Parenting in Academia

This World Father’s Day, let’s celebrate the resilience and dedication of researcher fathers who navigate the intricate balance of fatherhood and academic career every day. 

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…