistry at McGill University. She is one of these academics who has had the challenge of setting up her research group during the Covid period. She reflects on the last few years since becoming a PI. Things to reflect on prompted by the discussion with Natasha:How a coffee and a conversation with a mentor can challenge your mindset about whether or not giving a go to becoming a PIWhy not rushing could be the most useful insight for new PIsHow creating visibility can be as simple as taking opportunities to meet peopleFind blog and episodes:https://tesselledevelopment.com/podcast

Stephen Aderinto is an early-career scientist working in the Chemistry Department at the University of Sheffield. He is not scared of challenges having left Nigeria for his undergraduate studies in China and a PhD in the UK. Now, he works on a multidisciplinary project to develop DNA probes to be used in cancer R&D.Find out a bit more about Stephen: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Stephen-Aderintohttps://chemistrycommunity.nature.com/posts/global-statements-on-diversity-stephen-o-aderintoThings to reflect on prompted by the discussion with Stephen:For PIs:·      How are your biases contributing to how you are considering PhD applicants from overseas?·      How do you engage with your PhD students from the Global South to explore their context and see how you could best support them?·      Have you considered how maintaining collaborative links with your PhD alumni from the Global South may be essential in their ability to continue to engage in their research endeavours? For early career researchers:·      Can you engage more often with your colleagues from the Global South to build your own understanding of research contexts in different countries?·      What are you learning about different ways of working from interacting with colleagues from multicultural backgrounds?·      Can you challenge your own biases through engaging with research colleagues who have very different experiences of the research environments? For early career researchers from the Global South:·      Are you building strong collaborations during your PhD that you could maintain once you go back to your country?·      Do you feel that you are open enough with your supervisor to share what the research context is like in your home country, so they can understand your context?·      What are you doing to build your leadership skills broadly beyond the scope of your research project?

Dr Amy Wong is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Laboratory Medicine & Pathobiology at The University of Toronto. She became a PI in 2019 with a lab hosted at the Hospital for Sick Children, 10 years after starting her Postdoc. She is a pioneer in using human stem cells to model lung development and disease.Listening to our conversation will prompt your thinking:How could “time off” give you the thinking space to identify and clarify the research niche you want to build for yourself.How informal supervision and building relationships as a Postdoc can fast track the recruitment of your research team when you become a PICan the simple practice of a morning focused tasks check list become your multitasking best formula?Read the blog inspired by our conversation:https://tesselledevelopment.com/research-lives-and-cultures/amy-wong

Dr Jonathan Draper is Vice-President of the Canadian Stem Cell Network and responsible for the strategic design and rollout of the network research and training programs. After a decade of working as a PI, he took the challenging decision of letting go of his identity as a research group leader and not running a lab anymore. He shifted his professional efforts into another role as a stem cell leader working for a stem cell network.🔑     How giving a chance to others who don't have perfectly straightforward professional paths is a critical action to diversify those who enter the research environment🔑     How seeing that we are never trapped in a career gives us options to explore exciting new opportunities.🔑    How fortunate series of events may contribute to one step in your career, but do not define the entirety of your career path

Dr. Nika Shakiba is an Assistant Professor in the School of Biomedical Engineering (SBME) at The University of British Columbia (Canada). Her research into the social lives of stem cells aims to answer fundamental biological questions for the development of novel therapies. Her commitment to public engagement has been an important thread in her leadership development.Dr. Nika Shakiba started her research career because of her excitement for discovery and being a scientific explorer.  What truly motivates her at the current stage of her career is her mentoring role with students and junior researchers. Whether it is through the impact she may be making on her peers or on early career researchers, her values, motivation, and identity have become intertwined with her role as a mentor. “Paying forward” is the term she uses when describing her current role as a mentor. As a Postdoc, she made a commitment to herself that she would have a short Postdoc period and would transition to another role within a 2 year period. She shared this goal with her PI and engaged in “next step” thinking from the start of her Postdoc. Even though she started her research group in the middle of the pandemic, her proactivity in building her visibility has been part of easing the recruitment of her team. Listening to our conversation will prompt your thinking:·      How your outreach and public engagement activities may become a core commitment in your research life?·      What is your own way of getting direct and immediate positive feedback in your research life?·      Why saying aloud your goals and sharing with others your aspiration is part of creating support and personal commitment to action? Do you want to know more about Dr Nika Shakiba:https://shakiba.bme.ubc.ca/ https://advicetoascientist.com/I work as a coach, trainer and facilitator. If you want to hear more about my work:https://tesselledevelopment.com/If you are interested in speaking on the podcast, or if you know someone who would be an awesome contributor, do reach out to me: [email protected]  

Dr Samantha Payne is Assistant Professor in Ontario Veterinary College at the University of Guelph (Canada). She has recently received funding from the Canada Stem Cell Network to examine how nerves modulate the response of organs and tissues to injury. She has moved quickly from her Postdoc to her first PI role. Interestingly, she has returned to the university where she did her Bachelor's degree and Master.Through listening to our discussion, you can start thinking about:What flexibility may you need when moving between research roles?What opportunities may you create when you are exposed to alternative perspectives and new ways of asking research questions (which you may have skipped if you got your first Postdoc choice)?How are you preparing yourself to take up the responsibilities of managing people and leading a team? If you want to find out more about Samantha: https://ovc.uoguelph.ca/biomedical-sciences/people/faculty/Samantha-Payne 

Dr  Vijay Raghavendran is an Indian researcher was has experienced the tribulations of short term research contracts. This has led him to work in many countries on several continents. Vijay has also worked as a science teacher. His broad ranging interests from science to the humanities have enriched his nomadic research life.

Kristin is Senior Scientist at the University Health Network and an Associate Professor in the Department of Medical Biophysics at the University of Toronto. She also holds an Ontario Institute for Cancer Research Investigator Level II Award and is a Medicine by Design Investigator.Listening to our conversation will prompt your thinkingWhat would synergy with your PI/ Postdocs/ PhD students look like for you?What will matter to you most when you start building your research group?Have you considered how supportive an institution is when applying for a  position?Get the full blog post: https://tesselledevelopment.com/research-lives-and-cultures/kristinhope

Dr Sean Sapcariu is programme manager at the Luxembourg National Research fund.  Trained as a biomedical scientist, Sean moved into university strategic development before jumping on the other side of the fence by now working for a national funder.Growing up as an American is maybe what gave Sean a sense of freedom as he moved along his career. His ethos of trying things out and jumping into the deep end have been key in his career explorations.In his current role, Sean is on a mission to influence research culture in Luxembourg- not a small goal! He talks about having huge goals as well as quick wins. A sensible approach when it comes to challenging research culture. Listening to our conversation will prompt your thinkingWhat would “the courage to quit” looks like for you?Do you have quick wins when it comes to influencing your professional environment?Are you prepared to have your big ideas really challenged, criticised and reshaped?

 Dr Zoe Hewitt is a stem cell expert wearing two professional hats through her role as project manager for one of the UK Regenerative Medicine Platform Hubs, and  CEO and founder of the consultancy-Regenerative Cell Therapy Consulting (RegenCTC) Limited. Zoe jumped straight out of her PhD into setting up facilities for the growth of stem cells that could potentially be used for regenerative medicine.Read the blog:tesselledevelopment.com/research-lives-and-cultures/zoe-hewittListening to our conversation will prompt your thinkingAre the assumptions held by others shaping your exploration of career directions?Could you shift to believing in your own value and not waste time expecting the validation of others?Are you embracing unusual opportunities to build your leadership?

Matt talks about himself as someone who is “a Jack of all trades”. It’s true that I have known him involved in so many different types of projects that it could be hard from the outside to define exactly his research niche. As an interdisciplinary researcher and thinker, Matt acknowledges that both his stubbornness and his position of privilege have contributed to his continuing academic career. The need for academic freedom and his desire to understand the world have maintained his motivation to pursue a career in the university environment. The dissonance between institutional policies on wellbeing and the realities of workloads - what is actually needed to gain & retain academic position continue to puzzle him. About MattDr Matthew Cheeseman is Associate Professor of creative writing at the University of Derby (UK). With a background in history from his Bachelor, Matt entered the world of academia from a marginal area of study, a PhD in folklore, studying the history of what it’s like to be a student at the University of Sheffield. His work looked at students’ cultural behaviours and became an ethnography of contemporary students’ life. For example, Matt looked at the consumption of alcohol and how it is used as a product of university life to students. The transition to his current position took many turns: teaching Erasmus students in an English department, access to bits of funding on various projects, a senior lectureship position at the Solent University in Southampton, then an institutional move to a new lectureship in creative writing in Derby.  Listening to our conversation will prompt your thinking·      Whether dabbling in lots of interests or keeping a sharp research focus is working for you in your research transition·      How the politics of your institution align or not with your values and the way you want to live your research life·      What resistance, persistence and resilience to academic pressures look like for youYou can also find the Podcast on my website: https://tesselledevelopment.com/podcastInterested in being a guest on the podcast, get in touch: [email protected]

We take for granted informal encounters during scientific conferences. Some will shape the course of our lives. It was meeting an academic from Sheffield during a conference in China which changed the direction of Dr Yi JIn’s life. She is now a Wellcome Trust Sir Henry Dale Fellow at Manchester Institute of Biotechnology.Yi received encouragements from both her Master’s supervisor in China, and an academic met at a conference, who encouraged her to apply for a scholarship with the British Council. When others show their confidence in us, it gives us the courage to go for opportunities we may not dare jump into otherwise. Yi changed not only country, but also research field and landed a PhD at The University of Sheffield (UK). She has moved quickly across 2 Postdocs, before landing her first independent research position at the University of Cardiff. Recently, she has obtained a Wellcome Trust Sir Henry Dale Fellowship at Manchester Institute of Biotechnology (University of Manchester).Listening to our conversation will prompt your thinkingWhy enabling autonomy in early career researchers support research transition to research independence   How your research niche becomes clearer steadilyHow sharing your intentions in supervising others is effective communicationRead the blog post inspired by this conversation:https://tesselledevelopment.com/research-lives-and-cultures/yi-jin

Prof. Stéphane Bordas is an academic at the University of Luxemburg who has had a globe-trotter career, starting in France before working in the USA, Switzerland, Scotland, Wales and more recently Luxemburg. Stéphane’s transition to a Professorship was quite rapid considering he obtained it just 3 years after his first lectureship. Stéphane is keen to mention the critical role of several mentors, but also of key team members in his research transition. His drive, energy and competitive nature are felt throughout our discussion. Pushing himself to do the hard stuff is core to his approach in navigating his research life. Listening to our conversation will prompt your thinking:How the serendipity of meeting people shapes your next career stepsWhy your approach to failure impacts your research resilienceWhat you may need to accept to do “a little bit less”well to create the thinking space to do the hard and strategic stuff of your researchRead my reflections following this discussion:tesselledevelopment.com/research-lives-and-cultures/stephane-bordasFind out more about Stéphane:https://wwwfr.uni.lu/recherche/fstm/doe/members/stephane_bordas

Dr Muna Abdi is an independent scholar and consultant who is using her own experience and expertise as a British Somali academic to support organisations embed anti-racist practices. Being a black British Somali woman in the academia is likely to put you in the odd-one-out category of university staff in the UK Higher Education system. Dr Muna Abdi has experienced many academic spaces since the start of her career. From being one of many Black home students as an undergraduate student, to being the only black home PhD student among other black overseas students, in a Russell group institution, and moving to the great challenge of being the only British Somali early career academic in an institution with many black home students. Muna’s experiences of academia is an interesting illustration of the intermingling of race, gender and post-colonial issues in our academic world.Muna's consultancy can be found here: https://ma-consultancy.co.uk/Muna is also a Podcaster. Her Podcast is called Becoming an antiracisthttps://anchor.fm/becomingantiracist