Credit: Javier Zayas/Getty
In November 2022, I decided to start writing a daily tweet listing things I love about being a scientist.
At the start, I thought a ‘top ten’ list would do. But I had many more points to make, and it quickly became clear that it would take a month — or 31 posts — to celebrate a life in science.
I did this after reading a typical ‘science careers are toxic’ post. There are, of course, plenty of challenges to a life in science that are real and should be recognized. But, in my experience, the good parts of science careers that also deserve to be shared are often drowned out by negativity on channels such as the r/labrats subreddit and #academiclife on Twitter.
Many posts on these channels from the trainee perspective understandably highlight lower salaries, the scarcity of standard faculty positions and the devaluation of ‘alternative careers’, such as those in industry. Add the potential for abusive mentors, unsupportive institutional environments and high-pressure experiences, and trainees can get the impression that careers in academia are unsustainable. If an early-career scientist overcomes these barriers and finds a faculty position, then there are further issues: personally, I struggle with managing a busy laboratory, excessive reviewer requests and the time pressures of writing grant applications and completing administrative tasks.
It is no wonder that many current or prospective trainees see what they might have once thought was an ideal career in a different light, and even senior scientists might question their choices. But that is only one perspective on the range of experiences of scientists.
I am an academic and have moved through the ranks, but I had a short stint in industry and have been involved in several biotechnology companies. I’ve seen pros and cons to both. Although I still have a backup plan — becoming a gardener — should all else fail, I’m happy to have maintained my path. My tweets throughout the month were not to obscure the negatives, but to remind us of the positives at every stage, with the perspective of someone who has travelled the early and middle stages of academia.
Nature Collection: Mentoring
My social-media thread highlighted, among other things, our sense of hope and optimism as scientists, our career-changing collaborations, the positive impact we can have and the joy of lifelong learning. I also wrote about academic freedom and having opportunities to engage the public, take sabbaticals, work remotely and wear jeans on the job.
As I tweeted these points daily, I learnt a few things about my own and others’ views.
Looking back, three positive themes emerged from my own thoughts and feedback through Twitter likes, replies and personal comments. These are mentoring, flexibility and relationships.
Mentoring
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Mentoring trainees is among the most valued and rewarding components of being a scientist. This is most visible in academia. We are teachers first, and helping a student to develop as a scientist — to get that first talk, or their first paper or fellowship — and move on to their next phase is a privilege and a motivating reward. A main goal in my own career is helping students to write and successfully defend their theses. These are always a highlight, and are far more memorable than any paper or grant.
Things fall into trouble if this positivity gets lost in the pressures of writing papers, applying for grants and chasing promotions. Toxic mentors who forget this and view lab members instead as lab workers should be retrained themselves or removed from mentorship rosters. In my experience, however, most mentors place their trainees as their top priorities. Science is most enjoyable and best for all when we remember that our primary job is to get trainees to their next job.
Flexibility
The flexibility in science was also highly appreciated by people who responded to my tweets. A common concern of trainees is that having a family life will be difficult or impossible as a scientist. Although there are certainly challenges, the ability to set your own hours as a student and as a faculty member has been a huge benefit, in my experience. My wife is a physician–scientist, and we had our first child as graduate students, and another when I was a postdoc and she was a fellow. We could arrange our schedules for childcare, soccer games, doctor’s appointments and everything else. This did depend on having understanding mentors, and we were fortunate in that regard. Like many others, we try to pay this flexibility forwards.
Along with flexibility in time, intellectual and social flexibility are more good parts of a scientific career. This is stereotyped as intellectual freedom, but encompasses much more. Academics are largely free to determine the composition of their research group, pick the area of research for that group, find collaborators from around the world, wear what they wish and travel widely. Professors are, at some level, free agents in their institutions, and can control what they work on and how they do that work. I’ve been able to ‘follow the science’ across immunology, cancer biology and metabolism, to be creative and build something new — all while dressed like a university student.
People
Last, the themes of ‘people’ and ‘relationships’ are not unique to science, but weave through many of the reasons for this career track. In addition to the excitement of a lab on a shared mission and mentoring lab members, who are often like extended family, we are exposed to people with wide-ranging ideas, expertise and backgrounds. This is a key feature of interdisciplinary and innovative science. With supportive friends across campus and around the globe, science is a melting pot. There is a long way to go to overcome systemic issues, but we should all embrace the intellectual and social diversity of science because it’s the right thing to do, it makes science easier and it’s fun.
There are many more positives, and despite our frequent grumblings, most scientists are passionate about their trainees, work and careers. I challenge researchers to work to not only address the negatives, but also elevate the positives, celebrate their trainees, embrace and extend the flexibility offered in a scientific career and value and build relationships. No matter the form, a #lifeinscience balances out as an exciting and rewarding path.
Competing Interests
J.R. is an employee of Vanderbilt University Medical Center and a founder, scientific advisory board member and stockholder of Sitryx Therapeutics, a scientific advisory board member and stockholder of Caribou Biosciences and a scientific advisory board member of Nirogy Therapeutics. J.R. has consulted for Merck and Pfizer, has received speaker honorarium from Abbvie and has received research support from Incyte in the past three years.