Soapbox Science 2022

Soapbox: Did you choose a scientific career or did the scientific career choose you?

Jennifer Yang: I would say I chose the career! I have the thought of pursuing a PhD during my master program. It is quite challenging to apply an oversea PhD program from a non- tier one university. I had to work as a research assistant after graduating to accumulate my research experience. It was not a light and breezy process. It is something you really need to work for it, at least for my situation.

Soapbox: What was the key moment that brought you to the place where you are today?

JY: I think it was the time when I met my master program’s supervisor, Dr. Lin. She is such an inspirational person and she always believes in her students. It was her that made me believe I too am able to get a PhD! 

Soapbox: What is your scientific superhero power? Or what superhero would you be?

JY: I don’t think I have a super power, neither in real life nor in the scientific field. However, I do believe I am good at comforting others! This can really come in handy among my team. There is always some low points on the road of getting a doctorate degree. It is always nice to have someone to listen to you complain. I happened to be a good listener and I also went through a lot of struggles to be able to relate. Just like Kelly Clarkson said “What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger”!!!!

Soapbox: What is the most exciting aspect of your research?

JY: My research is about making cooking as a healthy behavior. I really enjoy working with a topic that is so close to everyday life and can really promote my belief. I see every day cooking as a behavior that doesn’t need to be too complicated or skillful, but rather focus more on making it healthy and simple. To be able to work with this idea for my research is very exciting!

Soapbox: If you were stranded on a deserted island, what scientific equipment would you bring with you?

JY: The equipment that I used are mainly just my computer! I don’t think that would come in handy in a deserted island… Maybe some big ass academic books! They might work as a temporary pillow and can be used to kill scorpions, too!

Soapbox: What challenges do you encounter in science?

JY: Since this is my second semester in the chair, there is still a lot of challenges for me. Learning a new field is a lot of work. And also adapting to a new chair requires effort, too. The way my current supervisor work and think is very different from what I was used to. However, though it’s quite the work, that is the main reason why I wanted to pursue a doctorate abroad in the first place! I want to learn different things and improve my scientific research ability! So… challenging but rewarding!

Soapbox: What motivates you to give a talk in Soapbox Science?

JY: I really appreciate my supervisor from my master program. She is young, she is female and she is the main reason why I am where I am today! Dr. Lin never hide the hardship of pursuing an academic career as a woman, but she also let you understand that as long as you want it, then there should be no other reason to hold you back! It is always nice to have a role model. It gives you a chance to peak through your future possibilities. I hope I can pass on this inspiration to other people who are uncertain about taking the academic career. 

Soapbox: Do you have a few words to inspire other female or young scientists?

JY: Don’t overthink it! And don’t let your gender hold you back! Women is as capable as men to pursue and be successful in the academic career. As long as you want it hard enough, then you definitely deserve it!

Soapbox: In these pandemic days, what funny/interesting experiments, books, talks or podcasts can you recommend to our audience?

JY: For books, I would say Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones. It may seem a bit cliché, but it is nice to have a guideline you can fall back to when you feel you needed some discipline and structure in life. Also, I like to follow some PhD Instagram account. They would share their ups and downs in their career. It’s nice to know that you’re not alone on the experience, especially during the pandemic when a lot of people WFH and in need of human contact.