6 Personal stories of researchers whose resilience is inspiring

The research world – where breakthroughs are often achieved after having experienced multiple setbacks – can be highly challenging. Given this, maintaining motivation can feel difficult. Yet, every once in a while, we come across stories of resilience, determination, and unwavering perseverance.

As we move into the Mental Health Awareness Month, let us appreciate the often-unseen struggles that researchers face while pursuing their goals and what helps them work through them. From having no guidance to fighting mom-guilt, these individuals have persisted and thrived in the face of adversity to keep their passion alive.

In this post, we pick some such stories that will not only inspire us, but also give us hope.

1. My journey in academia as a foreigner and a woman

This story about how a female researcher from a developing country overcame barriers to achieve her goals is an inspiring read. She not only grappled with gender bias and corruption, but also faced discrimination for being from a foreign land and not being proficient in English. Read about how she remained undeterred and forged ahead, realizing that her perseverance through these roadblocks – and not a PhD degree – was her biggest accomplishment through the process.

2. The hidden perks of bad supervision

Academicians often say that your supervisor is like your life-partner – you should choose them carefully. But what happens when your supervisor does not believe in you? Read this optimistic story of how a PhD student overcame the obstacle of being under-supervised. He learned to seek mentorship from well-meaning, experienced researchers and realized the strength it takes to ask for help. He learnt lessons that taught him patience, empathy, solidarity, and endurance – learnings that he is currently trying to incorporate as he supervises his own PhD students.

3. It is difficult being an African researcher, but you mustn’t give up!

Coming from Nigeria, a developing country in Africa, comes with its own challenges in the field of research. This story about an African researcher discussing the challenges he has faced is eye-opening. He laments how African researchers aren’t taught rigorous scientific practices and standards at an early stage, how they find it harder to acquire funding, and even accessing paywalled journals that demand hundreds of dollars. He highlights the bias they face coming from a developing country. Read this story to know what helped him build his career despite the challenges that life has thrown at him.

4. Every time I threw in the towel, life would always throw it back!

This story is about how a mom managed to get her bachelor’s degree after 15 years. In this time, she faced rejections from supervisors for being married and having children. She fell behind on her mortgage, faced her cars being repossessed, and even got divorced. Through facing health problems in her family, she continued working towards her goal – doing her coursework during the mornings or the weekends while cleaning and cooking during the week after work. Read this uplifting story of how her children motivated her through all the curveballs that life threw at her and finally earned her PhD.

5. I followed my passion for research after serving in the army for 20 years

This heartfelt note by an army officer-turned researcher shows that it’s never too late to achieve your dreams. After spending 20 years in the army, this author decided to pursue research. Over the course of his training, he met many financial and practical hurdles which forced him to withdraw from his doctoral program twice. He finally found his footing when his partner supported him financially and helped him go back to school to earn his PhD. Read this story to see how you can get support from near and dear ones.

6. Does my fieldwork make me a bad mom?

In a classic example of mom-guilt, this author pens how she experiences guilt every time she has to leave her children and go out for fieldwork related to her research. She writes how she does everything in her power to feel better – including storing extra cooked meals that her children can eat while she’s away, booking her schedule such that she is away for the least duration, and even taking her daughters to the field if the conditions permit. Through these challenges, she believes that exposing her daughters to female field scientists will empower them. Read this heartfelt note about how she balances the joys (and guilts) of motherhood with a demanding career.

Final thoughts

Research is full of challenges. And although it may be difficult to persevere in the face of adversity, nestled within the archives of researcher’s life accounts are inspiring stories of determined people who show us that challenges help you grow, live life creatively, and become not just good researchers but wiser and kinder people.