Let's Talk Research Life

People say to you that the only certainty is uncertainty, but what do you do when your research life feels like one giant question mark? In this episode, Anne and Yifan normalize the feeling of "possibility without clarity," exploring how uncertainty evolves from a daunting hurdle into an enticing part of the research life. We ruminate on the emotional weight of living in the "in-between," from the anxiety of career next-steps, to the unique intricacies of being an international researcher residing many time zones away from home. We don’t know all the answers yet, but we loved sharing our personal practices to help us live with uncertainty in harmony, and we’d love to hear how you deal with it. Have a listen and see if it helps you navigate your own "grind" toward stability!Music: "Cipher"Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ “True Appeal” Mubert (mubert.com)

Did you pick up your phone to look up something important but somehow started listening to our awesome podcast again? In this episode, Anne and Yifan dive into "brain-rot" and how the technology we use every day might be harming our minds. We reflect on how technology acts as both a trigger for "brain-rot" and a vital tool that has expanded access for early career researchers. From navigating the tension between digital overload and opportunity to sharing the rituals that help us reclaim focus, we explore the messy middle of our tech-saturated research lives.  Have a listen and let’s give our brains more love!  Bibliography: Dell'Acqua, Fabrizio and Ayoubi, Charles and Lifshitz-Assaf, Hila and Sadun, Raffaella and Mollick, Ethan R. and Mollick, Lilach and Han, Yi and Goldman, Jeff and Nair, Hari and Taub, Stew and Lakhani, Karim R., The Cybernetic Teammate: A Field Experiment on Generative AI Reshaping Teamwork and Expertise (March 28, 2025). Harvard Business School Working Paper 25-043, Available at SSRN: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=5188231  Music:  "Cipher" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/  “True Appeal”  Mubert (mubert.com) 

Is your research jealous of the attention you give to other relationships? In this episode, Anne and Yifan dive into the rewarding, but sometimes exhausting reality of balancing research with the people who make us who we are. We explore the unique hurdles of maintaining family ties across time zones, the "two-world" feeling of living as a first-generation researcher abroad, and how our personalities dictate how we handle these pressures. From navigating the guilt of missing milestones back home to the evolution of friendships and partnerships in an academic environment, we share our hardest moments and the strategies we use to stay connected amidst looming deadlines.  Have a listen and let us know what is the first word that comes to mind describing the balance you strike?   Music:  "Cipher"Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ “True Appeal”  Mubert (mubert.com) 

Feeling like an imposter? As we endeavor through our research lives every day, it’s not always smooth sailing without doubting ourselves. In this episode, Anne and Yifan dissected their experiences on imposter syndrome in their early careers. We shared what makes these imposter feelings pop up and how we normally respond to them. We sought out some solutions to prepare ourselves better, nipping the self-doubt in the bud and regaining confidence.  Have a listen and share what tools you have in your shed!  Bibliography: Granfield, R., 1991. Making it by faking it: Working-class students in an elite academic environment. Journal of Contemporary Ethnography, 20(3), pp.331-351. https://doi.org/10.1177/089124191020003005  Mulholland, K., Nichol, D. and Gillespie, A., 2023. ‘It feels like you’re going back to the beginning…’: addressing imposter feelings in early career academics through the creation of communities of practice. Journal of Further and Higher Education, 47(1), pp.89-104. https://doi.org/10.1080/0309877X.2022.2095896  Read, B. and Leathwood, C., 2018. Tomorrow’sa mystery: Constructions of the future and ‘un/becoming’amongst ‘early’and ‘late’career academics. International Studies in Sociology of Education, 27(4), pp.333-351. https://doi.org/10.1080/09620214.2018.1453307  Music:  "Cipher"Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ “True Appeal”  Mubert (mubert.com) 

Life abroad comes with new perspectives: opportunities, challenges, excitement, disheartenment, you name it. In this episode, Anne and Yifan reflected on how it feels during holiday season while away from home and whether cultural shock has ever stricken. We shared how our identities have been impacted and how our research lives are shaped by new perspectives. We appreciate you starting your 2026 with us and we wish you a curious and balanced New Year! Have a listen and we'll take a cup of kindness yet, for auld lang syne.  Bibliography: Frank, K. and Hou, F., 2019. Source-country individualism, cultural shock, and depression among immigrants. International Journal of Public Health, 64(4), pp.479-486. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00038-019-01218-z Winkelman, M., 1994. Cultural shock and adaptation. Journal of Counseling & Development, 73(2), pp.121-126. https://doi.org/10.1002/j.1556-6676.1994.tb01723.x  Jurásek, M. and Wawrosz, P., 2023. What makes people abroad satisfied? The role of cultural intelligence, cultural identity, and culture shock. Social Sciences, 12(3), p.126. https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci12030126  Presbitero, A., 2016. Culture shock and reverse culture shock: The moderating role of cultural intelligence in international students’ adaptation. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 53, pp.28-38. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijintrel.2016.05.004    Music:  "Cipher"Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ “True Appeal”  Mubert (mubert.com) 

Got no motivation? No worries, we got you! In this episode, Anne and Yifan talked about how to keep ourselves motivated and what things, or people, can help us get there. We recognized how important reconnecting with why we started the journey and dug deeper to find motivation and joy from daily research life. Also, we would love to hear from you whether you should give it 100% or 80%!  Have a listen and wish everybody eats demotivation for breakfast!   Music:  "Cipher"Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ “True Appeal”  Mubert (mubert.com) 

Ka-ching! In this inaugural episode of “What if -” thought experiment series, Anne and Yifan became researchers with the deepest pockets. We explored what do we do with all the money in the world, what research projects we would fund, and what unlimited funding means for us after all. We hope this thought experiment will bring you some joy as it for us!  Have a listen and let us know if you approve of Yifan’s chimney idea!    Music:  "Cipher"Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ “True Appeal”  Mubert (mubert.com) 

As an academic year came and went, Anne and Yifan reflected on their year in this episode: what are the achievements, what are the lessons, and most importantly, how to internalize whatever research life throws to them. Now with another new year loading, we sorted through our thoughts and packed our momentum into brand new outlooks.  Wish a great year ahead of everybody!   Music:  "Cipher"Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ “True Appeal”  Mubert (mubert.com) 

Are you taking a regular break? Or do you find it difficult to switch off? In this episode, Anne and Yifan tried to figure out what taking a break means for research, whether it is a micro break in between tasks in a day or an annual vacation. And we discussed how would a break feed back to our research. We also took a break from the previous formats and tried a few exciting new things for the episode!  Take a break and have a listen, we are thrilled to hear from you!   Music:  "Cipher"Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ “True Appeal”  Mubert (mubert.com) 

Anne and Yifan have both been GRINDING on their keyboards recently. As academic writing is such an essential component in research life, in this episode, they talked about how their writing habit revolution was, what the writing process is looking like now, and highs and lows through the long journey of drafting. Have a listen and WRITE to us if you have anything to share!Music generated by Muberthttps://mubert.com

Working with supervisors can be one of the most defining—and sometimes challenging—aspects of research life. In this episode, Anne and Yifan continued their discussions from EP04 and branched out to heavy topics on managing conflicts and handling criticism, all for a good reason—growth. They reflected on their experiences with advisors and gave their takes on mentorship.  Have a listen and see if you can find a little bit of yourself in there.    Music generated by Mubert https://mubert.com 

Working with supervisors can be one of the most defining—and sometimes challenging—aspects of research life. In this episode, Anne and Yifan dive into the many layers of supervisory relationships: from choosing the right supervisor (or making peace with the one you didn’t choose), to spotting red flags, and building a healthy working dynamic.They also shared their experiences navigating different communication styles, meeting structures and handling busy time periods. Have a listen and see if it resonates with your own supervisory saga!Music generated by Muberthttps://mubert.com

Are you living and working in your secondary language? In this episode, Anne and Yifan started the exploration of secondary language induced self-discoveries all the way from how it is in the research life to tiny “identity crisis”. We talked about cultural cues and personality switches, bilingualism in the workplace, and the fancy “Cultural Frame Switch”.  Have a listen and see if this helps you with your language-induced identity crisis, if you have!   Music generated by Mubert https://mubert.com 

Attending conferences is a huge part of research life. It brings you into a cosmic and active world where science thrives. Yet it can be challenging, as well. In this episode, Anne and Yifan shared their experiences on selecting conferences, navigating conference experience, and presentation strategies. We also jogged down the memory lane and talked about our starstruck moments and memorable stories.  Have a listen and let us know what you think!Music generated by Mubert https://mubert.com

As early career researchers, we are most likely facing forks on the road here and there. In this episode, Anne and Yifan dug into their own experience as a rumination as well as an outlook for the future. We talked about motivation for pursuing an advanced degree, navigating the transition from corporate to academia, and exploring career options beyond academia. AND we introduced our standing segment talking about Expectations vs. Reality!  Have a listen and see if it relates! Music generated by Mubert https://mubert.com

Hooray! Welcome to Let’s Talk Research Life podcast!  In this inaugural episode, Anne and Yifan, two early career researchers, introduced themselves and talked about the motivations behind starting a podcast.  Have a listen and we would love to become your cloud research companions!Music generated by Mubert: https://mubert.com