Growing up in Science

Have you ever wondered what your supervisor struggled with as a graduate student? What they struggle with now? Growing up in Science is a conversation series featuring personal narratives of becoming and being a scientist, or even about taking a different path than academic research. We launched the GUIS series at the Donders Institute in 2016, to start a conversation about the human factors that are universal undercurrents of working in academia but that too often remain unspoken.

Have you ever wondered what your supervisor struggled with as a graduate student? What they struggle with now? Growing up in Science is a conversation series featuring personal narratives of becoming and being a scientist, or even about taking a different path than academic research. We launched the GUIS series at the Donders Institute in 2016, to start a conversation about the human factors that are universal undercurrents of working in academia but that too often remain unspoken.

GUIS events happen 2-3 times per year and are open to anyone, from MSc student to PI! 

At a typical GUIS event, a colleague shares their life story, with a focus on struggles, failures, doubts, detours, and weaknesses. The format of these events are free-flowing, informal, and personal interviews, where common topics include dealing with expectations, impostor syndrome, procrastination, luck, rejection, conflicts with advisors, and work-life balance, but these topics are always embedded in the speaker's broader narrative.

GUIS is neither about science nor about giving or receiving generic career advice, but about each interviewee’s personal path - the behind-the-scenes, whether generalizable or not. They will share their doubts, fears, failures, and difficult decisions, but also the great experiences and joy they have faced throughout your career. Specific topics that we discuss (but are not limited to):

  • How did you decide to do what you do?
  • What alternative careers did you consider?
  • How have you coped with feelings of insecurity? Felt like an impostor?
  • What regrets do you have - e.g. in running your lab, or on the professional-personal interface?
  • What is psychologically hardest about an academic career?
  • How do you accommodate different personalities in your lab?
  • How do you combine having a life with having a career?
  • … and any questions that you can think of to come and ask!

Have a look here if you want to know a bit more about the origin of this series at New York University.

Contact

Please email Hanneke den Ouden if you have questions for upcoming speakers, or suggestions of who you’d like to see on stage next!

See also