Women in STEM becoming independent: People should feel free to be themselves and do great science

Early Independence Fellow and Core Faculty, Ragon Institute of Mass General Brigham, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA

I am an engineer and quantitative immunologist, and my lab develops spatial and molecular tools to study immune responses.

I transitioned directly from graduate school into an independent position, a path still underrepresented among women. While I had always envisioned leading a lab, I was struck by data showing that women reporting similar qualifications to men express lower confidence in pursuing scientific careers. The encouragement of key mentors gave me the confidence to take this route over a traditional postdoc.

Before starting, I built a 100-day plan inspired by FDR’s first hundred days, outlining early priorities including hiring, experiments, and meetings with administrators. This brought structure and momentum and—combined with the welcoming culture at the Ragon Institute and continued support from my PhD advisor—made our early successes possible.

I am still learning to navigate the perpetual uncertainty of academia, and I often revisit a few anchors: reframing uncertainty as opportunity; focusing on the work instead of the self; and remembering how rare, meaningful, and joyful it is to pursue curiosity alongside passionate colleagues.

Group Leader, Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde (i3S), Porto, Portugal

I studied biochemistry at university and trained as a PhD and postdoc in the UK. I returned to Portugal in 2007 to establish my lab, and since 2015, I have been a group leader at i3S in Porto. My lab links Mycobacterium tuberculosis clinical and genetic diversity with basic immunology research to understand tuberculosis pathogenesis. Moving countries and then institutes in Portugal, as well as having two small children, was challenging but helped me to identify priorities and shape my research.

I was always eager to dedicate my career to research and was determined to become a group leader from very early on. I was privileged to have had inspiring supervisors who were not only passionate about science, but also amazing in nurturing my interests and ambitions. I now try to mentor as well as train junior researchers in my lab. My advice to young group leaders would be to focus on the big picture, establish collaborations based on trust, reach out to your mentors for advice, learn from successes and failures, and enjoy science.

Assistant Professor, Department of Systems Pharmacology and Translational Therapeutics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA

I am an assistant professor at the University of Pennsylvania studying cancer and immunometabolism, and I started my lab in 2023. As an assistant professor, you suddenly have lots of tasks: giving talks, doing experiments, writing papers, and drafting biosafety and animal protocols. However, you should focus most of your energy on only two goals. First, recruiting great lab members is essential. Do not be afraid to spend a large amount of time emailing contacts to ask them to refer potential techs, students, or postdocs; reading resumes; interviewing; and speaking to references. The second goal is helping each lab member establish a project, including training them in experimental skills and helping identify an initial exciting and reproducible finding. I found it challenging to stay focused on these two tasks in the midst of lots of different demands, but it is worth it! Photo credit: Daniel Burke.

Group Leader, Australian Regenerative Medicine Institute, Monash University, Clayton, Australia

I am a group leader at the Australian Regenerative Medicine Institute (ARMI) at Monash University in Melbourne. My lab focuses on how to program time into stem cell–derived human models to study the intersection of aging, neuroinflammation, and neurodegenerative disease.

I trained across three countries: undergraduate studies in New Zealand, a PhD in the UK, and a postdoc in the USA. After being stuck far from family during COVID, I decided I wanted Australia to be my next destination. I knew this would be challenging as I had no local research network, so I started trying to build one 2–3 years before opening my lab by presenting at Australian conferences and setting up informal meetings during visits. I think this early networking was an essential part of my transition to independence in a new country.

On the other hand, mentoring junior researchers during my postdoc has had the biggest impact on hitting the ground running in my new role, as I had detailed protocols and structured training pipelines ready from day one.

It is still early days, but I am excited to be building a team and research program here at ARMI.

Assistant Professor of Microbiology and Immunology, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH, USA

My lab studies T cell memory in the brain and tumors. For me, I knew I could only thrive as a principal investigator (PI) in a welcoming, supportive community. When I heard about a faculty opening at Dartmouth, where I earned my PhD, I saw a rare chance to return to a place I loved with the support I needed. Despite that, I was unbelievably close to talking myself out of applying. It is so easy, especially as a woman, to doubt yourself and your qualifications. Thankfully, I had people in my corner who saw my potential and encouraged me to apply, and I started my lab at Dartmouth in the summer of 2020! Community really shaped my path—people were so generous with their time, reagents, equipment—everything. My mentor met with me every week that first year, and the camaraderie of others starting labs at the same time made it feel a little less lonely (#pandemicPI). I now lead a diverse, thriving lab and hope to continue to build an inclusive, supportive, and collaborative space to do great science in beautiful northern New England!

Associate Professor, Chair of the Cellular and Developmental Biology Department, Cellular Physiology Institute, National Autonomous University of México, Mexico City, Mexico

I am an immunologist at the National Autonomous University of México, where I study the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying protective immune responses in both homeostasis and disease, with an emphasis on designing effective immunotherapies.

To pursue my goal of becoming a principal investigator, I left Mexico to join Dr. Richard Flavell’s lab at Yale University through a Pew Fellowship. The experience was transformative: I was immersed in a world-class, international research environment that challenged me intellectually and personally. The pace was intense, and the expectations—both internal and external—were high.

After publishing a major first-author paper during my postdoctoral training, I felt prepared to lead my own research—an aspiration I have held since my undergraduate years, when I began working in a lab at age 18.

Throughout my journey, I have been deeply grateful for the support of mentors, family, and colleagues. While science can at times be isolating, I have found purpose and joy in mentoring students—helping them grow not only as scientists, but as professionals building their own paths.

Returning to Mexico to establish my lab came with logistical hurdles, such as transporting essential mouse strains. But one of the most valuable lessons I have learned is that building a successful lab is not just about resources or equipment—it is about the people. Surrounding yourself with a collaborative, trustworthy, and supportive network is not only key to navigating challenges but also essential for sustaining a productive and fulfilling scientific career. If there is one piece of advice I would offer early career researchers, it is this: invest in relationships as much as in experiments. The right collaborators can make all the difference. Photo credit: Carlos Alberto Vargas Arteaga.

Assistant Professor, Scripps Research, La Jolla, CA, USA

My lab studies how stromal, neuronal, and immune cells interact to promote immunity and tolerance at barrier tissues. Growing up, I always loved science, but did not know that one could actually make a career out of being a scientist. Since I realized that that was an option, I never seriously considered anything else. Fast forward a decade, I knew it was time to start my own group when I found myself asking questions that could not be answered within someone else’s research program.

I have been lucky to set up my lab in a highly collaborative institute and in a city with a vibrant scientific community. I feel especially fortunate to have been able to recruit a diverse group of trainees with different perspectives and backgrounds, which allows us to approach questions creatively, learn from each other, and ultimately do exhilarating science.

My advice for meeting the challenges of starting an academic lab is to foster an inquisitive and empathetic environment where people feel free to be themselves and to do great science. Photo credit: Scripps Research.

Assistant Professor, Department of Immunology and Microbiology, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, USA

I am an immunologist and virologist focused on understanding how protective humoral immunity is generated and can be harnessed to defend against emerging and reemerging pathogens. I owe much of my success as a scientist to the network I have built throughout my career. As I was applying for faculty positions and establishing my lab, I frequently turned to my network for advice and support.

Starting a lab is a never-ending to-do list. One piece of advice I would give to anyone about to establish their independent laboratory is to start getting administrative tasks, like protocol development and hiring, in motion before you officially start. By my first day in the lab, I had all of my protocols approved, my first person hired, and equipment and supplies in hand. This allowed us to do our first experiment within a couple of weeks of opening the lab, and my first employee was trained shortly thereafter. This freed me up to focus on the fun parts of science: reading, designing experiments, and even grant writing.

Assistant Professor of Medicine (Hematology), Center of Molecular and Cellular Oncology, Yale Cancer Center, and Medical Oncology and Hematology, Department of Internal Medicine, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA

I started my lab at Yale in July 2024 to study how germinal center dynamics determine the transformation trajectories of B cell malignancies. Having trained in France, Sweden, and the USA, I decided to stay in the USA for the research pace, opportunities for fully independent competitive positions, and the merit-based selection process, where institutions/departments directly make the decision to invest in you and your ideas.

My 9-years-long postdoc allowed me to assemble a large body of work, develop separate research axes, and prepare for transition (grant writing, mentoring, network building, and management). I applied for faculty positions right after my main postdoctoral work was published, outside of the regular “cycle,” which helped me focus on the best-fit positions. I very much enjoyed the interview process, which was a chance to discuss science and connect with peers, future collaborators, and mentors.

At my current institution, I am grateful for the support I received from PIs of the labs right next door. Most labs had started a few years before me, some right after me, and others were well established. All helped navigate different challenges of getting started. Having just left a lab that was like home, to suddenly be on my own felt a bit solitary. I followed the advice of giving many presentations at my new institution and reaching out to faculty members for a chat to develop a supportive and collaborative local network. I feel lucky every day, but I also put in the effort and keep trying after my failures. One piece of advice would be to create your own chances: submit job applications, grant proposals, conference abstracts, try bold experiments, reach out to people, seek guidance, and as a great mentor once told me, “focus on the science and the rest will follow.” Starting a lab has been overwhelming, but the joy that comes with new discoveries, small successes, and trainees growing into their own version of a scientist all make it an incredibly positive adventure.

Assistant Professor, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA

My lab studies how the integration of immune and metabolic signals controls inflammation and metabolic health. My advice for people just starting their labs comes from launching mine in April 2020, during the isolating early days of the COVID-19 pandemic: find your people. Yes, you need mentors and sponsors to guide you at your new institution and nominate you for key opportunities. But starting a lab can be lonely, and not every question or doubt belongs on social media. You need peers. You need people to share your wins with, to vent frustrations, and who offer candid advice from different perspectives. Faculty spend so much time cheering on trainees, but we need our own cheerleaders too. Find the colleagues who give you energy, who help you troubleshoot science and career moves, and who get it. Sometimes, your friends become your collaborators, and doing science with your friends is not only more productive, it is way more fun.