about you Connect with other PhDs, ensure good relationships within and outside academia.

Networking? Yuck….

It’s such an itch-inducing word: networking. Immediately, I’m reminded of networking events where you don’t know anyone and have to pretend you’re having a good time, and of forced introductory rounds with games. Yuck… Maybe I’m projecting my own discomfort onto you, but I know few people who say, ‘Great,…

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Why I offer researchers and scientists a Chinese workout

A cliché, but true: researchers and scientists experience stress. It has various causes: competition for research funds and the race to be the first with publications, financial pressure to secure sufficient resources, the pressure to regularly publish in renowned journals, time pressure due to various deadlines, no proper work-life balance,…

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Say no more

“What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell just as sweet.” Julia indicates with this world-famous line that a name is just a label and that a name, in itself, means nothing. Are names important? In the context of Romeo and Juliet,…

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The new academic year, I’m back in action!

“We would appreciate it if you could stay for a few days. That way, we can better monitor how you respond to the medication.” And so, what I thought would be a half-hour appointment turned into the beginning of a four-and-a-half-week hospital stay. During my time in the hospital, it…

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