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  • CAREER FEATURE

Insights from four female scientists caught at the early-career crossroads

Facing challenges including parenthood, mental-health strain and financial pressures, these researchers give advice for navigating the uncertain paths before them.
By
  1. Lesley Evans Ogden

    1. Lesley Evans Ogden is a freelance journalist in Vancouver, Canada.

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Each year hundreds of early-career researchers from dozens of countries attend the Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting in Lindau, Germany. The annual event provides opportunities for junior scientists to interact with Nobel laureates within a disciplinary theme — which in 2023 was physiology and medicine. At last year’s meeting, held in June, four female researchers from three countries took time out from lectures, panel discussions and networking opportunities to tell Nature about their career hopes and challenges for the months and years ahead. Some common themes emerged. They include dealing with career uncertainty, battling financial and time pressures and prioritizing mental health.

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Nature 625, 619-621 (2024)

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-024-00110-y

These interviews have been edited for length and clarity.

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