I've recently started applying for postdocs. And I've realized one thing:
My experiences with sexual harassment have shaped the scientist I am and the mentor I want to be.
I've known for a long time this is a big thing for me. It wasn't until I started drafting research statements that I realized how strongly I feel on this particular topic, not as an aside to my work, but as a cornerstone of it. If you've navigated here because I've linked you, or the Hillis Lab site has linked you, you need to know this:
Inclusivity is foundational to me.
Outreach has been important to me. As I move through each stage of a leaky pipeline, outreach and mentoring will only become more important.
I grew up being a sci-fi geek. I was 'one of the guys' by virtue of liking the things I did. At every transition in my life, I've learned that I'm not alone, but that other women were tired of harassment or weirdness and didn't pursue those interests. I feel like I've tolerated a lot of garbage because, from youth, I've expected to be treated that way. If there's anything I've taken from the past few years in graduate school, it's that there are women who want to be academics, and for a variety of reasons, feel unwelcome. And for a skilled young person, the incentive to stick around when your treatment is unfair is tiny.
I got into the clubhouse. I'm going to help other people in. And that's an inextricable part of who I am.
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