Ph.D. Debate with Microbiology Aspirant Ciara Sanders: An Exclusive Chat with Doctoral Candidate Ciara Sanders in Microbiology
Ciara Sanders, a third-year Ph.D. student at Princeton University, is currently conducting microbiology research in the Brooks Lab. Her journey into the world of research began during her undergraduate studies, when she discovered that her passion lay not in a clinical career, but in the fascinating realm of the gut microbiome.
Choosing an adviser for her Ph.D. programme was a challenging decision for Ciara, as she was aware of the long commitment of five years. She recommends research rotations as a way to explore different mentoring styles and get a feel for a lab. Ciara emphasises the importance of honesty and asking questions during this process, and she carefully considered factors such as communication style and lab experiences of graduate students and postdocs.
Ciara's research question for her thesis is selected in collaboration with her adviser and evolves throughout her time in the lab. Her motivation ebbs and flows during her research, and she finds it difficult to show herself compassion during periods of unmotivation. To cope with this, she seeks support from her colleagues and her adviser.
Before embarking on her Ph.D. journey, Ciara completed a 2-year Master's program. When deciding between a pre-med career and a research career in molecular biology, students should consider several key factors. These include the educational path, the nature of work, experience and skills, career outcomes and environment, licensing and certification, and commitment to teaching and ongoing education.
An average day as a Ph.D. student for Ciara includes activities like reading papers, brainstorming with colleagues, planning experiments, troubleshooting experiments, updating lab notes, making figures, and asking questions. She enjoys working with John Brooks and the rest of the lab members in the Brooks lab.
Ciara hails from California and initially wanted to become a medical doctor. However, she discovered research as a career option during her undergraduate studies. She emphasises the importance of exploring internships, lab experiences, and clinical shadowing to gain practical insight and inform this decision.
The biggest obstacle Ciara has faced so far in her research is not specified in the provided paragraph. Despite this, she remains committed to her research and looks forward to contributing to the field of microbiology.
[1] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6043128/ [2] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6043128/ [3] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6043128/ [4] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6043128/
Science plays a significant role in Ciara Sanders' Ph.D. journey, particularly in her research focused on the gut microbiome. In her pursuit of continuous learning and self-development, she recommends prospective students to consider various factors such as educational path, the nature of work, and the commitment to teaching and ongoing education when deciding between clinical careers and research in fields like molecular biology.
