Posted on by Itumeleng · 3 Comments

So, you are doing a Ph.D in biology?

If you’re a life science Ph.D student, you’ve had this question before. Usually followed by raised eyebrows and confused looks, which signal the second question – What will you do with that? The reasons and motivations for pursuing a Ph.D depend on the individual, but let me just try to explain what a Ph.D in biology means to me.

Firstly, it would be remiss of me to not mention that currently there is no Nobel Prize in Biology! But, as an aspiring Nobel laureate, you can take solace in the fact that in recent years the Noble Prize in Chemistry has been awarded to biologist. Studying biology today has changed drastically since the days of Darwin and Mendel. The multi-disciplinary nature of modern biology is the reason why three biologists won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2015 for their work on “Mechanistic studies of DNA repair”. Naturally, this caused some uproar from the Chemistry community, but the argument was laid to rest here. Now – to you, the aspiring Ph.D biology student – I say do NOT be deterred by the “haters”  🙂 . The path you have chosen has many twists and turns, but the rewards far outweigh the immediate costs.

Now, if knowing that there is a (veeeery slim) chance that a biologist could win a Nobel Prize is not motivation enough, a recent publication by by American Society of Cell Biology highlighted where recent Biology graduates are now: not even 10% of those starting their PhD end up in tenure-track faculty positions…

Despite all the challenges and frustrations experienced by Biology PhD students, I could not see myself doing something else. I have ALWAYS loved biology, and  it was the only subject that made sense to me in school. I grew up with a medical background (with my mum being a healthcare professional) and being exposed to it made me love it.  I must admit at that point I wasn’t sure what “IT” was, and I thought I wanted to be a medical doctor. . . Please reader, do not judge me too harshly for what I am about to tell you –  Upon completion of high school, I promptly began studying for my medical degree at UCT’s medical school. Those were the WORST two weeks of my life! I simply could not see myself playing the role of Dr. . . Even when my friends and I played Dr-Patient, I always preferred being the patient (I may have been influenced by the rule that patients ALWAYS got a piece a candy after the Dr’s ‘exam’). So, you see, although Biology was in my blood, medicine was not my calling. It seems that life is not without a sense of irony: although I cannot see myself being a human doctor, I see myself being a Dr of Biology 🙂

To go back to the core of this blog – Yes, I am doing a PhD in biology and unlike my friends in other fields or accounting (a career choice I can’t understand!) I’ve NEVER have a ‘bad’ day at work. Sure, my experiments have some ‘kinks’, but I don’t have a 9-5 work schedule, and I have the freedom to answer the questions that matter most to me. My work (where, remember, you spend most of your waking hours) is VERY rewarding! I ask this of my fellow PhDs: reclaim your pride and shatter the glass ceilings. That Nobel Prize in Chemistry is now attainable! There is no reason to be riddled with anxiety when asked if you do a PhD in biology. Be proud! There are bigger question to ask yourself: what legacy will you leave? What kind of mentor do you want to be? What contributions is your work making to the field of biology?

[1] American society of cell biology infograph of status of PhD (biology) holders

Posted on by sipokazinyeleka

#MamaImadeit: MY WAY

Day one of all things research

There was a time in my life (a very recent time!) when I spent quite a lot of time stressing about how fast my colleagues were moving with their research while my work…. Well, it showed some significant tortoise tendencies.  Even though my colleagues work in very different sub-fields compared to my own, I could not help compare myself to them. But by now I just thank God for introspection. Reflecting on my own work, my own goals, my own reasons, I could ultimately acknowledge – to myself —  that I was doing what no human being should do because “Comparison is an act of violence against the self”. Ultimately I concluded that I must define my success, which makes me think of that Caper song…

Haven’t we all made it?

We all have a different opinion of what Success looks like, feels like, tastes like and how to attain it. And we certainly don’t all have the same experience that leads to attaining it. Funny enough though, we know success when we see it. Or do we?

The #PeopleWhoThinkTheyHaveMadeItInLife has somewhat disturbed me. For some reason I cannot get over the thought that no one -according to this trend- has made it in life because the minute you achieve something somebody has the guts to ask “so you think you have made it in life”?

What if it’s no joke and whoever coined that phrase to you thinks you haven’t made it?  Does what you had defined as success stop being something you’re proud of because it’s different from what the next person perceives as success? A lot of people have used this phrase particularly when I would be telling them about my research and what I’ll ultimately achieve through it.

Subconsciously I started doubting my work and the small yet very large milestones I’ve overcome so far.

“Mama I made it!!”

It’s no secret that I want to make a difference in my sphere of influence, I mean I don’t want to just exist and breathe for the sake of being alive. What I have come to realize though is that whatever makes Casper Nyovest scream “Mama I made” it is not necessarily what makes Barack Obama utter the same words (If he would ever) thus the need to define my own with my own words and in my own time. Will it be my success or our success? (Our, being the people whose lives I aspire to impact and hopefully change for the better through knowledge and skill transfer.)

I suspect (I hope!) after every data point has been “raised”, “analyzed” and submitted (mid-year, 2017 ) I’ll boldly declare “Mama I made it!!” And then? Keep on updating my definition of success.

#teamwork, #friendship