Women in Science Celebration: Interview with Dr Elisa Venturini

Tell us a little bit about yourself:

I was born and grew up in a small town in northern Italy. After my degree and almost 6 years of experience working in cancer research, I moved to the US 12 years ago with my husband. I worked in academic institutions and a family foundation and I am currently working for a private company. We have two kids who are 10 and 7 years old. What was supposed to be a few years’ experience turned into our life and we are now settled in NY.

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"We all want to excel, we want to shine and have a bright career but that doesn’t mean we have to sacrifice our personal life to it."

In your opinion, what is the best way to maintain work-life balance?

Set boundaries. Especially now during the pandemic when we are all working from home it is important to set limits. We all want to excel, we want to shine and have a bright career but that doesn’t mean we have to sacrifice our personal life to it. It is important to learn when it is time to stop and dedicate time to a hobby, to our family, to our friends. It seems obvious and straightforward, but it is not especially if you feel the pressure of your colleagues working long hours. Our value will be recognized even if we do not work 24/7 and if the workplace is not recognizing it, then it is time for a new adventure.

"Mentors and colleagues who value our expertise and skills will not ask us to choose."

What are your thoughts on the pressure that women face in having to make a choice between starting a family and progressing their career?

In my life, I was always very lucky, and I was never put in the positions of having to choose. All my mentors and supervisors were extremely supportive, but I can see how starting a family could be a challenge for women not as lucky as I was. I think there is not a solution to that. Women will always face a bumpier path, but I do believe that if we keep believing in our dreams, we will eventually find people around us who will believe in us and support us in our growth. Mentors and colleagues who value our expertise and skills will not ask us to choose. Finding that environment will not be easy, but we should not give up our dreams of starting a family, but rather we should focus on finding that workplace where we are valued even more because we have a family. And I can say these places totally exist.

"You need to focus on what makes you happy, keeps you excited and curious."

What advice would you give yourself if you were starting your career today? What would you say to encourage other women to persevere  in their career path?

Follow your dreams, do what you like, do not be discouraged by difficulties and seize the opportunities. You will never find the perfect job, but you need to focus on what makes you happy, keeps you excited and curious. No matter what your job is, it takes a lot of your time and you do not want to be bored or struggle because you do not like it.