(4/4) Navigating the world of science research, a four part interview series.

Interview and Words by Jenny Schneider. 
​Edited by Jessica Sharrock.

A conversation with Dr. Sumru Bayin, Senior Postdoctoral Fellow at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC), New York. See parts one, two and three here.
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PART 4: TIPS & ADVICE

JS: Any advice for international scholars on applying for funding?
SB: The website GrantScoop is a great search engine for funding opportunities. In addition, talk to your PI about it and contact your institute’s grants office (most big institutes have them). They can help you get more information that is specific to your field of research and nationality.
In terms of timeline, it is advisable to start looking for grants as early as possible because most of the grants have a specific window of eligibility (e.g. you can apply within 1-2 years of your PhD defense date). I think applying for grants is a great exercise even if you don’t need the extra funding or if you don’t get it at the end. It is beneficial for your CV, especially if you want to stay in academia, and it allows you to understand your own project from the start.

JS: Overall through your scientific experience, were there moments where you thought to yourself “I wish I knew this before”?
SB: I definitely wish I knew I had to contact PIs about rotations before my first day at the PhD program. I also wish I was more aware of the politics and competitiveness of science when I started my PhD. It can be brutal and unfair and it would of help to be ready to face it. Now I am used to it but during the first stages of my PhD I took it very personally, to the point where I thought I didn’t want to be in science anymore. If I had been prepared, I could have been more pragmatic and cared less about adverse reactions to my science.

JS: Looking back on your science path, would you do anything differently?
SB: I would say “no” to science more often. I still sometimes make the mistake of taking on too much. Overworking becomes a habit and if you don’t learn to make time for yourself from the start it is very hard to change later. I am a bit of a workaholic and I think that now it’s too late for me to change my habits. I wish I had set a better work-life boundary and remembered that science can wait sometimes!

JS: What is one piece of advice you would give someone starting their PhD or postdoc?
SB: Be realistic about your expectations, make sure that you really love science and that you are willing to spend the overtime on it. Definitely don’t go into grad school or a postdoc as a default; it’s the worst mistake. I am not saying you won’t be successful, you just might be miserable. Get into it because you want to do it, not because you don’t know what to do next. Also, if somewhere along the way you realize that it is not for you, it’s okay to get out and reconfigure your career path. In short, know yourself and know your limits.

JS: Moving from turkey to the US; what was the best, worst, and weirdest experience you have had?
SB: The best part was definitely New York City. Maybe I watched too much TV but NYC felt like home even when I first moved here. It felt so familiar, like I’d lived here all my life. It is multicultural and much more influenced by other world regions. As a foreigner, I think New York is very welcoming because of its diversity, no one treats you differently because everyone is a foreigner here. It is also one of a few select places in the world where you don’t have to define who you are.
The hardest part, scientifically, was dealing with the first round of disappointments from your project not working as expected in the lab. I also had to deal with some fallout from Hurricane Sandy, I think from my 8 years in the US; it was one of the hardest, most emotional experiences that I had to deal with. NYU got hit very hard and that put our lives on hold for a very long time. In retrospect, this experience strengthened relationships with my peers and eventually we bounced back.
The weirdest parts are the doors and locks opening the opposite way, and having to walk everywhere instead of driving. On a more serious note, seeing the amount of homeless people in NYC was difficult for me. I think in general, coming to a new country without knowing anyone is challenging. We put up brave faces but it can be hard at times. It helped that I acquired an extremely supportive group of friends during my PhD at NYU.
 
We would like to thanks Dr. Bayin for taking the time to INet NYC about her life in the science world.