Josana Rodriquez

After a post-doc at the Gurdon Institute, Cambridge, I moved to Newcastle University to start my own line of research. One of the reasons I picked this University was because after talking to several colleagues, I felt it was a very supportive environment. This was an important consideration, as I knew that achieving independence was a very challenging step in a research career. Many in-house colleagues in Newcastle have helped me both scientifically but also in taking key career decisions. In addition, they have supported my applications to several funding bodies. Thank you all for your help! 

Also, during this busy period, I decided to increase my family, and the support I had from the ‘Returners Support Programme’ during my maternity leave meant that I was able to regain the momentum upon my return to work. This programme allowed me to hire for 6 months a lab assistant, who trained students and finalized key experiments for a paper. In a career where the clock is always ticking, these types of initiatives really make a huge difference.