Balancing career progression with decisions around pregnancy and motherhood can feel like an impossible equation, particularly in academia. During this panel discussion, we shared unpublished data from Mothers in Science and hear from the lived experience of four academic mothers on the impact of having children at various career stages, from graduate students to post-docs and faculty roles. We explored the following topics:
How personal goals and societal expectations shape decision-making
How career stage, job security, and workplace culture influence the timing of motherhood
The challenges, trade-offs, and career impacts associated with different motherhood timelines
Practical tips and advice for navigating and overcoming these challenges
SPEAKERS:
Dr Aurélie Carlier is an Associate Professor at Maastricht University (Netherlands) and co-founder of FEM, a network advancing gender equity in academia. Her research focuses on developing advanced computational models of biological processes to predict and optimize patient-specific treatments for disabling disorders, spanning systems biology, tissue engineering, and biomaterials.
Dr Alma Fleitas is a an environmental engineer with a PhD focused on nature-based solutions for CO₂ removal. As a mother of two, she has built a career and a family across multiple countries and career stages, and is currently a Carbon Project Technical Specialist at SilviCarbon (Paraguay).
Dr Nafisa M. Jadavji is a neuroscientist and Assistant Professor at Southern Illinois University Carbondale (USA). Her research group explores how maternal nutrition and one-carbon metabolism influence brain development, aging, and neurological diseases such as stroke and dementia.
Diane Ugwu is a biochemist and PhD candidate at Washington State University (USA) studying how faculty development and course-based research experiences can transform undergraduate STEM education. She is passionate about mentoring inclusive STEM education, and advocating for supportive professional spaces for academic mothers.