stem phd mentor

Pro tip: say no to at least 50% of requests and, whenever you decline, provide the names of two male colleagues who are shirking their share of service. (Gold star for BCCing the dean when you do so.)

omfg

thank you, Jeremy

NIH social media has been a hoot these days too.

It’s not gatekeeping, it’s just not wanting to get a possibly preliminary and incorrect message out to a large audience until it has been examined more thoroughly.

Many people share unpublished work at conferences. Varies by field.

Possibly out of fear the story might change.

Desk rejection and request from a PO to speak about a foreign subaward this morning.

Staying strong… 💪 🫠

The US government is aiming to get rid of a quarter million people involved in science research and education by 2026.

I have no words.

What’s important is that I don’t shy away from recognizing what I really need to do.

I have found this is like a muscle, and when I practice doing what I need to do (but might not “want” to do in the moment), I am usually much happier.

But I do have to be honest with myself about what I actually want in life and to work toward those goals each day. Some days it means working on stuff I find really hard, and tolerating extended periods of boredom, frustration, shame, regret, etc. Other days can be really easy.

This DOESN’T mean I am constantly grinding through my to-do list. That’s a super sad life I wouldn’t wish on anyone. (I’ve been there.)

I used to think that if I felt stressed or sad, I needed a distraction to feel better, and then I could get on with my life. I finally realized that’s not usually the most loving response. The most important part of my regular self-care is in fact confronting what I most need to do.

When I do the scary things I know I need to, I am a much happier person because I'm growing into the kind of person I want to be.

It took me a long time to lean into this desire. From the outside, it's hard to distinguish from punitive "self-discipline."

Something I re-learn throughout life, a little better each time: Self-care means not avoiding what scares me.

This can be tricky because 'what scares me' changes over time. This week, it's reading certain papers. Reading papers used to be my main procrastination method!

This one hit me in the feels today

🧪 Winner of the 2018 Nikon Small World in Motion : 16 hours of Zebrafish embryo growing its sensory nervous system

🔬 Dr. Elizabeth M. Haynes & Jiaye "Henry" He - University of Winsconsin

University of Virginia President Resigns Under Pressure From Trump Administration

“That’s an awfully nice university you have there. Would be a shame if something happened to it.”

-DOJ

www.nytimes.com/2025/06/27/u...

Since the US politics have decided to target DEI spaces, I’ve seen a huge drop of engagement in #DisabledInSTEM

Disabled, disability and accessibility are part of the list of banned words for grants too really really highlights that these identities are being specifically targeted to be silenced.

Once again, mostly coaching myself here. 😅 I'm probably going to have a talk like this this week with another PI about a project that needs adjustment.

#newpi #phdadvice #postdoc

5. If you can't address the top problems quickly, talk to your advisor. Emphasize your proposed next steps. These kinds of strategic decisions about research direction are your advisor's bread and butter.

These kinds of talks show you are a mature, thoughtful scientist and a reliable collaborator.

1. Ask yourself what ideas underlie your dislike. What's wrong with the work?
2. What are the most logical next steps to address each concern?
3. Rank the concerns in order of importance/emotional intensity.
4. Figure out your opportunity cost. What else would you be working on?
(cont'd)

Trainees, you have my sympathy if you don't like your project but also feel trapped by it. I've been there. I think there are some things you could do (and that I wish I had done).

🌟 The most important is not to assume that because you dislike your research, you should quit. 🌟

I'm learning (slowly) to pay more attention to the dislike, rather than ignoring it and feeling guilty about it. Usually we can pivot and make the project interesting again, or we can accept it needs to be abandoned for something better.*

*with the caveat that new projects look deceptively easy

Whenever I dislike a research project, I eventually discover it's because some part of it feels stale or wrong: We're not asking the right question, an assumption is bad, or some other work in the field has started to eclipse it, so it's no longer a priority.

🧵

Judge Young's order has come in. Grant terminations in the plaintiff states or to the plaintiff orgs (APHA, UAW) are officially void and illegal.

It also says that the "Challenged Directives" are arbitrary and capricious — and thus illegal as well.

Now what exactly are are these directives? 🧵

Chatbots — LLMs — do not know facts and are not designed to be able to accurately answer factual questions. They are designed to find and mimic patterns of words, probabilistically. When they’re “right” it’s because correct things are often written down, so those patterns are frequent. That’s all.

Aaaaaand the page seems to be down already?!

Huge, wonderful news for #academicsky #dei and #stem.

a cartoon character says good news in front of a futurama sign ALT: a cartoon character says good news in front of a futurama sign

GOOD NEWS!

The NIH guide notice prohibiting grantees from engaging in or promoting DEI activities or from engaging in "prohibited boycotts" (such as BDS) has been rescinded!!!!

grants.nih.gov/grants/guide...

It has taken me a long time to accept that research requires embracing discomfort as we grow our skills and grapple with the unknown.

When I was starting out (including as PI), I didn't know that it was okay for things to feel so hard.

It's possible to enjoy the process, even while it's tough.