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Gabriel Matos Rodrigues, PhD student in Bernard S. Lopez's lab at Université de Paris narrates his experience to move from a PhD to the research world, highlighting values such as empathy and kindness.
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| Photo: bruno-abatti-mEfIhOTH27w-unsplash |
Pursuing a scientific career almost inevitably means moving and leaving the ones you love for at least a certain amount of time. In my case, this decision started during college when I moved from my hometown near São Paulo to Rio de Janeiro. Since I made this decision 10 years ago, staying far from my loved ones has become part of a life style. For a student from a simple upbringing in Brazil, like myself, having the opportunity of studying abroad is the utmost privilege. I have been given the chance to perform a good part of my academic formation in prestigious research institutes in Europe under the supervision of brilliant advisors. This trajectory has come with many challenges and, nowadays, as I look back in time, I realize how empathy and kindness have been essential during this process.
I wrote a first draft for a PhD scholarship project one week after my mother passed away. By the time, working on this application was a way to cope with the mourning process and to know that life would move forward. However, I was stressed about it as I wanted to send a good project to my future advisor. Although the application was submitted in time, the project was not accepted, and I pursued my PhD under the supervision of another advisor. Less than a year later, I moved to France to start my PhD...
... I hope that I can help create a new culture in which kindness and empathy are the building blocks of the resilience we need to endure the always existing challenges of the academic career.
Source: EuroScientist
