Parenting in Academia

My two year-old is asleep now and my first grader is about to work on her math assignment for the day. Right now, my spirit and flesh are both weak, I have to help with math homework, and I really…

I was happy and ready to take on the world. Little did I know the year ahead would have the biggest professional hurdle of my life.

I spend a few seconds sinking into this emotion, shuddering from the reality that the life of a black man/woman/child is not valued the same as my white friends and coworkers. I feel guilty about…

After confirming my pregnancy, the first thing I did was to disclose it to my lab supervisor and colleagues. The reason was simple. I am a scientist who conducts experiments in a laboratory full…

One of the main concerns of female researchers who wish to begin their family is the uncertainty around continuing with their work. Let us take a closer look at the…

My wait to get into a PhD program was around four years long – not surprisingly, though, my personal life couldn’t wait. 

It was a very difficult stage in my life. I had to manage my studies along with my parenting responsibilities. I felt I was drowning, and needed someone to save me.

When I am feeling my most discouraged and whipped by this PhD I tend to start listing mentally, everything that has happened in my life over the past 2.5 years that have made it impossible for me…

When my daughter was born, I was in the middle of teaching a third-year course online. I could have gone on maternity leave, but the union rules for sessional lecturers at my institution were such…

While most of my job involves sitting at a desk, I am fortunate that for three months a year I live in a tent, explore remote places, and dig fossil bones out of the…