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When the data doesn’t behave: learning to embrace uncertainty in research

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When the data doesn’t behave: learning to embrace uncertainty in research

The journey through a PhD is not a straight line. Along the way, we face uncertainty when experiments don’t go as planned. Here, Jennifer Loudon Moxen shares her story embracing such uncertainty. While it can be frustrating at times, we can use it to learn more from our data and ask new questions.

25 Jun 2026 • 4 min read

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Baby steps toward uprooting toxicity from academia

Baby steps toward uprooting toxicity from academia

Passion for science leads ECRs to embark on the adventure of graduate studies. However, this passion is sometimes met with unfair obstacles and biases that hinder their career paths. Here, we discuss how we can all contribute to making academia a welcoming environment where everyone can thrive.

Multiple authors

9 Feb 2023 • 6 min read

The Many Languages of Science

The Many Languages of Science

There are more than 7000 languages in the world. So how do you make sure science communication, which typically happens in English, is accessible to everyone? In this blog post, Kanika Khanna tells us how to engage in and feel comfortable talking about science in a non-English language.

10 Nov 2022 • 4 min read

Learning how to change the research environment as an eLife Community Ambassador

Learning how to change the research environment as an eLife Community Ambassador

Research can be incredibly rewarding, but there are a lot of hurdles along the way. Some of these relate to our environments and are difficult to overcome. In this post, Maria Sol Ruiz and Nalaka Wijekoon explain how to take matters into our own hands and step up to induce global change.

ecrLife editors

4 Oct 2022 • 7 min read

Why and how to convince lab members to preprint

Why and how to convince lab members to preprint

We are entering a new science publishing era that is more open and available, and preprints are such an important factor making the difference! There are so many benefits of preprinting, but there are still some skepticals out there.. Learn how to convince them to join the preprint wonderland here!

28 Apr 2022 • 4 min read

Getting to know our editorial team: Angel Cisneros

Getting to know our editorial team: Angel Cisneros

Angel is the latest addition to our editorial team, and we are so happy to have him! He is the glue to our editorial team, making sure that we e-meet regularly to catch up and to plan for ecrLife's next steps. Keep an eye on this one, because he will go places!

ecrLife editors

14 Apr 2022 • 5 min read

Building a Technology-Savvy Workforce to Drive the Future of Research

Building a Technology-Savvy Workforce to Drive the Future of Research

The pandemic forced scientists to change how they do research. While some of these changes have improved the scientific method, others further increase pre-existing inequities in the research environment. In this post, Adriana Bankston outlines how she envisions the future of the research workforce.

Adriana Bankston

17 Feb 2022 • 5 min read

Paying it forward: bringing innovation to academic funding

Paying it forward: bringing innovation to academic funding

Not every postdoc has the same salary, supportive environment, or benefits. These factors vary greatly among institutions, creating an inequitable environment. Amanda Hurley introduces a new funding mechanism that better supports postdocs to successfully transition into independent positions.

10 Feb 2022 • 5 min read

How to avoid overcommitting in grad school

How to avoid overcommitting in grad school

The drive to publish is a strong motivator for scientists to spend late nights and weekends in the lab. While long hours may initially pay off, the lack of time for self-care and rest quickly make you less focused and productive. Find out how to keep a healthy balance in our latest blog post.

Karishma Gangwani, Aishwarya Kothari

3 Feb 2022 • 5 min read

How to get what you want out of graduate school: lessons from the business world

How to get what you want out of graduate school: lessons from the business world

Academic training teaches ECRs how to design, run, and analyze experiments, but often overlooks soft skills such as interpersonal and organizational skills. In this blog post, Rachel Meade shows you how to develop these skills and become a more well-rounded scientist.

13 Jan 2022 • 6 min read

How volunteering can support you and your research

How volunteering can support you and your research

While life as a scientist can be incredibly rewarding, day-to-day life at the bench can at times feel like a drag. In this post, Katherine MacInnes tells us how transformative it can be to find an extra passion that provides short-term rewards for the soul to keep us healthy and motivated in life.

Katherine MacInnes

16 Dec 2021 • 5 min read

Getting to know “Sciety”

Getting to know “Sciety”

In terms of fast communication and equity, preprints are invaluable for all researchers. In this post, we wanted to show you a bit more about Sciety, how it works, and the important role it plays on providing easy access to relevant preprints for the whole biomedical community.

Sciety team, Carolina Paz Quezada

23 Sep 2021 • 3 min read

Mental health of early career researchers: COVID-19 brings the community together (virtually)

Mental health of early career researchers: COVID-19 brings the community together (virtually)

COVID-19 has restructured the way we produce and share science, producing an unparallelled increase in stress and anxiety-levels among early career researchers. Here, members of the Berlin research community highlight key findings from their virtual brainstorming event to cope with this stress.

Berlin Institute of Health Research Community

9 Sep 2021 • 4 min read

Higher education re-imagined: goals, societal impacts, and pandemic effects

Higher education re-imagined: goals, societal impacts, and pandemic effects

Adriana Bankston

10 Jun 2021 • 5 min read

Getting to know our editorial team: Andy Tay

Getting to know our editorial team: Andy Tay

ecrLife editors

27 May 2021 • 3 min read

Getting to know our editorial team: Nele Haelterman

Getting to know our editorial team: Nele Haelterman

ecrLife editors

20 May 2021 • 6 min read

Becoming a hearing ally: how do you best accommodate non-hearing scientists?

Becoming a hearing ally: how do you best accommodate non-hearing scientists?

Tom (Lok Ming) Tam

6 May 2021 • 6 min read

Getting to know our editorial team: Carolina Quezada

Getting to know our editorial team: Carolina Quezada

Carolina is the heart and soul of our editorial team! Believing in the power of communication to unify us, she helps grow ecrLife in its mission to highlight the imperfections of our research culture and open up the conversation with the goal of bringing about change.

ecrLife editors

29 Apr 2021 • 4 min read

My service in the Air Force made me a better scientist

My service in the Air Force made me a better scientist

Pathways that lead to science are not straight forward: life usually doesn’t fit the patterns we draw. In this post, we can see that every experience can be taken as an opportunity for personal growth. The skills needed to achieve our purposes can come to us, very often, in unexpected shapes.

22 Apr 2021 • 5 min read

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