We want to put our members in the spotlight! For the Meet the WISE series, we interview WISE members in different stages of their career across the university. We hope that their stories, experiences and career paths can be an inspiration to other women at 果冻传媒.
Hello! Could you start by introducing yourself and the research that you鈥檙e doing?
My name is Florencia Abinzano, I'm a postdoctoral researcher at the Biomedical Engineering department. My research is mainly about improving cartilage repair. I focus on cartilage tissue engineering using stem cells and bioreactors to help mature the tissue and to test the durability of the repair. I鈥檓 originally from Argentina, where I worked in business as project manager and business analyst. This contributes to a relatively unusual profile as a researcher, with a strong focus on mentoring, education, open science and science communication.
Talking about open science, you were interviewed about publishing negative results and you were also nominated for the Trial and Error award. Can you tell more about that?
It鈥檚 an interesting kind of honor to be recognized for negative results. The , that published our work, aims 鈥渢o close the gap between what is researched and what is published鈥�. The award aims to bring more attention to the importance of open science and the value of sharing our negative results
Personally, I am a passionate advocate for open science, and I do believe that all studies should be published, including the ones with negative results. You always learn something, and even if it was not what you were hoping to achieve, it's still useful knowledge that should be put it out there, so that other people working on the same topic might also learn from it. Besides, the money for our research comes from public funds and it's our responsibility to let everyone know what we found using that money, also in the case it's not what we expected. I also believe it is important to share our research beyond the scientific world. That鈥檚 why I鈥檝e given several layman talks, both here in The Netherlands, and back in Argentina.
What has been your experience with the WISE network?
I think it's so important that we have an association like WISE, that gives us the space to help and support each other. I particularly love the writing retreats. It's a safe and encouraging space to get some important work done. I also enjoy the annual events, I particularly liked the talk from Prof. Belle Derks from Utrecht University about inequalities in academia. There was a fantastic discussion afterwards focusing on the practical changes that could be introduced to make academia more equal, especially for women.
Would you like to continue your career in academia?
Yes, very much. I love my work, especially the mixture of research, mentoring and teaching. But it鈥檚 hard sometimes to balance the demands of a young family with a career in academia. I think that the Recognition and Rewards system that our Rector Silvia Lenaerts supports might help make more room for women with unusual profiles like mine. My personal strength comes from mentoring, for example.
How do you put this focus on mentoring into practice?
I love working with students! I think it is important to spend time training them well, to set clear expectations from the start, to recognize their strengths and limitations and work together. But to take it a step further, I believe it is crucial to create safe spaces and use them to help students grow. This year I started with a series of meetings which I call the 鈥淧hD support group鈥�. I鈥檝e invited all of the PhD students and postdocs from our research group and let them pick the topic they want to discuss. Then, I do some research and prepare a presentation with scientific facts to get the discussion started, and bring snacks. So far we鈥檝e discussed about procrastination, how to deal with stress and disappointment, what to do if you are stuck with a problem, and about imposter syndrome. It's extremely valuable to know that we all deal with this, and to share practical tips based on scientific knowledge which can help in those situations, and to support each other. It makes it easier if I share my past experiences and if I鈥檓 open about my personal struggles throughout my own PhD journey. The more senior PhD students can talk about what is useful for them in these hard situations. Last time we discussed - and it was really good and honest: what was the worst point of your PhD so far? What did you do, and did anything that you did help you move forward? And is there anything you would do differently? I organize these meetings because I firmly believe that we should strive to have happier and supported PhD students, and that will lead them to be more successful.
Do you have any advice for someone that wants to start such a support group?
The most important part is to create a safe space. Bringing some science-based information about the topic and opening up helps start the discussion. The students in our group are quite enthusiastic about the meetings, so I can absolutely recommend it. If I could, I would do it for everyone. These types of spaces should be structural, so I would be happy to share my experience with anyone that wants to start their own 鈥渟upport group鈥�.
Do you have any female role models?
I admire any woman that is able to keep to her own values and still make it. For example: Prof. Claudia Goldin. She used her time on the spotlight as a Nobel Prize winner to thank her students, to appreciate how it was their hard work that brought her to the place that she is at.
What would be your advice for a junior researcher starting tomorrow?
To get a good mentor. Someone that supports you, someone that believes in you and is willing to give you the opportunities and put you in the places that will get you there. That will make all the difference.
What are your hopes for women in academia?.
That we are recognized for our strengths no matter what they are, and that science goes back to being a community, embracing different profiles and understanding that successfully supporting students goes beyond just science. I hope that we continue helping and supporting each other, since it will accelerate scientific progress to bring results for the people that are waiting for them.