Following the Passion of Research with Mariana Vargas-Caballero

Published: Feb. 18, 2021, 5:14 a.m.

b'Many of my guests have talked about tuning into and pursuing your passion, when considering career options. In this episode, I talked with Mariana Vargas-Caballero about how she discovered her passion for science and about the choices and principles that brought her into the academic life.\\t\\t
\\n\\t\\t\\tWhat you\\u2019ll learn about in this episode:\\t\\t
\\n\\t\\tThe value of doing a masters before embarking on a PhDHow a good lab culture can empower you as an international studentHow exercises like drawing and annotating your lifeline and drawing mind maps of your values and interests can inform your career decisisonsThe advantages of obtaining fellowshipsGrowing your skillset to become a better candidateEmbracing the reality of the academic careerThe importance of setting life1work boundariesHow to deal with impostor syndrome as an academicThe importance in engaging in groups and activities outside your researchDo you enjoy Papa PhD? Leave me a comment here\\xa0- one short sentence is enough! And be sure to include your Twitter handle \\u2013 that way, I can thank you personally!\\t\\t
\\n\\t\\t\\t
\\n\\t\\t\\t\\t\\t\\tSupport the show on Patreon !
\\n\\t\\t\\t\\t\\t
\\n\\t\\t\\t\\t\\t\\t\\t\\t\\t\\t\\t\\t\\t\\t\\t\\t\\t\\t\\t\\t\\t
\\n\\t\\tMariana Vargas-Caballero is a Mexican/British Neuroscientist. She obtained a degree in Biology in Mexico. She then trained for a Ph.D. in Neuroscience at the University of Cambridge. With fellowship funding from Wellcome Trust, she obtained postdoctoral training at the University of California at Berkeley, the University of Toronto, and the University of Oxford.In 2012, Dr. Vargas-Caballero established her independent research group at the University of Southampton where she is a Lecturer in Neuroscience. Her research interests focus on understanding how brain circuits are affected by dementia.\\t\\t
\\n\\t\\t\\tThank you, Mariana Vargas-Caballero!\\t\\t
\\n\\t\\tIf you enjoyed this interview with Mariana, let her know by clicking the link below and leaving her a message on Twitter:Click here to thank Mariana Vargas-Caballero on Twitter!Click here to share your key take-away from this interview with David!\\t\\t
\\n\\t\\t\\t
\\n\\t\\t\\t\\t\\t\\tDownload "Tools for Your PhD Journey" !
\\n\\t\\t\\t\\t\\t
\\n\\t\\t\\tMariana\\u2019s pearls of wisdom:\\t\\t
\\n\\t\\t\\u201cThe reality is \\u2013 and it\'s something that I discuss often with my students \\u2013 is to land these positions, funnily enough, what you need rather than... Well, you need the skills but you need papers. You need to have demonstrated with publications that you can push those skills to fill in gaps in knowledge. And so the skills that I have are in the area of electrophysiology. And also those extra trainings that I have had have allowed me to implement techniques in molecular biology or behavioural analysis to ask questions related to dementia or memory. And so... Essentially it\'s the combination of those papers and those skills that I think put me in a really good position when I applied for this job, both of those things.\\u201d\\u201cI realised that I value knowledge and understanding as a part of my job. And so I knew I really, really wanted that. And at the same time, I wanted to have discovery and this communication with the new generations. So that kind of put it all in perspective and I said "I know that it\'s going to be very hard, but I believe that an academic job is going to be right for me.\\u201d\\u201cDon\'t let being pregnant, or having plans, or anything like that stop you from making these applications, because you never know.\\u201d\\t\\t
\\n\\t\\t\\tThis episode\\u2019s resources:\\t\\t
\\n\\t\\tMariana Vargas-Caballero | LinkedInMariana Vargas-Caballero | TwitterMariana Vargas-Caballero Lab | Website ; InstagramBook suggestion | Build your Own Rainbow\\t\\t
\\n\\t\\t\\t
\\n\\t\\t\\t\\t\\t\\tJoin the Papa PhD Postgraduate Career Exploration Group!
\\n\\t\\t\\t\\t\\t
\\n\\t\\t\\tYou might also like the following episodes:\\t\\t
\\n\\t\\tJonathan Weitzman \\u2013 Interdisciplinarity and industry partnershipsPaulo Oliveira \\u2013 Entrepreneurship and outreach as an academicPatr\\xedcia Monteiro \\u2013 Being a woman in research and investing in out...'