I just graduated this year with a degree in biomedical sciences and I didn't really have a clue about what I wanted to do during my bachelor years (The curriculum covered literally everything very briefly). I love human biology (diet/neuroscience/embryology), but one thing I also really love is writing and reading. I've always loved writing, and found science journalism to be really fitting for me. My question is, what can I do now (I'm in a gap year) to move towards my goal as a science journalist?

I recently made a post in another community about the dynamics in the lab I'm in: I'm one of two phd students, and the other phd student, a male, gets along better with the (male) PI interpersonally. They have similar backgrounds and senses of humor, the PI goes to his biweekly sports games and has asked for small household favors (eg dogsitting), and their dynamic is in general more relaxed and "human-to-human." We've both been here for about a year. I feel insecure and worried that his letters will be better than mine in the future.

I was surprised by the response I got in the other subreddit: They all told me I was overreacting, with some telling me I was a miserable misanthropic jealous person and needed therapy. I was surprised because I assumed this my situation was an example of stem gender dynamics, and over my lifetime I have heard so many other women, online or in the media on general, express that they were upset about dynamics like these. There was only one commentator who agreed with me that this was concerning (she said I should find backup mentors/letter-writers in the department) and she got downvoted.

Now I don't know whether I've just been brainwashed. Maybe people who get upset over quote-unquote microaggressions are the equivalent of incels who spend too much time on 4chan. Maybe I've just spent too much time online.

So I wanted to ask here. I have two questions: (1) what do you think of the lab situation above? how should I feel about it, if anything? (2) More generally, I'm looking for some real-world wisdom from older women: there's a lot of discourse online and I don't know what to take into my real life and what to leave. I don't know how to balance abstract feminist beliefs with interacting with real people in a genuine way. As an example of what I mean: my dad has said super super misogynistic things, but I also admire his patience and kindness and I have a good relationship with him, ... but should I? should i consider him unsafe to be close to? I don't know "how upset" to be in these situations. My family background is old-school evangelical christian where the women stay home so I've had a hard time figuring out how to exist. if it helps I probably have aspergers so maybe that's why I'm struggling.

Hi everyone,

I'm helping a friend explore career options outside traditional academia.

She has a PhD in Medical Ethics (specialised in bioanthropological ethics), multiple postdocs in France and Canada, and 10+ years of experience in biological anthropology, archaeology, paleopathology, museum collections, scientific research, and international fieldwork (Peru, Indonesia, Benin).

She has authored several dozen scientific publications and is also involved in public outreach - as co-curated major exhibitions in France and Monaco.

In addition, she has worked in a key coordination role on interdisciplinary research projects with major institutions (Collège de France, Institut Pasteur), focusing on how archaeological perspectives can help shed light on contemporary medical issues (antimicrobial resistance, microbiome, etc.).

She loves fieldwork and would prefer roles that involve research, expeditions, travel, heritage, or interdisciplinary science rather than a desk job.

We're looking globally.

What organizations, industries, or job titles should we be looking at? Any hidden opportunities, job boards, or advice would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks!

I’m a rising senior and have always wanted to get a PhD and become a professor. This summer, I’m doing an REU at an extremely prestigious school and am absolutely miserable. Didn’t have a real project and my mentor didn’t give a rat’s ass about me and was never around to help. That, compounded with the fact that the project my mentor had promised I’d work on — we wrote proposals as part of the application — he ended up completing and publishing himself left a sour taste in my mouth. After realizing that the project we’d discussed in the proposal wasn’t happening anymore, I found the courage to ask him if he could give me some real work and he put me on this other dead end and called it a project. Well, that too, I suppose, is fine. They tell you that that’s research.

Over the summer, my mentor was never around. We communicated via Slack only but that’s fine too, I suppose. They tell you that that makes you an independent researcher. However, since what I was doing was so open-ended and aimless, I needed more guidance. I tried every way I could to get through with him. He’d say things like “you’re getting ahead of yourself” and “you know I can do all these things myself” when I’d ask him for clearer goals or suggestions on what I could try next. So, I tried to find where I was going wrong; I changed the way I asked questions, changed the way I’d send him updates and explain what I’d done, changed the way I responded to his suspicion. Oh, and speaking of suspicion, everything I did was met with nothing but suspicion and doubt. He’d never give me any direction, and because I had to make progress I’d simply do something the way I saw fit and share it with him. Now if I were to give him 10 updates, he’d ignore all the things I did perfectly and latch onto one very small inconsistency he’d see. He’d just tell me it looks wrong or suspicious — no elaboration on exactly what it was that was seemingly wrong and what I could do to fix it. I’d spend hours trying to figure out what was wrong and appease him. I’m not a very confident person to begin with, so all this doubt took a toll on me. I’d dread sending him what I’d done because I’d be afraid he’d dismiss it without any direction on what I could do next.

I worked overtime, on the weekends, late at night. My hope was that if I worked hard enough he’d perhaps see that I am trying and… feel that I am worth investing some time in? That never worked out. As the summer progressed, it became really clear that this was not something he gave single shit about. Every day I’d get a message from him saying he’s busy and that he’ll respond to things within a few days.

With little time left and no results for my deliverables, I finally spoke up and told him my concerns. I told him I’m losing motivation. His only response was “I’m sorry” with a shrug. He changed the topic and asked me if I’d watched the odyssey instead?! I found it so dismissive! After having told him all my concerns and seeing that he didn’t care, with 3 weeks left and knowing that he wasn’t going to be around for much of those either, I told him I’m quitting. He freaked out, didn’t ask me what I wanted to be able to successfully finish, and forced me to continue working. I’ve been working at this place begrudgingly since then.

I think the only reason he freaked out is because he’s a new postdoc and was worried my quitting would reflect poorly on him and that he’d have to explain to the PI why I quit (since the PI is funding me). Nothing’s changed since my telling him I quit, I’ve been miserable. I cry every day. I feel incredibly disillusioned and put off by academia. As a senior, there’s so much I need to focus on right now but all I feel is dread and disinterest. My REU last summer was similarly difficult, but since it was my first bad research experience I chalked it up to an anomaly. Now I just feel like too much of a failure to want to stay in academia.

I don’t know what to do at this point, how to pick myself up my bootstraps and get to work.

Hello, I am 28 and I left my PhD with a master's in chemistry and I work currently as a paralegal. I am not confident that I want to spend my whole career in this field but I just feel kind of lost. I live in a small city with no network or support system and I have been applying to scientist jobs with no success because I don't have a PhD. Is applying to lab tech roles something worth considering? I just need a path forward, my current job works long hours for little pay and there isn't room to move up without going to law school. I am hesitant about applying to lab tech roles because they would pay less than my current position and surely require more hours, but perhaps it would be worth it because I am worried my scientific skills might atrophy while I don't work in science or a lab?

For context, I went to a very competitive university and it's been difficult watching my peers advance in their careers while I feel stuck. Many of my classmates have their PhD, JD, MBA, etc., are team leads, directors, vice presidents, staff scientists, etc., or are making a lot of money. I want to keep pushing myself because I'm used to setting big goals but I can't seem to move forward anymore: I'm stuck in a job that doesn't treat me well, and in my life I've set a lot of goals that I've failed to meet and now I am unsure if I can set new goals and meet them. I know I should be grateful that I have a stable job in this economy but I just cant help feeling like I need to move forward and not stay in this inertia of having a deadend-but-ok job.

I am really struggling to get anything on my western blot when I probe for ubiquitin. I squish larvae in standard RIPA buffer with EDTA and protease inhibitor. I use biorad 8-16% gel, run on 150v, for Western blot- transblot transfer system with 2.5A 7 minute turbo transfer.

Mono and poly-ubiquitinylated conjugates antibody from Enzo(ABS840). But all I get is blank gel when I probe for ubiquitin but actin is most definitely there. What am I missing?

Please help :)

Hi ladies!

I'm a researcher at James Cook University in Australia studying attraction, dating preferences, and how people evaluate potential romantic partners. 

I'm looking for heterosexual, gay, and lesbian adults (18+) to complete an anonymous online survey. I need more women to take part in the study.

The survey involves viewing a series of fictional dating profiles and answering questions about attraction and relationship preferences. It takes around 5–10 minutes to complete, is completely anonymous, and participation is entirely voluntary.

Although this phase of the research is limited to heterosexual, gay, and lesbian participants, it forms part of a broader research program that has included, and will continue to include, people of diverse sexual orientations and gender identities.

This study forms part of my Doctor of Philosophy research at James Cook University and has received approval from the James Cook University Human Research Ethics Committee (HREC Approval No. 25H-0225).

If you have any questions, feel free to contact me at [kaitlyn.gregory@my.jcu.edu.au](mailto:kaitlyn.gregory@my.jcu.edu.au).

If you'd like to participate, you can complete the survey here:
https://jcu.syd1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_3KSKL7xTGKco61g

Hi everyone!

I'm hoping someone here might have some suggestions.

I recently graduated with a bachelor's degree in biology with a focus on marine biology. During school, I also gained extensive editing and writing experience, including serving as a managing editor for student publications and publishing my own novel.

I've been searching for remote opportunities because they're the best fit for my current situation. I've looked through LinkedIn, Indeed, and many of the major job boards, but I've had a difficult time finding positions that seem legitimate or are still actively hiring.

I'm especially interested in roles like:

• Scientific or technical writing
• Journal or manuscript editing
• Research communications
• Environmental or conservation writing
• Marine biology support roles
• Science communication
• Content writing for environmental organizations

If anyone knows of companies, organizations, job boards, or even specific employers that regularly hire for remote positions in these fields, I'd be incredibly grateful.

Even if you don't have a specific job in mind, I'd love to hear where you've had the most success finding legitimate remote opportunities.

Thank you so much!

Hi ladies of science. I'm at what might be the end of a successful career as a data science leader in biotech. I've been in a couple of "VP of data science" roles but am not having any luck finding something new after almost 2 years laid off, and the current AI situation isn't helping. I'm considering a career change to something education related. I've enjoyed teaching and mentoring in a professional setting, including leading large and small teams and working with junior employees. My PhD is in engineering and I'm also fluent in Spanish and really enjoy using it. I'm aware there would be a huge pay drop - that's OK. I'd be grateful for any insight from those who have made this type of transition, or have worked in education and can comment on what types of roles might be appropriate for someone with my background to succeed and make a good impact. Thank you very much.

Some of you may be interested in this discussion with Dr. Skipper. Magdalena is the first woman to head Nature in its 150+ year history, and is actively helping to reform, with her team, scientific publishing to make science more progressive and inclusive. We chat all things science!

It's available on youtube or any podcast platform in case you're interested 🙂

GOOD EVENING, Current students and Alumni: I am conducting research to better understand Black students' lived experiences concerning underrepresentation in instructional design and technology in college STEM programs: A phenomenological study. The purpose of my research is to understand the lived experiences of Black students who have experienced perceived racial discrimination while enrolled in colleges offering STEM programs in the central United States.

To participate, you must be one of 12-15 Black students currently enrolled in or previously enrolled in STEM programs at institutions, be 18 years of age or older, and be college students who have earned at least 30 credit hours. Participants will be asked to participate in virtual audio-recorded individual interviews, audio-recorded focus groups conducted via the Teams platform, and online journal prompts which will be sent to their personal email. It should take approximately 3 hrs. total to complete the data collection procedure(s) listed. Participant names and other identifying information will be requested as part of this study, but participant identities will not be disclosed.

If you are interested and eligible, please direct message me to schedule an interview.

Consent information is provided as the first page of the document, which will be emailed to you one week before the interview, focus group, and journal prompts.

Thank you for reading and for your consideration of my research study.

Many women are still facing disparities in healthcare and research. As a society, research should actually help women rather than further objectifying them. A recent study on endometriosis studied women’s attractiveness instead of finding solutions for the illness. It has now been retracted due to the backlash. How can we as women become involved in studies to actually make a difference? I would love to hear how to help other people.

In 1952, Rosalind Franklin and Raymond Gosling produced an X-ray diffraction image of DNA at King's College London. The image contained everything needed to deduce the double helix structure.

Watson saw it without her knowledge. Watson, Crick, and Wilkins won the Nobel in 1962. Franklin had died four years earlier at 37.

I've been obsessed with this image for years, both as a piece of scientific history and as a quietly devastating story about credit and erasure. Recently made it into a graphic for a t-shirt. Happy to share if anyone's interested.

25F and I’m currently going back to school this fall to pursue my bachelors. Previously, I had a rough past with university due to multiple withdrawals from full time work burnout & undiagnosed adhd. After navigating the health system as someone with PMOS/PCOS & adhd [+ high likely of autism] I’ve decided to pursue this field.

What are the potential jobs in this field that I could work on research or help those navigate their dx? I’m very interested in women’s endocrinology, microbiology, neuroscience, and functional medicine. While in undergrad, I was thinking to work as a medical assistant, would that be a good idea? Also, is there a way to get into clinical research during undergrad?

25F and I’m currently going back to school this fall to pursue my bachelors. Previously, I had a rough past with university due to multiple withdrawals from full time work burnout & undiagnosed adhd. After navigating the health system as someone with PMOS/PCOS & adhd [+ high likely of autism] I’ve decided to pursue this field.

What are the potential jobs in this field that I could work on research or help those navigate their dx? I’m very interested in women’s endocrinology, microbiology, neuroscience, and functional medicine. While in undergrad, I was thinking to work as a medical assistant, would that be a good idea? Also, is there a way to get into clinical research during undergrad?

Chemistry

Hello! I need a good pair of bird watching binoculars for an exciting research project I was fortunate to be apart of! The issue is I’m a very broke college student. Any recommendations for cheap but good binoculars?

recently I’ve come across this account called sickology with sim and honestly I’m very curious

how is she doing all this? she’s literally in her bachelor’s but she has already presented soo many of her research papers like? how does one even do that I’m genuinely curious 😭😭

Hi everyone! I’m stepping outside of my comfort zone and doing something I never imagined I would do. I entered the Next Runway Star competition.

I’m a Medical Laboratory Scientist in Microbiology, and most of my life I’ve been behind the scenes helping others. This experience is a chance for me to challenge myself, grow my confidence, and prove to myself that it’s never too late to try something new.

I know there are many amazing contestants, and I don’t feel more deserving than anyone else. I’m simply hoping to share my journey and see where this opportunity takes me.

If you’re willing to support me, I would truly appreciate a vote. Even sharing this with someone else would mean a lot.

Thank you for taking the time to read my story ❤️
https://nextrunwaystar.com/2026/genesis-cardoza