Phases of my PhD
I just realised that PhD is an ever-changing game. Each year, each semester is different. It can get annoying that by the time you figure out what’s happening, things have changed already, and you have to adapt again. But I’m so grateful that I’m living an interesting life where things keep changing. This means that my life is challenging and interesting, not monotonous like that of my tech friends.
My first semester was mainly coursework I was not even on campus.
Second sem was coursework and setting up the lab.
The third sem should've been the sem of getting headlong into experiments, but we didn't have our microscope. So it was mostly data analysis. I did manage to do some experiments with our department microscope.
The fourth sem was crazy. I was trying to do a difficult and time consuming experiment that could never have worked because of techical constraints.
The fifth sem was when we started refining our data analysis pipeline with a master's thesis student.
The sixth sem was when I got the result that’s the highlight of my PhD. I did experiments but not a lot really because I was focussing on my compre exam. I also went to Dresden- my first international conference.
Seventh to ninth sem (2024)- I did experiments like crazy- trying to get as much data as possible. Also started drafting my manuscripts. Around this time, I started hating my institute- and my desire to leave it as soon as I could kept me super motivated and made me overwork.
I think this mental stress really took a toll on my health.
I would say this was the worst phase of my PhD.
People around me got very unsupportive- restrictions to use shared equipments etc (as if they got stuff with their own money -_-). I lost my harddrive. I had serious injuries. I ended up isolating myself- I decided never to be friends with anyone in my lab or in my department. Except a select few. My partner supported me through it all.
I was also overworking and burnt out around this time. That coupled with others’ aggressiveness and my frustration with the bad living conditions at my institute made things really horrible. I ran many experiments in parallel, spend a lot of time in the lab- all of this meant I had to cut off time with friends and family- adding more to my stress.
Around the year's end, we got to know that we had to shift labs. So, I got even more keen on generating all the data I needed for my project. But the microscope broke down, and the company was so shitty they didn't fix it for another couple of months! NEVER BUY ZEISS MICROSCOPE IF YOU’RE STARTING A LAB IN INDIA.
Tenth sem: I think all the data I generated last year is coming to fruition now. While others in the lab were struggling to get data for their projects with all the shifting, I didn’t have to give a shit about it. I had a lot of data. I sat like a queen at the computer, analysing the data I generated with my sweat and tears.
I am also working on my manuscript now. And we are targetting my dream journal. I don't know if my work will be accepted there- but the fact that we are aiming for the stars itself makes me super proud of myself! Like participating in the Olympics. Olympics of science!
To those biologists who scoff at what they don’t understand — who sit on their hypothesis high horses and laugh at exploratory science: here’s a message.
While you were busy recycling the same biology tricks, I was busy blending physics with biology to discover new principles.
You aim for Biomaterials and JACS? I’m aiming for Nature Physics.
You may be on a high horse — but my horse is faster.
I’ve been getting the grants, the fellowships, and doing science that excites me. Because I was willing to learn. Willing to struggle. Willing to do real science — not just safe, incremental stuff that makes no one’s heart race.
