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Five scientists explain how they decided whether to move to another country

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Five scientists explain how they decided whether to move to another country
Coming from a working-class background, I came to Deakin University in Melbourne, Australia, in the early 2000s, and stayed for a PhD and two postdoc positions. I never intended to be an academic researcher, but I enjoyed science. I stayed for the first postdoc because I had a great mentor, ecologist Andrew Bennett, from whom I could continue to learn. The postdoc gave me protection, as I could avoid a period of unemployment when my wife and I were planning to have children and wanted to be near our extended family. One of the benefits of living in one place is that I became a known amount. As a result, Deakin’s colleagues often ask me to contribute to their paper, from designing the experiments to collecting the data and even writing the actual. For that reason, I had authors on 10-15 papers that were published at the time, beyond my main research. One of the drawbacks of running over and over is that you have to explain what you do, and what you are capable of, over and over again. I was encouraged to move to another institution, but I remember saying, “It’s not that easy. I haven’t been able to reconcile my entire family unit and selfishly move to a new place every three years. After applying for a flagship fellowship but I didn’t get it, I used some existing funding to go on a short trip to Germany to set up a collaboration with a researcher – someone who lived in the same location. I had lived and successfully diversified my research through collaboration. The second time I applied, I received a flagship fellowship, which enabled me to establish my independence while at Deakin. I expanded my network of collaborators within and outside the university, and began to publish more frequently with others. Competition for tenured positions in Australia is intense. As soon as I finished my PhD, I felt like I was in the race for a permanent position in four to eight years. Any move would have slowed my progress. I’m not necessarily a proponent of always being there, but it’s complicated. I now have a tenure at Charles Sturt University in Albury, about 300 kilometers from Deakin. My wife and I were ready to move, especially for the security of tenure. I started my post in 2015 and received a three-year Discovery Early Career Researcher award from the Australian Research Council in 2017. My top tip: Consider the current opportunities at your current institution. Look beyond the possibility of getting an extra 10% quote considering your well being. When I was selected in 2013 as one of two international scholars to attend a summer school at the Interdisciplinary Center of Infection Biology and Immunity (ZIBI) at Humboldt University in Berlin, I had never left India. While I was there, Vikram Mishra, a virologist at the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon, Canada, talked about the bat virus. Later, I asked him to do a project with him. He agreed, and I won six months of funding at his university to research the spillover of bat viruses to other host species. When I landed in Saskatoon in early 2014 it was 60 degrees Celsius colder than in India. During those first few days, I found myself in a case of culture shock. I had no credit history in Canada and little money, but Mishra helped me get a mobile phone, buy groceries and pay rent. Later I was invited to start my PhD at ZIBI. But instead, I decided I would accept Mishra’s offer to stay in Saskatchewan to do a PhD with him, because choosing a PhD advisor is like entering into a marriage: you have to choose the right fit. He is a wonderful man doing important work. He has also inspired me to take up leadership roles. You don’t often see first generation migrants taking those positions. Even though my career was flourishing in Saskatchewan, the cost of living kept me from traveling home for five years. During that time I got married and my parents celebrated their 30th wedding anniversary. I worry that I will have to live with the regret that I didn’t spend enough time with my family. But I could not do this kind of research in India. And I’m not sure I’d apply for a job there for a variety of reasons, including the hierarchy that still exists. In the West, we work as teams. Supervisors appreciate it when you point out flaws in their ideas. I am on a first name basis with the president of my university. I’m not sure I’d be happy if it didn’t work that way. My top tip: An international move is a gamble. Place your bets on mentors who provide support and kindness, as well as expertise.

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