OPN Column February 2016
OPN Column February 2016
Finding Success as a Dual Career Couple, Natalie Banerji
Natalie Banerji, Professor of Physical Chemistry, University of Fribourg, Switzerland talks about how "A scientific career in academia can present a young researcher with the challenge of juggling work life and personal life—especially when their partner is also an academic, working in the same discipline."
Managing the dual-career problem, or the two-body problem, is one that often faces young scientists who seek to pursue a career in academia and science. Professor Banerji outlines the issues that faced her and her partner in pursuing their careers and how the steps taken to reach a resolution.
In my case, my partner was not a fellow student, but a tenured lecturer at my university (University of Geneva, Switzerland).After completing a postdoctoralfellowship, things can get complicated if you and your partner both decide to pursue a faculty position. We started dating at the beginning of my Ph.D. program. I have always been extremely career-driven, so giving up my career to stay local was simply not an option, and he hadno plans to move. For a while, I considered changing my career orientation to school teaching. After trying it for a year (part-time, in parallelto my Ph.D. research), I ultimately decided dealing with teenagers was not for me. Instead, I chose a two-year postdoctoral program in the United States at the University of California, Santa Barbara. I had a wonderful time in California and never regretted my decision to go without my partner. Our relationship survived through Skype calls and frequent visits. (full article below)

Professor Natalie Banerji