OPN Column February 2016
OPN Column February 2016
Finding Success as a Dual Career Couple, Natalie BanerjiNatalie 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)
NataliebanerjicareersOPN 02 16
Professor Natalie Banerji