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schoolenthusiast · 7 years

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Some tips I wish I had known before starting grad school

A couple of weeks ago I answered someone’s question on Tumblr about what to expect/what to do when starting a PhD. It gave me the idea to extrapolate about the subject just in case it could help some fellow tumblr grad school enthusiasts.

1. Choose your program and advisor wisely

Before submitting your proposal, do some shopping for your graduate school program. It’s an important step because at this point, your future opportunities will often depend on where you are working and who you are working with. Who are the experts in your field of study? Where do they teach? What is their reputation → this is fairly important: try to get to know them as researchers (how often do they publish? where? what are their current research interests) but also as people (do they enjoy working with their grad students? are they involved in their faculty? are they easy to reach? how do they work? are they perfectionists or slackers?)

The main idea here is to find someone who will be willing to mentor you and bring your research to the next level without shoving their ideas down your throat. I’m not saying you will become friends with them (although you could), but since you will be working with them and even for them for quite a while, it is really important that you choose them carefully. Academia is highly competitive, and you have to be able to trust your advisor.

2. Do some research before starting

Most of PhD students start their adventure during the fall semester, which means they have submitted their candidature during the winter semester, presumably while finishing either an undergrad program or any form of master’s degree. This means there is usually some time between the time you submit your thesis research proposal and the time you actually start as a PhD student. Take it as your advantage. In most cases, you will already have done some topic-related research at this point to submit your proposal. Getting a head start doesn’t mean you should reread everything during the summer, because it is more than ok to take some time to rest. What could be a good idea is to look at your main research material and focus on it so you get a better understanding of what you know and what you need to know.

Example :

Let’s say you’re a lit student (like me). You know you want to work on Author X and have a critical approach inspired by the research of Y and W. Now, this has already been stated in your research proposal and you’ve read the necessary works before then (normally).

A good place to start during the summer would be to reread the books of Author X to a) single out the ones you will be focusing on and maybe even annotate them and b) get a better understanding of their work as a whole.

Then, you could reread the books by Y and W to make sure you understand them well.

Once this is done, try to find the alternate theories about their research: is there anyone who contradicts them? what flaws are there in their ideas? how could the same mistakes be avoided? is the research usable in your given context? what are the precautions to take while using their methods? etc. → This will save you a ton of time later when you have to defend your methodological choices to research committees and similar academic boards.

If you have time and energy, you can even start to take notes about your different choices about the things you encounter during this phase (especially concerning step 4, since you will more than likely have to discuss it in your thesis later)

3. Get involved

Motivation is often hard to find in this incredibly long process (4-5 years for most of PhD programs... when things go well! imagine having a child or an illness during this time!). One thing I found that helped me was to get OUT of my research bubble and participate in things organized either by other students or professors. It can be attending a book launch, or just the end of semester party, or just attending the lecture your advisor gives to undergrads. Although these are sometimes time consuming, getting out of your place for a couple hours, breathing fresh air while you commute, talking to people and looking at something else than your computer screen helps a lot. You’ll come back from these events rested, and it will help you focus more.

Is your field so narrow there is literally nothing available for you to participate in? Organize one ! Most universities have special funds for organizing conventions and colloquials. You will get experience in diverse skills (budget, marketing, communication, etc.), meet people (who will most likely be impressed of the work you did to make this event possible) and make sure your implication stays in your uni’s history. If you feel like you don’t know your professors/advisor that much, this is a great way to get to know them: invite them to be keynote speakers at your event. This might help you attract even more “renowned” people to the event, as their circle of acquaintances might be broader than your own. Organizing a set of conference sure is energy and time-consuming, but the rewards are huge when it comes to your career. Who knows, maybe someone you will meet there will become a future colleague or a friend?

4. Do other things

What usually happens when people get into grad school is that they start wearing blinkers. Although I’m not sure if the idiom translates well to English (^^), it means that they get so focused on their research subject that they don’t notice anything else. They read only research-related stuff, attend research-related events, and meet research-related people. Although it might not seem dangerous (after all, you get to learn a lot and you get closer to your goal!), it can lead to completely overlooking something that could be crucial to your research! Reaching outside your traditional field of research will let you encounter new theories and methodology, new thinkers and new ideas. When you feel like you’re stuck on a problem, taking a step back can often let you reconsider and see it differently. Talk to your problems to the people around you, but not necessarily people in your field. Their ideas and insight might help you get out of your research slump.

5. Plan wisely

Planning takes time and we all know we don’t have enough of it. BUT it will help you feel like you have a hold onto things (because you will, duh!). It will also be a source of motivation (grad school often feels like everything in our life is on hold, but making a daily to-do list will prove it is not). Planning early (and sticking as much as possible to your schedule) will let you have more breathing room when it comes to surprises in your life (a surprise teaching job? a travel opportunity? illness? an invitation to your annual field symposium? a child?). If these happen, you will have to do more work, that’s for sure, and you don’t wanna be so behind that you have to decline or quit.

Plan:

Daily things (chores, reading time, lab time, errands, FREE TIME)

Upcoming deadlines (keep track of them ! make sure you know all the requirements!)

Upcoming interesting events (either a research-related conference coming to your university or just a concert with friends)

If you have a job while you are also in grad school, try to take note on what you can do and when. If you have a teaching job related to your field, see how explaining things to undergrads can help you better understand your own research.

Required reading for your thesis (got dozens of pages in your bibliography? better get cracking! But let yourself some time to digest the information you read. There’s no point in reading so fast you end up skimming the whole thing and then having to reread it months from now when you’re supposed to be writing your thesis). Take good notes and create a system that works for you.

6. Take some time off

DO. SOMETHING. FOR. FUN. EVERYDAY. (Even for just 5 minutes! TREAT YOURSELF)

7. Get feedback

Show what you write to your friends. Talk to them about what you want to do next and ask if they know things that could interest you.

If you participated to an event related to your research, think about what you could have done better and think of ways to improve for the next one. Consider the questions people had for you and try to figure if they were overlooked in your presentation because of time issues (as it is often the case) or just because you never thought about them before.

#1 is really important here. Talk to your advisor. Have a chat in their office from time to time, just so they can keep up with you and see you’re involved (or still alive!) Send them drafts early in your process so you can assess how much time it takes before getting A) an answer to your email (this can take a while) and B) annotations and suggestions on your draft. You DON’T want to work for months on end only to scrap everything and go back to where you started.

8. Ask questions

“There are a whole lot of things in this world of ours you haven’t even started wondering about yet.” — Roald Dahl

It was true when you were a child trying to understand the world, and it is still true now. Don’t allow yourself to become mediocre. Don’t ever be satisfied with half-assed answers. Sometimes the key to motivation is to stay curious.

9. Always bring a (leisure) book with you

This is directly related to #6. This point is especially important if you work in the humanities or any field that basically only requires a lot of reading-related research (i.e. not labs, because grad students working in labs do spend a lot of time in there, but they sure don’t bring it back home with them). If you’re really stressed about not doing enough research, it’s fine, but you have to admit that when you’re just waiting for the bus or in a line to get your lunch, doing research-related readings is simply not worth it. Hence the leisure book. Allow yourself some breaks and renew your love for reading!

10. Look for scholarships and other funding resources

I can’t insist on this enough. Being a grad student takes a lot of time and dedication. The few academia-related work opportunities you will get most likely won’t pay for your daily needs, much less your total tuition. Getting a part-time job can also be risky, as it will reduce the time you have for research, drain your energy, and also make you less available for occasional activities (conference, research trips, etc.). It doesn't take a lot of research to see that student loans are a huge source of stress and although it might be necessary for you in order to survive, taking less money from loans because you’re getting it as grants is the best opportunity. You can ask your advisor for suggestions, or look online either on your university’s website (they usually have a list available either for all of their students or to a specific group you might be part of) or other organizations. Some governments also have research grants available.

This is something you should do before starting your grad school program or even in your first year, as some of the grants are renewable over a specific span of years (you get an amount of money for 3-4 years), so you should definitely try to get it as soon as possible. Doing research early about grants can give you a better idea of what you can expect and how to budget. Keeping a budget is the key, since for most of the grants you will have to submit one to prove that you could benefit more from that money. Also, knowing your needs and the possible savings you could make is a lifetime-useful skill.

Your advisor can help with the process and give you advice on what to write in your proposal (they’ve most likely written a ton of those, or even been on selection committees before, they know what will be expected).

You’re already a grad student and have never asked for grants before? It’s never too late to start. Sometimes grant organizations will prefer giving the money to someone how has never benefited from it before, and this person might be you!

11. Stay or become friends with people outside your field and out of grad school

Grad school can be is hard on mental health. Students often have depression symptoms or other mental health problems during their grad student years. Grad school will most likely make you feel isolated, especially if you’re working a lot from home and/or in a very competitive field (who am I kidding, they all are). There is no magical solution to this, but keeping in touch with people might help you. Share how you feel with people you trust, either from your field or, preferably, your ‘outside’ life. Take time to visit your family if you’re living away from them. Take breaks to send stupid faces on snapchat. Play video games with your friends. Take your nieces, nephews and/or kids to field trips. Go grab a drink with someone you’ve met in college but haven’t seen in a while. Take up a class to learn something new.

Surrounding yourself with people who are not experts in your field or have no graduate school experience will prevent you from spending all your precious free time talking about your thesis or your grant proposal. It might not seem useful at first, but trust me, it is.

If you’re still struggling with mental health issues related to grad school, please look and ask for help. You will not regret it.

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secret-captain-swan-blog · 7 years

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Castle on the Hill

English Literature PhD student Emma Swan just needs money to pay for her last semester of grad school tuition. Killian Jones has always dreamed of opening a bookshop but has never been able to afford it. So when the small principality of Misthaven is looking for their lost princess, the pair decide that this might just be the perfect money making scheme.

A Multi-chapter Modern Day + Lost Princess (think Rapunzel/Anastasia-esque) + Book Lovers in a Coffee Shop AU

Rating: T

Word Count: 30905/ ?

Prologue (Part 1 + 2) // Ch 1 // Ch 2 // Ch 3 // Ch 4

Read on: Ao3

They wander out of Mamie’s just as the sun is beginning to set. Golden hour, Emma thinks it is called.

“So, how much have you seen of Misthaven?” Asks Killian.

Emma frowns, thinking of the Misthaven University library and the endless bowls of cappuccinos at Mamies.

“Hah,” Killian laughs, “That’s what I thought. Too much time with our darling friend Blanche Neige, and hardly any time spent exploring the thriving metropolis of Misthaven.”

Emma chuckles. She thinks of the past few hours she’s spent with Killian in Mamie’s. They’d exchanged favorite quotations, scenes, and characters from Blanche Neige. They discussed all of their other favorite reads. It seems that Killian is quite well read, his favorite books spanning from Dickens to Rushdie. She’s discovered that he’s not just ridiculously good looking, he’s also thoughtful and has a soft spot for literature.

“Hey,” Emma protests, “I have a lot riding on Blanche Neige right now.”

“Yeah, right, your whole future, I know,” Killian snorts, “But you can take one night off from books.”

Emma’s eyes narrow. What does he mean one night? They just agreed to be friends, not to-

“Emma, just an hour or two of sights in the city,” He offers, “Just that. I’m not planning on coming home with you after, if that’s what you thought I was on about. I mean, we could arrange that too, if you wish.”

Does this guy ever stop with the flirting?

She rolls her eyes and crosses her arms, but manages to let out a little smile, “Okay, fine, one evening off. And nothing more.”

Killian grins. He’s so open with his emotions. He wears his heart on his sleeve in a way that Emma has never done. She can tell how he genuinely feels about each of her responses, whereas she lives to be an enigma.

“Have you been on a river boat tour?” He asks, “They’re quite popular for tourists, but they really are good fun and a nice, proper tour of Misthaven.”

Emma shakes her head, realizing how little time she’s taken to enjoy Misthaven.

“Let’s do that shall we?” He suggests, “At sunset, the city will be very photogenic.”

She swears that the French bit of his trace-of-a-Misthaven-accent comes out a little more as he talks about sunset. And yeah, it’s kinda doing something to her. Stupid attractive voice.

“Yeah, sure,” She agrees.

They walk along the quay to where the tours leave from. Killian buys two tickets and they step onto the boat.

Emma hasn’t been on a lot of boats in her lifetime. One time a group home went on a boat tour of Boston Harbor. She doesn’t remember much of it, only that her hair was in a braid that day and one of the more annoying boys kept tugging on it as she tried to look out at the city. When she was in high school, on her trip to New York with Ingrid, she remembers taking a ferry to the Statue of Liberty. She remembers seeing the skyline of New York on the way back, stately and ruthlessly modern against the sky.

Both of those boat rides were rocky, lurching violently as they traveled, but this boat is smooth. She and Killian find spots upstairs, on the outdoor deck. They lean against the rail, watching the Misthaven flag that hangs off the back flap gently against the backdrop of the river and hills.

“So,” Emma says, turning to Killian, “Obviously, you know all about my life as a student and my thesis- but what about you?”

“What about me?” Killian says, crossing his arms over the rail with smirk.

“I don’t know,” Emma shrugs, “What do you do?”

“It’s going to sound a little dim, after our discussion about literature,” he says, scratching behind his ear nervously.

Why is that so attractive? Calm your loins, Emma Swan, he’s literally scratching his ear.

All the same, she feels weirdly hurt by his admission. She’s never been the kind of person who things herself above others. She’s spent most of her time at Duke feeling less than her peers who lived far more privileged lives than her.

“It’s okay,” Emma says, placing a hand on his shoulder, “Remember the bad childhood thing? It’s made me significantly less judgey than most people in academia. I got really lucky and that’s the only reason that I’m working on a PhD and not cleaning toilets.”

Killian nods, his face solemn and a little gentle, “I’m a bartender.”

“Nice,” Emma says, not waiting a beating, not wanting him to feel bad, “Does that mean that as your friend I get free drinks?”

“Hmm,” he says, his easy smile returning, “Not because we are friends, just because you’re hot.”

Emma dramatically huffs, because it’s her instinct to react that way, but there is a small bit of her that relishes that he thinks that she is hot. Okay, maybe more than a small bit.

She has to stop it. She can’t be swooning over this guy, even if he is charming and attractive and loves her favorite author. She doesn’t date at all. It’s self-preservation. And if she is going to survive finding funding and finishing her dissertation- she needs a much self-preservation as possible.

“What about before that?” Emma prods, trying to distract herself from becoming a love-sick puppy.

“I thought we weren’t getting into the dark childhoods today, love,” Killian said, his face becoming solemn again.

“Sorry,” Emma said, pulling an apologetic face, “I was just curious. Mostly about your accent. It’s more English than Misthaven.”

Killian nods, “I moved to the UK when I was twelve.”

That revelation helps her to connect the dots of confusion that have been mingling in her head about Killian’s backstory.

“Oh,” Emma blurts, “Is that why your name is funny? Killian isn’t a very Misthavian name.”

“It’s an Irish name,” Killian explains, “My mum was Irish. But that’s not why I lived in England.”

“Oh,” Emma says, softer. She notices the was, where she thought there would be an is. She realizes they are hedging along the topic of sad childhoods, a conversation that she definitely doesn’t want to unpack. She’s known Killian for two days, she definitely doesn’t want to be recounting the orphan story to him.

“She, uh, died,” Killian says, “Not long after I was born. My brother took care of me. He had an Irish name too- Liam.”

“Hey, you don’t have to tell me the sad story,” Emma says, noting another past tense where she expects a present one, “I’m sure you want to enjoy this boat ride without dredging up every horrible memory you have.”

He gives her a grateful smile.

It really is beautiful, the boat ride- though his smile is too (not that she’s thinking about it). The city drifts behind them. The opera house is glowing in the evening light. The adorable old town buildings jut out in angles as they creep up the hill, looking like a child’s town toy set. On the other side of the river, she sees the sunset reflected in the windows of more modern office buildings. She can see students lofting on the quadrangles of the campus. Misthaven is beautiful at sunset. Killian was really right about that.

“But, if you were wondering, before that,” Killian says, returning to her question, “I worked at a bookshop in London. I really miss that job.”

Emma looks up at him. The light brings out the flecks of red in his stubble and she marvels in this discovery.

“I think the best jobs are ones where you are surrounded by books all the time,” Emma says, dreamily, stretching.

“It was great,” Killian says, becoming animated once more, his hands suddenly moving as he talks. “I could recommend books, read behind the counter during lulls. There was a coffee shop in it too. I learned to make really nice cappuccinos.”

“The smell of coffee and books?” Emma says, “Sounds like the dream.”

“I really was,” Killian says.

“Why’d you leave?” Emma asks.

Killian shrugs and she assumes it’s part of the long sad story he isn’t ready to tell. Her heart breaks a bit at that. He seems graceful now, happy enough, with a lost look that lurks behind his eyes at moments when he isn’t paying attention. She knows he must have been through some hard things.

“I decided to move back to Misthaven after the Dark Time ended. I missed home. But, I’d love to have a bookshop of my own,” He confesses, “I’ll die happy if I can open my own bookshop.”

Her heart now melts a little bit for him. It’s such a gentle dream to come from man as disarmingly attractive and hopelessly charming.

“That’s what I was going to use the money for,” He tells her, “Why I wanted to go into that deal with the man in the pawn shop.”

“For your bookshop dream?” Emma asks. She had imagined that he’d want the money for personal use, maybe a nice house or an easier life, but not to open a book store.

He nods. She smiles at this idea. She thinks her motivation of wanting a PhD in literature was soft, but Killian’s dream also eeps a sort of gentleness as well.

“We are such nerds,” Emma laughs, “Wanting a large fortune to spend on our bookish dreams.”

Killian gives her a tight smile. In a flash, she feels as if they are kindered souls. They’ve both had really tough lives. They’ve probably spent a lot of time alone, without families, fighting for their own selves because there wasn’t anyone else to. But books are their solace, the bit of hope, the passion that kept them from giving up. She knows in a second that Killian understands her fierce love of literature in a way that her privileged university peers, or even Belle, could never truly understand. Killian knows what it was like to be saved by book. To have books as your only companion.

In this revelation, Emma feels something bubble up inside her that she can’t restrain. A whole glob of feelings for Killian. She doesn’t want them. She isn’t ready for boyfriends or dating or relationships. But yet the feelings explode into her world, unable to be quashed, unable to be brought back in.

So, she does the only thing she’s good at: bottles it up. The feelings go into a bottle, into the wall of bottles.

“Tell me about what the bookshop would be like,” She says, pressing further into the rail of the boat, watching the ripples that the wake makes as it coasts through the water.

“I don’t want anything huge,” he says. “Just a small shop would be lovely. Two floors, I think, with a coffee bar in the back.”

She nods, imagining it already. She pictures it in rich dark wood, like the belly of ship.

“I think I’d like to have reading groups there,” he continues. “Maybe workshops for aspiring writers, or readings from local authors.”

“I’ll be there the second you get Blanche Neige to read,” She says.

“Believe me, if I ever get her, or discover her identity, you’ll be the first to know,” He vows.

“Same,” She agrees, letting herself bump into him (in a purely chummy way).

He looks back at her with an expression of tenderness, of kinship- that she feels herself draw away again. She moves a fraction over, but just enough to feel the space form between them. It’s a game she constantly plays- don’t get too close, don’t let those feelings out.

They are silent for a moment and the boat leaves the river to move into the channel. The skyline of Misthaven turns to silhouette against the dusky rose sky. Emma can trace the top of the opera house, the university library, the cathedral tower. She can see in the distance the taller, modern buildings of the business district. But her eyes linger on the castle, perched on the hill, hovering over the city.

She thinks again of Emma, the other Emma. Princess Emma.

She thinks of the revolution, the story that Professor Hood told her of his time in hiding, his wife’s death.

“Were you here during the Dark Times?” She asks, turning to Killian, trying to fit his story into the history of the country.

His eyes are fixed on the castle as well, “A bit yes.”

He runs his hand through his hair, ruffling it adorably. There is pain in eyes as he looks at it.

Emma sees him open his mouth and she stops him, “Hey, we aren’t talking sad stories, remember? You don’t have to tell me about it.”

He shakes his head, shrugs, and reveals, “You should probably know, well, because I think this is how the whole thing the other night came to happen- I used to live in the castle.”

All of a sudden, Emma can picture Killian as a child- almost too well. She imagines him with a mop of dark hair and freckle smattered face. She pictures him dressed in finery, the kind of thing you’d wear at a castle.

“Were you royalty then?” She blinks, the reality of his confession hitting her. He must have been pretty important to live at the castle. She knows he is a bartender now, in the way that the revolution made paupers out of many greats from Misthaven, but she imagines he must have been very distinguished to have lived in the castle. Maybe a duke or lord…

He shakes his head, giving her a half grin, “No, Emma, I wasn’t anything like that. My brother was a guard at the castle and the royal family was kind enough to let me stay with him in the castle. We had a small room in the basement. It wasn’t much, but I took lessons from the royal tutor and we got better food than we would have on our own.”

“Your brother Liam was a guard?” Emma asks, her mind still caught up in his previous statement, tracing the words over and over in her head. They brought back an echo to her, of something. It’s like she’d spoken the words before.

“Yeah,” Killian says, “Why?’

Emma shakes her head, brushing off the sense of déjà vu, “Sorry, it just sounded familiar. Something about that.”

“It’s because he was with the princess when she disappeared,” Killian explains, before swallowing hard, “He fled with her to America, to take her into hiding. But something went wrong, his remains were found in the Hudson River.”

“Oh,” Emma says softly, reaching out to Killian, “I’m really sorry, Killian. Truly.”

“It was years ago,” He says, “I lost him when I six. But you’ve probably read it in an article somewhere. Everything about the lost princess seems to mention Liam in it somewhere.”

“So, you knew her then?” Emma asks, “Princess Emma?”

He smiles at her, “I knew a little girl who’d run down corridors and play silly games with me.”

“You were friends?” Emma asks.

“I suppose,” Killian says, “When you are the only two kids in the castle, you stick together. She was younger than me though, so we weren’t terribly close.”

Emma nods, silently, her eyes still looking up at the castle on the hill. The pieces start to come together for her.

She looks enough like the lost princess. She has the right name, the right accent. Damn, she even has that scar. She’s desperate enough to need the money, still despite everything.

Killian knew the princess. Killian has the connections to really sell their story. The queen might actually listen to him.

Maybe she was wrong before. Maybe this is the fairy godmother opportunity that’s fallen into her lap again. She’d been foolish not to try for it.

“What if we really did this?” Emma asks, turning from the rail to face Killian.

“Sorry?” He says, “Do what?”

“Convince the Queen I’m the princess,” Emma says, “We could do it. Between your history with the crown and my uncannily good looks, we might actually be able to pull this off.”

Killian pushes his lips together, a small frown forming, “We aren’t going back to that man. That awful, impish man. Let’s not return there.”

Emma shakes her head, “We don’t need him. We can do this just the two of us.”

“How would we even begin to do that?” Killian asks.

Emma smirks, as the boat loops around and heads back into the river, their horizon turning to nothing but sea before them.

“I’m going to let you in on a little secret,” She says, letting her smirk turn to a grin, “I’m like really good at research.”

“Ha,” Killian says, following Emma off of the tour boat, twenty minutes later. “You said you said you weren’t going to invite me home after our soirée, yet here we are Swan, heading back to your place.”

“Oh shut up,” Emma says, fake annoyance in her voice, “You told me that you don’t have Wi-Fi at your place, so we are going back to my apartment to research. Research, Killian.”

He chuckles, glad that Emma is sassy enough to match him. He’s only picked up the flirting and innuendos after bartending. He realized that his good looks coupled with a few compliments and an eyebrow wiggle are enough to garner a few extra tips and sometimes drinks from his female (and some male) clientele.

“Ah right, research,” He says, smacking his head, “Thanks for reminding me Professor Swan.”

She rolls her eyes, as she seems to adorably do frequently, and he follows her in the direction of the tram. It’s just across the river from where the boat docked. They cross a bridge towards it. It’s a cute bridge with ornate iron designs and one covered with love locks.

“I thought this was just a Paris thing,” Emma says, nodding to locks.

Killian shrugs, “No, apparently, they are littered all around Europe on bridges and benches.”

“Seems kinda anticlimactic,” Emma remarked, “Like oh hey, let’s put a love lock on a bridge- but not the bridge, not even in the City of Love, just another random bridge in another random city.”

He laughs at her rant, “Well, Swan, if I had thought about getting you a love lock before, I’m scratching that thought now.”

She hums a bit, surprising him with not rolling her eyes.

They finish crossing the bridge and head to the tram station. Emma swipes her metro card moving through the turnstile to the awaiting train. Killian pushes himself above the barrier.

“I could just swipe you in, you know,” Emma offers.

“Nonsense, Swan,” he says, flashing her a smile. “I’ve yet to get caught. Besides, we are about to convince someone that you are a lost princess as part of a money-making scheme- we’ve got other things to worry about.”

He thinks he sees her shiver and he regrets bringing up the devious nature of their scheming. He doesn’t want her to feel guilty for it or anything akin to that. She was crafty to think they could pull it off on their own. He thinks she’s right, with a little research it’s very possible. They have a right, he thinks, to pursue the possibility of this. There is too much lining up for them not to try.

He takes a seat beside Emma and the train moves. He doesn’t know where Emma lives, but he isn’t surprised when they get off at a stop in one of the young neighborhoods not too far from the university.

“You’ve got a place here?” He asks.

“I’ve swapped with a student who is in the states for the semester,” Emma says, “I was surprised by how nice it is.”

He’s surprised as well when she leads him up the apartment. Once she flicks on the lights, it reveals a bright, white space with a few house plants and vintage posters on the walls. There is a large bookshelf, where Emma’s books have neatly been added beside some that the previous apartment owner left behind. There is a funny contrast between her tome of Infinite Jest and an old biology textbook in Dutch. He admires her full row of Blanche Neige books, each and every one there on her shelf.

“Make yourself at home,” Emma says, “Would you like some tea?”

“Wouldn’t mind a cuppa,” Killian remarks, as he sinks into her sofa.

He watches her fuss over the kettle. A few strands have escaped from her bun, and trickle loosely around her face. She’s hung her red leather jacket by the door, so she wears only her romper now. The thin, dark straps create a contrast against her sharp collarbones. She’s lovely.

He’s thought that for a while now. As they chatted over coffees, as he watched her in the golden sunset, as they chatted on the boat, as they giggled on the bridge- she’s truly lovely. She has hard edges, shaped by a mysterious past, but underneath it all she’s full of passion and creativity and drive.

She returns to him with two mugs of milky black tea.

“Thanks, milady,” He says.

“It’s your royal highness, to you,” She corrects, laughing.

“That’s the spirit,” Killian says, taking a sip of the tea.

“So, where do we start?” Emma asks.

“I think we need to figure out a way for you to befriend the queen,” Killian says, “She’s quite approachable for a queen. I’ve met with her since she’s returned.”

“You have?” Emma asks.

Killian flinches, “At Liam’s funeral.”

“Oh, I’m sorry,” Emma says, putting a gentle hand on Killian’s arm.

“No, it happened a very, very long time ago,” Killian says.

“Well, I think we should start by researching the queen then. If we figure out where she goes in town, where we can find her- maybe then we can negotiate a way to make her acquaintance,” Emma says, her practical academic voice kicking in.

“Right on, Swan,” Killian agrees.

She pulls her laptop out of the bag and flicks it open. He’s surprised at just how fast she types, as she taps in, “queen of misthaven.” She instantly clicks on a wiki article that appears first in the search results.

Killian watches as a familiar picture of Queen Mary Margaret fills the corner of the screen, a description detailed beside it describing her life.

Emma makes a little choking noise as she looks at the screen.

“Swan, are you alright?” He asks, lifting a hand to stroke her back.

She puts the laptop down on the coffee table in front of her. She tucks the wisps that escapes from her bun behind her ear.

“Wait, that’s her?” She manages, “That’s the queen?”

“That would be correct,” Killian replies, “Our royal majesty, your mum, in the flesh.”

Emma purses her lips together, picks at her nail for a moment. He can tell that she’s thrown by the discovery.

He wonders for a moment if she really is the princess. Maybe she is the princess and she’s startled because she remembers. Maybe everything is coming back to her. Well, it would certainly make everything easier if Emma was actually the princess.

But then she says, “I’m sorry, it’s just that I know her.”

“You do?” Killian asks. His heart skips a beat.

Could she really be her? The Princess? He’d believe it.

“I met her at the opera,” She explains.

At the opera? Emma’s never struck him as the opera going type. He’s always written it off as a posh thing that was out of his league. But then again, Emma is a PhD student. She is out of his league. She’s the kind of intellectual type that doesn’t spend time with scum like Killian.

“I got a free ticket from the foreign student association,” Emma says, “It was actually pretty horrendous. But anyway, I ran into this woman in the bathroom and she was trying to convince me to come back to the opera even though this one sucked. She offered me free tickets to a ballet on Friday and I accepted them.”

“And this woman was the queen?” Killian asks.

Emma nods.

“Well, Emma, I think our plan just got a lot easier,” Killian says with a grin.

“I think so,” Emma says, and he can tell reality is hitting her. They really do have a chance at this.

“You said the opera was Friday?” Killian asks.

“I have two tickets,” Emma replies with a nod.

“Hmm, well, Emma Swan, fancy an opera date?” Killian suggests.

“Ugh, with you?” She jests, “I guess.”

“Oh sod off,” he tuts back.

“It’s sod off, your royal highness,” she corrects again.

“I really need to start working on that,” he laughs.

“Yeah, you do,” she says, her voice full of confidence.

His brain starts churning, thinking through the reality of this plan. They’ve nearly accounted for everything- expect for one thing.

“Emma, before we do this,” he says, hesitant, “There is one thing we should do.”

She cocks her head, “What is it?”

“Well, as much as I hate that man, he was right. You do need a scar to match the one the princess has,” He says.

He hates to think of marring her porceline skin with a knife. He hates to think of doing anything that the horrible man wanted them to do. But it would be a shame for the whole plan to fail just because of a small, but crucial detail.

Emma dips her head demurely. “Well, actually, we might not have to.”

She moves to reveal her opposite shoulder. His eyes drift from her lovely sharp collarbones that he noticed earlier, to where a small silver line begins at its base and travels over the curve of her shoulder.

“I’m not sure if it’s the right shoulder,” Emma begins.

“It is,” Killian says.

Her eyes widen.

“I remember the day she got the scar,” He says lightly, “She was on her pony and had a fall, cut her shoulder on a rock.”

“Oh,” Emma says.

He reaches out a hand, letting a finger trail along the slightly puckered skin. Emma shivers and he worries that’s gone too far. Maybe his touch is an unwelcome memory of the hooded man.

“Why? How did you get yours?” He asks her.

Emma shrugs, “I don’t know. I’ve had it as long as I can remember.”

“Emma,” He says, smiling, “You realize we are hardly going to have to lie to pull this off. You are truly the perfect woman for this opportunity.”

There is a part of him that wants to say something more. He wants to tell her that she’s beautiful, that she’s clever, that’s she’s the perfect woman in general. But he holds it back. They are going to be business partners. She already has enough on her plate between this scheme and her academic work. She doesn’t need his unwanted affections. Maybe another time. Maybe in the future when she’s finished her thesis and he’s financially stable. Or maybe never. She’d likely be better off without him.

“Would you like another tea?” Emma asks, shaking him from his melancholy.

“Oh no, Swan, I should be off,” He says.

He stands to head to the door and she rises beside him.

“Well, I’ll see you Friday, then?” She asks.

“Yes, Friday indeed,” Killian says.

She goes to open the door for him, but then pauses, her hand lingering on the knob.

“I’m really glad we’ve become friends, Killian,” She says.

He lets himself smile a full grin, “I am too, Emma.”

“I don’t think I’ve ever met someone who cares about Blanche Neige as much as I do,” She says, a little blush gracing her cheek, “It’s nice to have someone to talk about this stuff with.”

“Likewise, Swan,” He says, “Truly, I’m very fortunate that you’ve come into my life.”

“Thanks for the boat ride,” She adds, “Maybe you could show me more of Misthaven sometime. You know, when we aren’t coming up with money making schemes.”

“I’d like that very much,” He says, “I’ll think up something.”

“Well, till Friday then,” Emma says, opening the door.

“Till Friday, Swan.”

Tagging: @sambethe @lenfaz @pocket-anon @the-corsair-and-her-quill @kiwistreetswan @princesseslikepirates @timeless-love-story @katie-dub

#cs ff #cs au #captain swan #emma swan #killian jones #cs mc #cs ff au #cs crew #cs mafia #cs fic

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smartphone-science · 4 years

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When people think of scientists, they typically think of – white men in lab coats. However, LOTS of us do not look like this. When I first entered graduate school, I didn’t feel comfortable expressing my fancier side because I didn’t think people would take me seriously. I didn’t feel like myself though. Over the years, I finally decided to be me and embrace my fancy side. Ever since I embraced “Fancy Scientist” as my social media handles, I have noticed there are a lot of other people out there!

Let’s take the time to meet them! Every Friday, I feature a scientist who has a fancy side on my Instagram. There are no limitations to age, gender, or level of education. They are listed in the order that they were posted on my account. Here is the gigantic and ongoing list of fancy scientists out there!

From field to fancy! Me collecting elephant dung for research (bottom left) and me going out to dinner (right). I decided to embrace my fancy side and use it to counter stereotypes of people in science. Did you know that kids usually draw old, white men in lab coats when they are asked to draw a scientist (upper left)?

90. Anna Zakrisson

Today’s #FancyScientist is another fashion chameleon. Her photos showcase a spectrum of lewks and a range of styles. @annazakrisson she studied marine ecology, specifically nutrient cycles and cyanobacteria for her Ph.D. Now she promotes scientific literacy and skeptical thinking. Anna wants people to “re-learn their childish awe of the world” and does this by working with artists and musicians as a performance lecture. She describes her place in the world as between systems; “to act as a link between scientists and non-scientists; academia and business; high school dropouts and professors.” She also has her own consulting and macerating business and is a scientrepreneur (a term I came up with for people like me: scientist + entrepreneur) like me. I especially love this quote from her “You can be both creative and science-minded. You don’t have to pick a side.”

89. Elizabeth Mendes

Today’s #FancyScientist is a scientist and a patent writer: @thepatentscientist. Elizabeth studies biomolecular sciences, does research on Rheumatoid arthritis, and works with dopamine signaling in C. Elegans (a nematode that’s a model system). Outside of school and the lab (as if that is not enough), she also work as a technical Patent writer! She helps her attorney draft and put together patents for novel inventions in the biotech and cannabis industries. Her long-term goal is to work in the patent industry and be heavily involved in technology transfer and innovation. I love seeing all of the applications of science through this weekly feature. I am constantly surprised!

88. Tahlia Perry

Today’s #FancyScientist is another one that I met in real life – at the Citizen Science Conference. @Tahliajperry studies echidnas, one of only 2 egg-laying mammals in the world, and is using molecular tools (like DNA sequencing) to help with echidna conservation. Because echidnas are very hard to study in the wild, Tahlia created a citizen science project called #EchidnaCSI where thousands of people have submitted echidna sightings from across Australia and even collected their poo! There’s an abundance of DNA and hormones in the poo, which can tell you all about an animals’ lifestyle and health. Tahlia is super passionate about wildlife conservation, women in STEM and science communication – talking about her science anytime she can. When she’s not science-ing you’ll catch her with a glass of wine (or 3), she loves to travel and is a major music theatre nerd. Me too!

87. Ceri Brenner

Today’s #FancyScientist is @ceribrenner! She is a senior scientist who specializes in high power (PW-class) laser-plasma interaction physics and laser-based acceleration of electrons and ions for generation of laser-driven sources of MeV x-rays and neutrons (um, wow!). She has particular interest in nuclear and aerospace applications. For example, using high-power lasers for scanning nuclear waste containers to give 3D visualizations of the hazardous material inside. As acting group leader, she develops and implements the innovation and impact strategy of the Central Laser Facility, by leading a cross-facility team consisting of scientists and engagement officers working alongside industry partners for innovation projects. Again, WOW. And check out her laser manicure!

86. Rowan Collins

Today’s #FancyScientist caught my eye from their amazing makeup looks! @queermoth is an entomologist and is particularly interested in the evolution of and interactions between insect hosts and parasitoids. Projects Rowan is currently working on includes the transmission of fire blight (a bacterial disease that can kill plants) by Anthomyiid flies, the influence of pest insects such as tarnished plant bug on low-tunnel-enclosed strawberries, and the invasion of Drosophila suzukii (a fruit fly). They hope to eventually become a professor and a mentor to young LGBTQ people in science. Their favorite bug is the rusty tussock moth (Orgyia antiqua), and they share their home with their fiancée, a mouthy cat, and too many hissing roaches.

85. Dr. Von P

Today’s #fancyscientist has so much style that she even looks like a different person on different photos of her feed! She is @dr.dvonp, a social psychologist and sexual and mental health advocate. She’s dedicated the majority of her work in examining psychological mechanism’s impact in health decision-making and applying these findings to real-world interventions. More specifically, she investigates both explicit and implicit psychological factors impacting HIV prevention strategies, such as HIV testing and PrEP initiation. I have so much respect for @dr.vonp’s fashion game AND her attitude. I especially love this statement on her post where she is wearing the pastel rainbow-colored wig: “Did your professors ever look like this? Yeah mind didn’t either honestly a motivating factor for me at work is the ability to look any way I want on any given day and not care one bit what anyone thinks because my CV speaks for itself. I hate feeling limited in my self-expression because I’m supposed to be an academic 24/7, and academics definitely aren’t supposed to be giving you thirst traps on the weekend. I go back and forth with these feelings a lot but I have decided to just let you all see every aspect of me as a person beyond my title. Hopefully soon it won’t be so weird to have a professor that wears unicorn wigs in her down time and also can slay a data analysis the next day.”

84. Holly O’Donnell

It’s #FancyFriday! This week’s #FancyScientist may not look so fancy because she posts a lot of photos of her in the field – but don’t let that fool you! @hollyodonnell_conservationist is a conservation biologist who studies mammals large and small. She’s worked in Paraguay and Peru extensively, studying how mammal abundance varies across different land use types such as reserves, ecotourism lodges, and extractive industries. She now works as a research assistant studying spotted hyenas for the Trans Kalahari Predator Program at WildCRU Wildlife Conservation Research Unit). She still returns to Peru every summer as an expedition guide, where her speciality (besides mammals) is frogs! She hopes to begin a PhD shortly.

83. Ashley Hall

Today’s #FancyScientist is one of the nicest people on Instagram and has tons of biodiverse style! @lady_naturalist is a multi-faceted scientist: a zooarchaeologist by degree and a paleontologist by training, but has spent her career focusing on informal education in zoos and natural history museums. Her love for educating the public especially through social media has led her to her current role as the Marketing Coordinator for the Nature Center at Shaker Lakes. Ashley’s describes her style as “creepy cute” (LOL). Black is her favorite color, but she mixes in fun pops of science-themed jewelry and lots of pink. And you can always know it’s her from her signature platinum blonde hair and cat eye eyeliner. She loves science fashion so much, that she has a second account dedicated completely to it: @dresslikeascientist. She and other scientists curate photos of science-inspired fashion and home accents.

82. Caileen Brison

Today’s #FancyScientist, @caimarison, is an enologist at Big Basin Vineyards and PhD student in at UC Santa Cruz. I had to look up the first word myself. An enologist is someone who studies the science of wine. How fun (and fancy)! Caileen works with the winemaking team to ensure the fidelity and stability of aging wines from harvest to bottle. This includes methods such as chemosensory analysis, microbiological plating, and cellar management. In Caileen’s Ph.D. research, she focuses on researching the mechanisms behind cell cycle regulation. She is specifically interested in on how post-translational modifications regulate the activity and interactions of a central transcription factor. Fun fact – like me, Caileen had a theater major in college, but decided to switch to science because she felt like she could better society as a whole and pursue her other passion in life – curiosity. I personally hope she stays curious about wine.

81. Shani at the Grad Perspective

We have our first chemical engineer! Today’s #FancyScientist, @gradperspective, works on improving the delivery of drugs using polymers. She does this by creating tiny microscopic plastic capsules called polymer nanoparticles. Inside these capsules, she can insert one or multiple drugs. The nanoparticles protect the body from any negative effects of the drugs and target the drug to specific areas. Her research is focused on understanding the effect of delivering multiple drugs in different sequences. She relates this to pizzaa! (I love this) “When we make pizza we have a specific order for how we make it to make it taste good: make a dough, add sauce, then cheese! So my idea is that we can find an optimal sequence of delivering drugs that can interact in a specific way with our cells to produce the most beneficial effects.” Outside of the lab, she enjoys fashion, crafts, and blogging. Check out her blog!

80. Niba Nirmal

Today’s #FancyScientist is ANOTHER model and again, a fancy scientist with too many photos to choose from. You absolutely have to visit her account to see all of her amazing fashion and photos. @notesbyniba studies genes, specifically how plants adjust their genes for growing properly. Her research focuses on the creation, manipulation, and fine-tuning of genetic networks in synthetic biology. She studies the positive feedback loop in the root gene regulatory network within Arabidopsis (a specific plant), which controls cell differentiation. She believes that by discovering more about the biology of plant genes, we can learn more about our own genes as well!

79. Elizabeth Delery

Today’s #FancyScientist is a medical researcher passionate about science: @PhDelery. Elizabeth Delery is a postdoctoral researcher interested in the neurobiology of pain and addiction, and the subsequent neuroinflammation, to discover therapeutics to increase quality of life. Her research examines the effects of HIV, alcoholism, and opioid addiction on neuroinflammation, and vice versa, using a simian (monkey) model of HIV. Elizabeth is also passionate about celebrating women in STEM and has pinned stories about some amazing female scientists on Instagram.

78. Courtney McGeachy

Today’s #FancyScientist does amazing work for our oceans! @peachmcgeach is a Senior Associate with the Pew Marine Fellows Program where she oversees the management and administration of Pew fellowships and works to support and enhance social science connections to the program. Courtney has also worked for the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation where she managed The Fishing for Energy program, Emergency Prescott/Marine Mammal Stranding, and the Killer Whale Research and Conservation Fund. She studied marine and environmental science her current passion is Incorporating social and citizen science in global marine conservation.

77. Melissa Cristina Marquez

Today’s #fancyscientist is not only a fancy scientist, but a fancy artist and podcaster as well. @melissacristinamarquez is a marine biologist who studies the habitat use of sharks, trying to figure out why sharks are where they are, and investigates how people feel about these predators and if there have been changes over time due to social media and films. Melissa has her own Etsy shop where she uses digital water color art to bring the beautiful skins of sharks and their relatives to life and is highly engaged in outreach. She created “The Fins United Initiative” to provide scientifically accurate and free materials for teachers worldwide. In her podcast, ConCiencia Azul, she addresses marine conservation to the Hispanic public in Spanish. She talks about many issues related to marine conservation and issues that affect Latin American countries in particular.

76. Annora Thoeng

@NoraFinds is another #fancyscientist with incredible fashion sense! Again, I had the hardest time choosing photos. Her expertise is in vintage fashion as she is obsessed with bygone eras. She studied medical science and specialized in molecular biology and protein work. Her research in various labs consisted of cancer and Drosophila (fruit fly) studies and studying the C9orf72 mutation in frontotemporal dementia (FTD) and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The C9orf72 gene is a common cause of both FTD and ALS. As a vintage fashionista and scientist, she likes to use her instagram feed to break stereotypes about both.

75. Louise Bullen

I am so in love with @Louisebullen03’s style! She is a #fancyscientist who really knows how to to work some biodiverse fashion including snakeskin, leopard, and zebra prints. Louise Bullen is studying stem cell biology for her Ph.D. She’s especially interested in the mechanisms that cause a cell to reprogram from and adult stage cells to an embryonic-like state called induced pluripotency. She’s especially interested in this can give researchers insight into disease mechanisms, particularly neurodegenerative diseases. Louise not only does super important work, but her insta makes me really want to step up my fashion game!

74. Alyson Brokaw

@alyb_batgirl is a #fancyscientist who loves to embrace #biodiversefashion. I first noticed her when she participated in my biodiverse fashion challenge and you can see some of my favorite pieces that she wears here. Alyson Brokaw is a doctoral student who studies – you guessed it – bats! She’s broadly interested in animal behavior, physiology, communication and sensory ecology. With over 1200 different species located around the world, bats are an amazing group of animals to investigate these topics. Bats make up ~25% of all mammal species! You can find tons of amazing bat photos and facts on her insta.

73. Susan Finkbeiner

@scientificmodel is a true #fancyscientist! Susan Finkbeiner (@fink_about_it on Twitter) has two jobs: an international model and scientist. In her TEDx talk, she discusses living a “dual life,” and challenges the stereotypes of both professions. As a scientist, her research involves understanding the variation (in color and patterns) across a rapidly diversifying lineage of butterflies. The central goal is to understand the ecological and evolutionary processes that shaped the temporal and spatial patterns of biodiversity. I had a very hard choosing the photos for this one too, but I HAD to include a photo of her in a beetle elytra (modified, hardened forewing) headdress by designer @sigrun_vikingart.

72. Nika Larian

I had such a hard time choosing photos for today’s #FancyScientist! Make sure you go to her feed at @nikalarian to check out all of her amazing outfits. Nika Larian is a Ph.D. candidate in pharmacology and nutritional sciences studying nutritional interventions for cachexia. This is the weight loss and wasting away of fat and lean mass associated with chronic critical illnesses such as sepsis and cancer. She is particularly interested in the role of pyocyanin, a blue-pigmented virulence factor released by sepsis-causing Pseudomonas aeruginosa (a bacterium). Nika is also passionate about community outreach and received a grant to provide nutrition education and cooking classes to local youth! So cool! Outside of the lab, Nika is an advocate for science policy and serves as the Assistant Director of Legislative Affairs for the National Association of Graduate-Professional Students. You can see photos of her at Capitol Hill on her feed!

71. Rhiannon Morris

Today’s #FancyScientist got her start on Instagram by posting a of something sciencey every day for a year and has had quite the following since then (17K followers!)! @sci.with.rhi is a biochemist and crystallographer studying signaling in blood cancers. Her research looks at the JAK-STAT pathway, which is a series of interactions between proteins within a cell that play a role in immunity, cell division and death, and the formation of tumors. Outside of the lab, Rhiannon is passionate about communicating science (as you can see from her insta account) and is especially interested in advocating for women in STEM. She also loves coffee, cheese, and dogs (not necessarily in that order).

70. Naomi Koh Belic

Today’s #fancyscientist loves to break stereotypes about what women in science are supposed to look like. Like me, @naomikohbelic used shy away from looking too “girly” at science events thinking people wouldn’t take her seriously. And also like me, she stopped caring and started being herself! Naomi Koh Belic is a stem cell researcher, science communicator and university educator. Her research involves stem cells that are harvested from adipose tissue (fat!) which can be extracted from liposuctioB. These stem cells can differentiate into neurons, the building blocks of your brain and spinal cord. Your body however has a limited capacity to regenerate neurons on its own in response to trauma or neurodegenerative diseases. Her research focuses on using adipose stem cells to better understand Multiple sclerosis, the most common cause of chronic neurological disability in young adults. I’m addition to being an amazing scientist, she is also heavily involved in science communication and gives lots of talks and posts videos on her website.

69. Daisy Shu

Today’s #FancyScientist is @eyedaisyshu! Daisy studies the cellular and molecular mechanisms involved in ocular (relating to the eye) wound healing. The aim of her research is to explore how excessive wound healing results in scar formation, which drives the formation of fibrotic eye diseases. Using molecular biology techniques analysing protein and gene expression, her research seeks to eavesdrop on the cellular conversation mediating the wound healing response (I LOVE how she phrases this!). This can help with treatments. For example, she worked on a project exploring the wound healing mechanisms following glaucoma filtration surgery. The most critical determinant of the success of glaucoma surgery is scar formation and by understanding the signaling pathways involved in scarring, novel anti-fibrotic agents can be developed to maximize the surgical success. Finally, I am totally obsessed with her dress on the right!

68. Rukia Henry

Today’s #FancyScientist is @lifewithrukia! Rukia is an international, first-year Molecular Biosciences Ph.D. student studying cancer biology. She created the blog “Life with Rukia,” to share how she is navigating through graduate school. She delayed her decision to get a Ph.D. because at first she didn’t consider it a suitable career option. Growing up in Guyana, she never saw scientists who looked like her or were from the Caribbean. Her goal is to create content that not only showcases the amazing world of science and her pursuit of a Ph.D., but also features her love for God, fashion, beauty, and health. She hopes that young women of color can be empowered to know that they can be scientists too!

67. Debbie Gale Mitchell

I learned of today’s #fancyscientist because she had some amazing chemistry-inspired makeup that someone tweeted to me: carbon as diamond and graphite (bottom left). @heydebigale (on Twitter) is a biophyisical/inorganic chemist interested in using electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy to monitor fast biochemical reactions including redox and free radical chemistry. EPR is a a technique used to study chemical species with unpaired electrons. She is working to apply EPR imaging to monitor these reactions spatially and in real time. Bringing EPR to a broad audience is an interest of hers. She tweets about it and is developing labs for undergraduates on EPR. She believes chemistry is central to all aspects of science and medicine and therefore is always looking for better ways to help my students learn and apply chemistry. As you can tell, her science outreach is not just limited to her students and she goes above and beyond with social media and fun makeup.

66. Georgia Atkins-Smith

Today’s #fancyscientist is @someblondescientist. Georgia Atkins-Smith studied biochemistry and Immunology, investigating how key white blood cells in the immune system undergo a dramatic dance of death to generate small fragments. She uncovered key regulators of this process, its role in homeostasis and infectious disease, and developed novel methods researchers can use to study the disassembly process. Now, in her postdoc, she is further dissecting our understanding of cell death during the progression and treatments of blood cancer. In addition to research, she is also a passionate science communicator and advocate of women in STEM. She believes all scientists have a responsibility to communicate what we do, and communicate it honestly.

65. Samantha Ballard

Today’s #FancyScientist is usually in a bikini, but I could still tell she was fancy! @air.sea.sam studies the coastal air-sea environment and uses spaceborne Synthetic Aperature Radar (SAR) images for wind and wave retrievals to explore surface roughness patterns in the coastal zone. Her goal is to improve SAR wind retrieval algorithms, which are developed for the open ocean, in coastal areas, where the relationship between surface roughness, wind and waves is more complex and less understood. She is a master coder and knows R, Matlab, Python, IDL and Fortran. I’m sure she spends a lot of time with her computer, but you can’t tell by her insta – she’s always on the beach or by the water!!

64. Lila Higgins

In honor of the Citizen Science Association’s conference, this week’s #fancyscientist is an expert in citizen science (AKA community science): @colilaoptera. Lila Higgins is an entomologist and museum educator and can usually be spotted in her signature black hat and red lipstick. At the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, she oversees the Community Science office, focusing on bringing urban nature and community science to the public in new ways. She co-founded the City Nature Challenge, a global effort to document biodiversity in the world’s cities. To date 150+ cities have taken part, with over 18,000 people collecting almost 600,000 wildlife observations!! These data help us understand urban nature and work towards making our cities better for humans and wildlife. @colilaoptera‘a insta is full of so many amazing finds in nature!

63. Lauren Callender

Today’s #fancyscientist is immunologist @lozcallender_ ! Lauren studies the effects of ageing and age-related diseases on the human immune system. She is passionate about science communication and an amazing artist. This is reflected in her YouTube channel called “ScienceScribbles” where she teaches about scientific concepts by drawing along. If you look through her feed you’ll see she has a strong selfie game too.

62. Julia Ravey

Today’s #fancyscientist is next level fancy! I mean, look at those photos! Julia (@me_mycells_andi) is a PhD student researching Alzheimer’s disease neurobiology. She is an amazing science communicator on Instagram and also writes a blog on all things neuroscience in relation to normal life – for example, the neuroscience of exercise. Her hope is to help others engage in science by making her content accessible to everyone. She would love for more people to understand the ins and outs of the neurodegenerative diseases that affect people so deeply. She also is quite the artist and has fun drawings, including a dendritic Christmas tree!

61. Kristin

Today’s #fancyscientist has such a fun insta feed – so much natural history information, a hiking kitty, and so many funny lab stories. @kaydubsthehikingscientist is a plant pathologist that studies Ascomycotan fungi and how they cause diseases to forest trees. She gets to spend half of her time in the forest looking for specific plants, fungi, and insects, while the other half of her time is spent in the lab. She really enjoys hiking in the remote wilderness and learning about the ecosystem she is in and you can certainly tell by her Instagram feed!

60. Megan Prescott

Who says that art and science don’t mix? Today’s #fancyscientist’s account is at the intersection of science, art, and popular culture. @designingscience interprets scientific concepts through fashion design, explores the science in our everyday lives, and shows the real side of grad school through the “occasional melt down in her stories” (haha, her words, not mine!). Megan Prescott is a PhD candidate in microbiology studying the bacteria that causes tuberculosis to find new candidates for vaccines. She even has pants inspired by bacteria! She is also committed to active changes that will improve the lives of scientists, and even created a grant for childcare support for women scientists attending conferences!

59. Sara Ruane

When I posted about my love for the online consignment store the Real Real, this #fancyscientist, tweeted right back with a photo of her closet full of Chanel (swipe right to see it #closetgoals). @Sara_and_snakes (on Twitter) is an assistant professor at Rutgers University-Newark interested in reptile systematics, especially of – you guessed it – snakes. Her research focuses on the phylogenetics of a family of snakes in Madagascar. She uses molecular data and traditional Sanger-sequencing approaches, as well as ecological and morphological data to aid in understanding what factors promote speciation in these snakes. Sara’s love of snakes come through in her fashion. Check out her snake tights!

58. Sam Zwicker

I found today’s #fancyscientist because she had a post about being in a fashion show to support conservation! How cool is that? I had to reach out! @sjzwicker is a scientist AND executive director. Her Ph.D. research involves assessing the effects of land use change on felids and their prey in the Amazon, estimating densities of jaguar populations, and research on the reintroduction of threatened species. She founded @HojaNueva, a nonprofit center for research, conservation, and education in Peru and cofounded @FashionforConservation, an organization which aims to reverse fashion’s impact on the planet by putting a media spotlight on critical environmental topics while raising funds to support on the ground conservation efforts. This woman is seriously speaking my language!

57. Amanda Hipps

I KNEW today’s #FancyScientist was fancy even though she mostly posts photos from the field (hint: I saw her nails). I love @biophiliamanda‘s instagram! Not only because it is filled up with SUPER cute photos and videos of gopher tortoises, but she also has fantastic conservation messages. Although Amanda’s feed is full of tortoises, she actually studies the animals that depend on their burrows (outside of the tortoises themselves) and how they help the tortoises. Some insects feed only on gopher tortoise dung (ew), but these insects provide important dung removal services within the burrow. They may benefit the tortoises by reducing pest flies and parasite loads. Amanda is studying their range and habitat requirements to determine which species can be found in Southeast Florida and where. These insects are found nowhere else in the world, but these burrows! Amanda also showcases a lot of other Florida critters found in or near the borrows such as snakes, frogs, lizards, and even my favorite – manatees! Her feed is super fun.

56. Colby Ford

Today’s #FancyScientist is Dr. Colby Ford AKA @c01.by. His handle is perfect for what he does. Colby is a computational biomathematician and data scientist with a passion for mathematics and genomics research. He uses machine learning and visual analytics to help with the research. He currently works as a researcher in the Department of Bioinformatics an Genomics at UNCC and as a data scientist for BlueGranite, a Microsoft partner consulting firm focused on delivering data and AI solutions. His resume is seriously amazing; it spans multiple programing languages, advanced statistics, web design and even music. And he is stylish. I have a hard time with just one programming language.

55. Teresa

Today’s #FancyScientist does medical research for some of our most special friends (if you’re me): cats and dogs! @tluci88 is a doctor of veterinary medicine with interests in endocrinology, immune mediated disease, and minimally invasive procedures using endoscopy. Teresa’s research includes understanding a serum biochemical marker to facilitate diagnosing pancreatitis in cats and dogs. Her favorite part of being a vet is the problem-solving aspect of obtaining a diagnosis. She spends her free time listening to heavy metal, watching horror movies, and loves all things spooky.

54. Nicholas Montoni

Today’s #FancyScientist is @nickmontoni, a Physical Chemist studying light-matter interactions at the nanometer scale. He is another scientist I found from @500queerscientists, and as a graduate student, Nick was an advocate for LGBTQ+ and other underrepresented students in STEM. Nick now works as a freelance science policy consultant and is pursuing a career in science policy and public service. After hearing some inspiring talks from Science and Technology Policy Fellows in the American Association for the Advancement of Science program, Nick had a career change. His goal is to ensure that science can be done by and used for the benefit of everyone. Finally, he wears amazing biodiverse shirts.

53. Cristian Sandoval

I found today’s #FancyScientist through the amazing account @500queerscientists. Cristian Sandoval, @keepingupwithmycamera, is a medical technologist and Ph.D. candidate at the University of La Frontera in Chile. His research is in molecular biology within the medical field and is very vast. His publications range from burn treatments to alcohol consumption effects on cancer to the effects of stress on livers, spleens, and adrenal glands. Cristian first discovered his love for science in college and “found the best way to shine and to do amazing things” was through science. He is currently looking for a postdoctoral position and a new place to do research and improve his scientific skills. “I know the power is in our hands and we can change the world.” YES, we can!

52. Vanessa Cesário

I am super excited about today’s #FancyScientist because I work in a museum! @thestylishphd is working on a degree in Digital Media in Portugal. Vanessa is investigating the experiences of teenage visitors inside natural history and science museums. Specifically, she is trying to understand how combining digital storytelling and gamification can enhance their experiences. Vanessa believes that digital and interactive content for children and teens has immense potential to be uncovered and further developed inside museums! I agree and can’t wait to see her results.

51. Montgomery Spillane

Today’s #FancyScientist, @garb.by.gumbo, is part scientist, part fashion designer. She uses her love of geology to inspire fashion, specifically textile designs. Her designs are based on micropetrographs, which are thin sections of rock used to determine the mineralogy of the rock in question. She puts them on scarves, bags, leggings, and even phone cases. I am definitely a print girl and I am in love with these kaleidoscope-esque looks! By day, @Garb.by.gumbo has a very important job that affects us directly in our daily lives. She is a consulting geologist whose work involves monitoring important environmental protections (AKA regulations) for us. She conducts assessments and remediation of properties that are affected by hazardous substance or pollutants, and more recently, she started working on coal combustion residual rule monitoring. Aren’t these fancy scientists so surprising?

50. Lisa Buckley

Today’s #FancyScientist is all about makeup, especially eyes – my favorite! @LisaVipes does #BirdGlamour, where makes up her face to look as glamorous as different birds. While I am biased towards mammals, they are some of the least fancy animals. Birds on the other hand, can be super fancy with lots of color and shimmer. Lisa recreates these looks and even poses in their habitat! Lisa is a vertebrate paleontologist that studies the tracks and traces of of Cretaceous-age dinosaurs and extinct birds. Part of her research involves remote field work where she observes birds interacting with the environment in their natural habitats. She documents and collects replicas of their traces and tracks and uses that information to better understand the fossil tracks of ancient birds. In addition to #BirdGlamour, she also runs #NameThatTrack on Twitter, a fun game to help people use and refine their tracking skills.

49. Hilary Nicholson

Today’s #FancyScientist is Hilary Nicholson who is a member of the Science Cheerleaders! I saw the Science Cheerleaders perform at @usasciencefest. They are a non-profit comprised of 300+ current and former NFL, NBA and college cheerleaders pursuing STEM careers. The goal of the Science Cheerleaders is to challenge stereotypes about scientists, engineers and cheerleaders and engage people in citizen science and inspire young women to consider careers in STEM. Hilary is a Medical Oncology Research Fellow at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institue/Harvard Medical School. She works on research to increase the specificity of chemotherapy through synthetic lethality, which is an interaction between two genes where when either gene is perturbed alone it is viable, but when both genes are perturbed simultaneously, it results in the loss of viability. These interactions with tumour-specific mutations can be used to develop anticancer treatments. Hilary cheered for the Colgate Raiders in college and faced stereotypes about being a scientist and cheerleader. She now works hard to try to break them in both fields!

48. Faviola Dadis

Guys, today’s #FancyScientist is so fancy she used to be a model! @neurosciencebarbie spent her first career as a an international model for 15 years and three running a PR firm in Shanghai, Hong Kong, and Tokyo. Faviola decided to make a drastic change though, and returned to university full-time to become a clinical neuroscientist studying cognitive deficits in stroke patients. Faviola is now a doctoral candidate and her research focuses on traditional and virtual reality neurorehabilitation with stroke patients. She is also an entrepreneur like last week’s fancy scientist! She funded her research through a medtech startup company called NeuroReality, which specializes in the development of medical software using virtual reality to create an immersive and gamified neurorehabilitation program for individuals who experience cognitive deficits following a stroke. What can’t this girl do?

47. W. Shawn Carbonell

His Instagram name says it all – he dropped out from his dream of becoming a neurosurgeon. But that wasn’t because @brainsurgerydropout didn’t have passion, it’s because he wanted to be a bigger part of the solution! #FancyScientist Dr. Shawn Carbonell saw too many people die from brain cancer and started his own biopharma company. Along with his wife @fashionsurgeon, he is now researching and creating new classes of drug therapies for patients! His vision is for his drugs to be one of the go-to tools for oncologists to treat virtually any cancer. Not only do he and his wife run a company together, but they also dress up together. But my favorite part of @brainsurgerydropout’s style is his cat pocket square. Obsessed!

46. Christy Lane

Today’s #FancyScientist is not only a scientist, but also an entrepreneur as you can tell by her handle: @thetravelingmompreneur. Christy has a PhD in Rehabilitation Medicine and studies exercise as medicine for clinical populations. She is especially interested in the abilities of wearable technology to promote behavioral changes. This is where the entrepreneur side kicks in: She founded and is the Co-CEO of Vivametrica, an insuretech company that uses data from wearable devices to predict mortality and disease risks, and engage customers in wellness. It’s also clear from Christy’s instagram that she is a very good mom and loves Disney (like me!).

45. Katelynn Perrault

Today’s #FancyScientist is @kateprofesses! Katelynn is an Assistant Professor of Forensic Science and Chemistry at Chaminade University in Hawaii (jealous!). Check out how cool her research is – she has done extensive work profiling the volatile organic compounds that form the odor from decomposing remains! Why would we need to study such gross smells? Well it turns out her research is essential in understanding the sensory mechanisms behind scent-detection in canines. In other words, this helps us understand how dogs can detect decomposing bodies. How cool is that? In addition to posting photos of her in the lab, it’s clear that Katelynn also loves the outdoors. You’ll find photos of her hiking, surfing, and doing yoga on the beach in Hawaii. Did I mention that I am jealous?

44. Kristina Poljak

Today’s #FancyScientist is a scientist by day and blogger/fashionista by night! Kristina AKA @beneaththecoat describes herself as “a scientist who, in daily laboratory work, beneath her lab coat hides a wonderful world of colours, textiles and designs.” I can relate! (except I don’t wear a lab coat). Kristina works at the Medical Research Council Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Cambridge, UK. She is currently investigating the role of distinct cargo receptors in protein trafficking through and out of the cells. In other words, how the cell makes sure that every protein, once it has been made new, makes it to its destination. Kristina has an amazing blog full of fashion and travel posts. Her blog is dedicated to “all of you who like to play fashion and are not afraid to show it.” Can I get amen?

43. Helen: Makeup with Chemistry

Today’s #FancyScientist is very fancy on the face. @makeupwithchemistry is a – you guessed it – chemist! Helen’s Instagram started with her research, but she’s expanded into posting about beauty from a chemist’s perspective. Her research focuses on the energy exchange at the gas liquid interface, which has applications to liquid aerosol particles in the atmosphere. Her beauty posts include a #thursdaystheory where she shares infographics about beauty products or ingredients. My favorite posts are her eyeshadow posts. Not only is she an amazing makeup artist, but she also uses them to explain scientific concepts. If you want more from Helen, she just launched a YouTube channel delving into these concepts more as well as results she gathers from testing make up in her lab.

42. Daniel Toker

Today’s #FancyScientist is @the_brain_scientist. Daniel’s research is SUPER cool. He breaks down brains! (The science of that is.) He studies the neural underpinning of consciousness using insights from graph theory and information theory. In other words, his goal is to better understand what the brain is doing when it’s conscious, and what changes when it’s not. He is an avid fan of using social media for science communication. His Instagram account is amazing obviously, he blogs about brains, and he has at least TWO brain ties! Image of rainbow brain from Jack Gallant.

41. Friderike Möller

Today’s #FancyScientist is not on Instagram, but you can find her on Twitter under @DrMoon. Dr. Friderike Möller is another neuroscientist, but she left the bench to share her passion for science with young minds (something I love to do too!) at @scienceworldca in Vancouver. She is the Program Specialist for the “Scientist and Innovators in the Schools” program and the curator of the Body Works gallery. I found Friderike through @500queerscientists, a campaign to bring attention to the LGBTQ+ STEM community. Follow @DrMoon and give @500queerscientists a follow too to see other amazing queer scientists!

40. Vanesa Stojanovska

Today’s #FancyScientist is @neurosciencewithness! Dr. Vanesa Stojanovska is a recent PhD grad that studied neuroscience and immunology. She is now conducting research that will help premature babies breathe at birth. Her research focuses on how inflammation during pregnancy affects the nerves that control our breathing, and whether anti-inflammatory treatments can restore breathing functions. Follow her for the coolest lab and microscope photos with easy-to-understand explanations for non-neuroscientists like me. You know you are a fancy scientist when your nails are on point in the lab and you have sparkly shoes in the background.

39. Kelsie Putman Hughes

Today’s #FancyScientist is our first geologist! @CorvidBlue studied how sea water temperatures fluctuated across time over 400 million years ago. She did this using stable isotope mass spectrometry on conodonts, which are extinct, eel-like animals that leave fossils. It blows my mind that we can find things out from that long ago. She found that there was an inland sea in North America sea during this time. She spends her spare time working on a photography project called “Our Land,” which focuses on the land use and issues facing public lands. Her friends call her the “lipstick geologist.”

38. Susanna L. Harris

Today’s #FancyScientist is someone I greatly respect, @susannalharris. Susanna is a PhD Candidate studying bacteria communities in plants. She believes that bacterial interactions might affect the ability of a plant to colonize and also change the health of the plant. Understanding these processes could inform agricultural practices and potentially replace chemical pesticides with bacterial probiotics! Not only is her researche super cool, but I admire her for her work in supporting the academic community and their struggles with mental health (which is huge!). She founded The PhDepression LLC to increase visibility and provide resources to those dealing with mental illness in Higher Education. In addition to her account, you follow @ph_d_epression. I love the tie-dyed lab coat!

37. Priyamvada Natarajan

I found today’s #FancyScientist by watching a NOVA episode on black holes and was so impressed by her! Dr. Priyamvada Natarajan is a theoretical astrophysicist and professor at Yale University whose interests span cosmology, gravitational lensing, and black hole physics. Her research involves mapping dark matter in the universe, especially within clusters of galaxies, which are the largest known repositories of dark matter. Not only is she an accomplished scientist, but incredibly prolific in her public speaking and writing with published articles on CNN, The Huffington Post, and The Washington Post. You can also watch her on PBS. Also, how amazing is that necklace?

36. Tyrone Hayes

Today’s #FancyScientist is not on Instagram, but is one that definitely has style (he is wearing !). Much of Dr. Hayes’ work revolves on the effects of the herbicide atrazine in the environment. He studied frogs, which are often a good indicator of environmental health. Because of their amphibious lifestyle, their skin is permeable to water, and they can therefore absorb and feel the effects of things we put in the water more readily. Hayes’ research found that atrazine was an endocrine-disrupter for frogs; it made male frogs more feminine. While continuing his scientific research, he advocated against the use of atrazine and even came up with an anti-atrazine rap. Sygenta, the company that makes atrazine, was not amused and has attacked Hayes’ scientific credibility. The thing is, that the studies that show that atrazine doesn’t impact frogs are all funded by Sygenta. Hayes is bold in two ways: not only is he taking on a large company, he also is an advocate for public health. Scientists are expected to be completely unbiased in their research, which he claims to be, however, some scientists worry that when one takes on an advocacy role, they can appear to lose scientific credibility. Hayes is a professor with hundreds of papers in peer-reviewed journals, so he is legit, but he still gets criticized.

35. Farah S.

Today’s #FancyScientist is a doctor and may even be a Dr. doctor. @dresmerelda is an Infectious Diseases and Microbiology doctor in the UK undertaking a National Institute for Health Research project in the hopes of doing a PhD in the near future. She studies the gut microbiome, a community of microbes (bacteria, viruses, and fungi) that naturally lives inside us. Her research looks at the effect of antibiotics on the gut microbiome and human breath and her methods include extracting DNA from stool and running chromatography on breath samples. Her style is vintage, hippy/boho, and a mix of the two, and keeping up with dying her hair is pretty essential.

34. Katy Wimberly

I love working on #FancyFriday #FancyScientist because I get to meet so many fancy scientists outside of my field! Today’s is @astronomouse, a PhD student studying the evolution of galaxies! How cool does her work sound? She studies “quenched” (suppressed) star formations on a galactic scale using optical observations and cosmological simulations. She also loves outreach and focuses her efforts on underrepresented minorities and on special needs children (including those on the Autism Spectrum and with Down Syndrome). You can tell from her insta that this scientist has some major style and of course I love her star-and-moon-studded jumpsuit.

33. Teresa Ambrosio

Today’s #FancyScientist is chemist and blogger @teresa_ambrosio_com. Teresa’s research focuses on C-H activations, which means she is trying to find new chemical methods to activate this strong and stable bond. Because it is so stable, the only way to transform the C-H bond is to use nasty and toxic reagents. The aim of her PhD is therefore to find more sustainable reactions to activate the bond. She uses inspiration from nature and tries to recreate them in the lab. Teresa is the only female in her lab and is passionate about the #stillascientist movement. She says ‘It is always forgotten that female scientists are female before being anything else. We want to feel female too, we want to look attractive too and this does not mean we aren’t good at doing research. It’s just our nature!”

32. Casey Ah-Cann

It’s #FancyScientist time! Today it’s @scientistcase, a PhD student working on in utero lung development in Australia. Casey is interested in how processes work within in the womb to see if they can be translated into an understanding of disease later in life. She explains that “because development in utero happens so quickly and precisely many of the same mechanisms that regulate normal development can become unregulated by mutations later in life and causes disease (like cancer).” Casey is also very passionate about science communication and doesn’t like how scientists are often portrayed as “stuffy old white men who can’t speak to other humans” (LOL, totally agree!), so she gives tours of her institute to the public and mentors high school students. I also love the photo of her combining fancy with a lab coat. Oh, and she also dressed up as a jellyfish with GFP (green fluorescent protein)! Outside of science, she knows how to turn “off” and spends time with friends and family, gardening, learning how to surf on the Australian coast (jealous).

31. Meriame Berboucha

Today’s #FancyScientist is no Sheldon Cooper! @girl_in_a_physics_world is a super fancy physicist. She loves high power lasers and her research focuses on using these lasers for better particle accelerators and imaging. She’s a very prolific science communicator with her own blog, writes for Forbes , and started a science club at a local school. She also has fantastic and empowering messages on her instagram about the discrimination that women face concerning what women should look like in the sciences. Make sure to give her a follow!

30. Sanae Ferreira

Today’s #FancyScientist is @bluebootsgo AKA Sanae Ferreira! I would describe Sanae’s insta feed in one word – FUN! Sanae is finishing her PhD in Nutrition and Metabolism, specializing in nutritional epidemiology and preventive medicine. Her research objectives focuses on adverse exposures and causes of obesity in children, and she wants to develop interventions to counter such adverse exposures.She has worked in the health and beauty industries for over 10 years as a researcher (! she looks so young). She also is a VERY prolific blogger, written, and artist. Check out her blog “Where the Blue Boots Go” at https://bluebootsgo.com.

29. Treva Brown

Last week I featured an aspiring NASA scientist, and today’s #FancyScientist is one! Dr. Treva Brown (@diva_treva) is a materials scientist who works at the @nasa Stennis Space Center. Her PhD focused on inorganic chemistry, with an emphasis on nanomechanical investigations and characterizations using atomic force and transmission electron microscopy. In other words, she uses techniques in atomic force microscopy to investigate the surface of materials at the nanometer scale. She has a passion for STEM outreach, dance, zumba, the color pink, and organizes a “Party in Pink Zumbathon” benefit for breast cancer awareness. On top of all of that, she has a book coming out soon! Look for “Fit and Fabulous PhDiva.”

28. Anya Tassy

I am so excited about today’s #FancyScientist. When I reached out to @anyatassy, I had no idea how young she was. She is ONLY 17!!! She is dual enrolled in university and high school and has already finished the first two years of her bachelor’s degree! Astrophysics is her passion, but her university does not offer astronomy classes, which is why physics is her major. But don’t worry – she plans to get her PhD in physics and astronomy! On top of that, she also works for Wright-Patterson Air Force Base conducting research for aircraft electrical systems. It is her dream to work for NASA and I’ll say she is well on her way!

27. Meridith Bartley

Today’s #FancyScientist has major style! @alwaysscientist is a PhD student in Statistics working on modeling animal movement and interactions. She made her way into stats through her love of wildlife science and I am very sure she will have no problem getting a job when she graduates because every scientist/university wants to work with statisticians! She requested that I include one of her wedding photos (bottom center) because she felt “maximum fancy” that day. I agree. Now that she’s moved to stats and doesn’t have lab or field work anymore, she can more freely express her fanciness and expand her style. When she isn’t researching or teaching, she loves tending to her ever-growing apartment garden and traveling with her husband.

26. Imogene Cancellare

When I met @biologistimogene last year I knew right off the bat she was a #fancyscientist – presenting on science communication in a pencil skirt and high heels! Imogene is a PhD student studying the genetic structure of snow leopards across Asia. She has an AMAZING instagram feed (if you aren’t following her you should) and a few weeks ago she brought attention to the negative stereotypes fancy scientists face. Someone told her she watered down her message simply through the WAY SHE LOOKED. In response, she started the hashtag #StillAScientist- “to show that regardless of what you look like, what you like, the quality of your science isn’t impacted.” Yass girl! Use this hashtag whenever you post a photo of yourself breaking the rules of what a scientist should look like.

25. Albert Welch Jr.

Being fancy is not limited to females! I love featuring our males (I know you’re out there!) and other genders. Today’s #FancyScientist, @black_scientist_585, has a diverse background in biotechnology, biology, chemistry, and forensic science. He currently works for Ortho Clinical Dianostics in the research and development section for infectious diseases. This company works in in vitro diagnostics, testing platforms and clinical assay tests to monitor disease progression. He’s married and a father of three. The goal of his instagram account is to reach out specially to black and latino communities to show them the amazing world of science! He also likes to feature current and historical African American scientists on his account.

24. Patricia Edem

I’m excited to feature the first chemist for today’s #FancyScientist! Patricia, AKA @PhDfitclub_, works at Rigshospitalet in Copenhagen and her research focuses on developing radiopharmaceutical agents to help detect cancer using PET imaging. PET (Positron emission tomography) is a type of nuclear imaging technology that allows researchers to evaluate organ and tissue functions by seeing metabolic processes in the body. The radiopharmaceutical agents she develops emit radiation so you can visualize tumor localization with specialized cameras. This helps detect cancer by providing a picture of the disease process non-invasively. Her insta shows a balance of science and fitness, but even when she’s in workout clothes, she still looks pretty fancy to me.

23. Marina the Marine Biologist

Today’s #FancyScientist @marina.the.marine.biologist found her love for the ocean despite being landlocked in the Midwest. After college, she moved to Oahu to study biological oceanography at the University of Hawaii. While there, she discovered a love of teaching and has been instructing marine science, biology, and chemistry courses, in addition to advising undergraduate research projects. She’s incredibly passionate about increasing awareness about ocean and marine conservation. When she first started teaching, many of her students were older and often mistook her for a student. She started dressing up to set herself apart. Now she loves it and does it to feel her best! Her students and colleagues joke that they can always hear her coming in her heels! I love it!

22. Louise Dutton

The #FancyScientist of the week is the @redheaded.scientist! Louise is a Ph.D. student at the Queen’s University Belfast researching the role of a protein inhibitor called Gremlin-1 in bowel cancer. Gremlin-1 is involved in regulating many important processes during early development in embryos. However, in a variety of disease and cancers, including bowel cancer, it has been shown to be upregulated (increased activity). How this happens is unknown, so Louise’s whole Ph.D. is devoted to solving this mystery. Louise posts lots of cool photos of her research in the lab and provides captions explaining exactly what she is doing. My favorite post though refers to her namesake red. She has been told she will never be taken seriously with such vibrant red hair, but rather than change, she is trying to break the scientist stereotype. YES! And I of course support this.

21. Megan McSherry

Today’s #FancyScientist is my good rafiki Megan McSherry. Can you believe we met in Kenya 13 years ago?!?! Megan is an ecologist who conducts conservation research within coupled human-natural systems. One thing that stood out about Megan working at the School for Field Studies in Kenya was how much she loved and embraced Kenyan culture (I was there for a year and Megan learned more Kiswahili than me in four months). Her love of people shows in her research; she strives to find conservation solutions that are win-wins for people and wildlife. She has studied the effects of grazing management strategies on grassland vegetation and soils in Argentina, Tanzania, and Kenya. She doesn’t think of herself as a fancy scientist, yet there are too many photos of her in fancy dresses to choose from. Nonsense!

20. Bertha Hidalgo

I cannot believe it took me this long to find @chic_in_academia! She is the definition of a #FancyScientist! Bertha Hidalgo is an assistant professor in the Department of Epidemiology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham where she studies cardiometabolic diseases such as obesity, cardiovascular disease, and Type-2 diabetes. She focuses on Latino populations and is trying to understand if there are genetic and epigenetic differences exist between subgroups of people. In her spare time, she maintains an awesome blog, chicinacademia.com, where blogs about outfits, shopping, and lifestyle tips. Because life in academia especially as a professor is high stress, It’s her way to decompress and have fun, so you will find no academic posts there. I just subscribed.

19. Lebaron Agostini

I came across @lee_the_scientist‘s profile and was completely taken aback to see such style under a lab coat! #FancyScientist Lebaron Agostini is a PhD student at Thomas Jefferson University studying genetics and cancer biology. He originally wanted to become a pharmacist, but changed his career trajectory after spending a summer doing population genetics research. He then started working in a lab that discovered novel antibiotics from soil bacteria, and later to the University of Miami Diabetes Research Institute. Here he narrowed his interests and decided to pursue chromatin biology (DNA, RNA, protein) and cancer initiation as his research topics. Lebaron is also passionate about and amazing at science education and outreach. He is a founder and contributor to Bio is Life Media (http://bioislifemedia.com). Here, he and others break down topics relating to cancer, fitness, diets, among other things. My favorite sections is Fact Check Friday. Lebaron uses Bio Is Life Media “to transcend the current fake news, click-bait, woo quackery media content, that plagues science information on the web.

18. Lea Shell

The #FancyScientist of the day is entomologist (insect biologist) and my friend Lea Shell. @Veganbuglady of has a multitude of interests and projects – ants, microbes, and slime molds are a few. She is fundamental to the Students Discover project that I work on – where scientists collaborate with teachers to integrate real science into their classrooms. The scientists then use the data for real research questions. She is incredibly passionate about getting educators and students excited about insects and bacteria, which was a focus of her masters’ work. She is also passionate about the challenging the perceptions of women in science and wants more women in science to be featured with kids. Not only does she travel with her kids, but she has given two hour-long workshops and presentations while wearing her babies.

17. Rebecca Johnson

I’m so excited for today’s #FancyScientist and am super jealous of her job. Dr. Rebecca Johnson (@drrebeccaj) is the first female director of the Australian Museum Research Institute (in over 190 yrs!). She is a wildlife forensic scientist, conservation geneticist, and is the co-chief investigator of the Koala Genome Consortium, a group sequencing the koala genome for conservation applications (such as diseases). As a forensic scientist, she solves wildlife crimes. Wildlife trafficking of live or dead animals, or their parts is an illegal business worth billions of dollars that seriously threatens the survival of many species. Rebecca’s genetic research can identify endangered species (if it’s animal parts) or where the confiscated item comes from, which provides information on which ports/countries are lacking in adequate protections. Rebecca gets to dress up a lot (jealous!) as she attends lots of galas. All of her clothes are from @cueclothingco, an Australian clothing company where the clothes are all made in Australia. Finally, she was named a Superstar of STEM by the Science and Technology Australia Initiative and was featured in Vogue Australia!

16. DeAnna Beasley

It’s #FancyScientist #FancyFriday and today I’m excited to feature my Students Discover buddy DeAnna Beasley! @flyingscientist is now a professor at the University of Tennessee, and conducts research on how humans, through urbanization and climate change, affect the behavior, development, and physiology of insects. Insects serve as an excellent model system for this because they are often more sensitive to environmental change due to their small body sizes, dependence on external conditions for regulating body functions, and shorter generation times, which can allow scientists to observe changes more rapidly than larger organisms. Like me, DeAnna worked on the Students Discover project and worked alongside teachers to co-develop lesson plans that they use in their classrooms for students to conduct real scientific research. My favorite fun fact about DeAnna is that she hang glides, hence the name @flyingscientist.

15. Stephanie O’Donnell

It’s TGIFF – Thank God it’s #FancyFriday! I met @steph_odonnell at the Society for Conservation Biology conference this past summer and knew she was a #FancyScientist at first site. She not only loves fashion, but loves biodiverse fashion as exemplified by this amazing bird dress she MADE! We met because we both work with tech in wildlife. In her role at Flora and Fauna International she brings together conservationists, engineers, and other techies into a community to collaboratively make conservation efforts state-of-the-art and likely more successful. Her organization Wildlabs.net runs the #Tech4Wildlife challenge, so if you are doing amazing things with tech for wildlife, be sure to tweet out your photos. She is also an amazing artist.

14. Kaberi Kar Gupta

Today’s #FancyFriday #FancyScientist is slender loris expert Dr. Kaberi Kar Gupta!. @lorisesoftheforest is wildlife biologist, social scientist, and founder of the Urban Slender Loris project. She studied the wild slender loris in the Kalakad-Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve for about a decade for her Ph.D. research. Now she is combining her degrees in wildlife biology and anthropology to study the ecology of the still wild, but urban-living slender lorises of large cities in India. Because these cute little primates live in cities of 12+ million, you cannot ignore people when trying to plan for their conservation. Her organization carries out nocturnal surveys of the primate to understand current distributions, but also conducts oral history surveys to seek knowledge about past ranges and create awareness. Her project is also citizen science based, meaning that regular citizens can participate in real science. You can tell Kaberi’s home country is an influence in her style – she is frequently seen wearing bright, beautiful colorsand of course can be seen in amazing saris (so jealous). Check our her project here.

13. Kellie Ann

I don’t know where to start with today’s #FancyFriday #FancyScientist. Harvard PhD graduate. Postdoc at Yale. 1st in her undergraduate class. And not only is the @latina_scientist fancy herself, but she has a hella fancy grant. She is one of FIVE recipients of the prestigious Women in Science fellowship from the beauty company L’Oreal. Kellie Ann studies how our immune systems interact with infections from viruses and her fellowship money is applied towards understanding the impacts of the Zika virus within the brain. Not only are her posts super stylish, but they also carry an important message. She shares stories of what people have said about her not “earning” her place due to being a woman and Latina, despite the amazing accomplishments mentioned above and the hard work and effort she had to devote to get them. And that Latina women only make $0.54 cents per every dollar made by a man – the largest gender gap in the US. I hope her posts not only inspire young Latina girls to be ambitious in STEMand non-STEM careers alike, but also bring attention to this important issue for women as a whole.

12. Rachel Smith

At first glance, today’s #FancyScientist may not seem super fancy because she’s frequently rocking bikinis, but when I saw her graduation pic of her red ribbon-tied heels, I knew she was perfect for #FancyFriday! I love following the @theblondebiologist on insta because she often posts strong conservation messages, sometimes reflecting the real-life difficulty of living a fun, fancy life while still making ecofriendly choices. Rachel now lives in Hawaii (so jealous!) as an environmental health specialist and is therefore passionate about conservation, but also marine biology and advocating for women in STEM. Living on an island really makes her think about the purchases she makes because trash can easily go into the ocean. I loved her post on a pool float; it was a fun purchase, but how long will it last? And where does it end up? Is it worth it? These are the types of questions I think we all need to ask ourselves!

11. Iásón Mac Gabhann

In all my years working in the lab, I have NEVER seen a tie! Today’s #FancyFriday #FancyScientist @the_irish_scientist breaks the lab coat stereotype – not by ditching it, but by making it vey dapper! His insta name does not lie – Iásón Mac Gabhann has dual citizenship in Ireland and the US and has conducted research in Dublin and Ireland. His background is in biochemistry and his research interests include the innate immune system of autoimmune diseases (I actually have an autoimmune disease – Hashimoto’s). I love his feed because he shows a lot of cool behind-the-scenes in photos in the lab with great captions explaining what he is doing such as growing bacteria colonies, western blots, and performing ELISAs (nzyme-linked immunosorbent assay).

10. Andrea H: PhD Fashionista

Today’s #FancyFriday #FancyScientist is all about fashion, it’s even in her insta name! Andrea AKA @phd_fashionista is a biochemist and blogger all about defying the stereotypes of women in science (and scientists in general). She originally started her blog to keep track of her outfits that were practical enough to work in while obeying the strict lab safety rules and still being fashionable (a challenge). She loves to blog about lab fashion and has written advice on what to wear for professional conferences, every day work, and weekend fashion. Her PhD research focused on methyl groups on arginine residues of proteins, which is important for the regulation of certain proteins on genes, and can even turn genes on or off, depending on other factors. She is also interested in cancer epigenetics (modification of gene expression, but not the DNA itself) and disease models.

9. Chris Parsons

Who says that #FancyFriday is only for women? Not me. #Fancy is for all! Today I am excited to present marine mammal expert and one of my favorite people to follow on Twitter, Dr. Chris Parsons (@Craken_MacCraic). Chris has studied dolphins and whales for over TWO DECADES. I first met Chris at a the Society for Conservation Biology and I was super impressed by the number of ribbons he had (nearly 5 times the size of his name tag) reflecting his dedication to the society and conservation of the oceans as a whole. Chis has worked on marine mammals in all 7 continents (jealous!) and is EXTREMELY prolific in writing – 140 scientific papers, book chapters, and a textbook on marine mammal biology and conservation. It’s easy to see why Chris is a #FancyScientist. I can’t express how much I love these outfits. Not only do I value fanciness, but it increases value in theme. He holds an annual costume party, so some are from there, but also from presentations at conferences and pilgrimages to #JaneAustin sites.

8. Christine Hawn

Today’s #FancyFriday #FancyScientist is a former postdoc in our lab at @naturalsciences. I don’t think there was ever a day that I didn’t see Christine Hawn dress up! Some days even I felt sloppy. Christine studies animals in corridors, areas of habitat that can serve as a bridge between two larger areas for animals/plants to move and disperse. When I think of corridors, I think of ones in India to connect tigers to reserves, but Christine works on much smaller species that most people don’t think about when it comes to conservation – spiders! Spiders are small, but important predators in ecosystems and Christine has studied how corridors affect their food resources. For their research, Christine painted spiders with nail polish or used stable isotopes as a way to mark them, making them individually identifiable for research (and incidentally fancy). I am deliberately using the pronouns they/their for Christine because they identify as transgender. Christine is also interested in the impacts that pharmaceuticals and personal care products can have on spiders living alongside streams, which can serve as an indicator for human health.

7. Mareike Dornhege

I met today’s #FancyFriday #FancyScientist only once at a Society for Conservation Biology conference years ago, but we became Facebook friends ever since! Mareike Dornhege is a marine ecologist for the @saveourseasfoundation. Growing up in Northern Germany, she learned to love the ocean from an early age, and especially sharks from a book her grandmother gave her. She learned to dive at age 14 and over many years and dives was saddened and confused by how few sharks she saw. She now works in Japan asking fisherman questions about sharks for science. By talking to people and using data collected from catches today, she can evaluate the “shifting baselines.” In other words, what may seem like normal catch now may be dramatically different than years ago. She also uses their information to understand the ecology of sharks. Mareike came to Japan to work as a model(!) so she naturally always loved fashion. Living in Tokyo has changed her style and she has abandoned the greys and blacks that dominated fashion in Berlin for bold colors. She loves classic feminine elements like floral patterns and lace and draws inspiration from both traditional Japanese fabric patterns and modern Japanese street fashion. As a marine ecologist her preferred work attire is bikinis with shorts and rash guards on top.

6. Tatiana Arias

Today’s #FancyFriday #FancyScientist is my good friend Tatiana Arias! Tatiana and I were PhD students together at Mizzou. Now, Tatiana heads her own lab at a private research institution in Medellin, Colombia, where she is from studying the evolution and ecology of tropical plants especially orchids. She works to find solutions to agricultural challenges in Colombia such as using genetic diversity to broaden crop diversity, and preserving and even restoring lost the native biodiversity of plants emblematic to Colombia. She was recently the recipient of the Colombian Young Scientist Award from The World Academy of Sciences and The Colombian Academy of Sciences. She has the cutest kitty Oda, hence her Insta name @odasmama and has literally traveled the world.

5. Sophie: The Scientific Beauty

I am so excited to introduce you to @sciencebeaut for #FancyFriday! I thought I was one of the rare fancy scientists, but Sophie’s feed makes me feel like a #FancyScientist slacker! Sophie’s science is fancy in itself – she has a PhD in bochemistry and writes about the science of beauty, breaking down ingredients in your favorite products, helping you make sense of the scientific claims the industry makes, and explaining science behind red lipstick. She loves fashion obviously, but favors classic couture that lasts a lifetime over fast fashion trends (which is also more ecofriendly). She adores Coco Chanel and Chanel in general and is obsessed with Louboutins .

4. Sarah Jandricic

Today’s #Fancyfriday #fancyscientist is the @theclosetmoth. Sarah has a science job that is fancy too – She works on flowers! Specifically, she works with the Canadian government to help growers manage insect pests and plant diseases sustainability so your flowers look perfect! She loves working with farmers and putting the things scientist develop into real world practice. You can tell her study subject influences her outfits. Sarah has a VERY fashionable Insta feed to prove you can be science-y and a fashionista. Besides fashion, she also loves her Bernese mountain dog Velika, and is obsessed with alpacas.

3. Summer Higdon

Today’s #FancyFriday’s #FancyScientist is @summerhigdon! Summer studies the super cool and super elusive spotted skunk at my alma mater Mizzou. The eastern spotted skunk is a once-common mesocarnivore that is now petitioned for federal listing under the Endangered Species Act. They are difficult to detect, even on camera traps, so she has to bait her camera traps to try to attract them. She studies everything spotted skunk – their home ranges, what habitats they live in, activity patterns and uses their scat (poop) to understand their diet. Summer posts amazing photos of her outside adventures with her sidekick, Peanut, the rat terrier. Her fancy hobbies include drinking craft beer and red wine, and cooking good food. Her not-so-fancy, but badass hobby is learning krav maga (I had to look this up). Summer was also an intern of mine and worked A LOT on our deer vigilance project. I like to think I had a strong influence in her fancy habits.

2. Rae Wynn Grant

Today’s #fancyscientist and fashionista is @raewynngrant at my favorite museum, the American Museum of Natural History. Rae and I met YEARS ago (12 to be exact) in Kenya. She was a student, while I was an intern at the School for Field Studies. She now works as a Conservation Science Research and Teaching Fellow exploring the influence of human activity on large carnivores. She’s another bear biologist and studies how human’s influence black bears’ landscape use, habitat suitability, and connectivity in the Western Great Basin. Rae also helps to coordinate the Education Department’s Science Research Mentoring Program, offering high school students the opportunity to join ongoing research projects lead by AMNH scientists like herself. Rae is also super fun to follow. She is world traveller, a new mom, and posts lots of fun animal pics.

1. Emily Puckett

Today’s #fancyscientist is one of my besties: former labmate and fellow blogger at Widllife SNPits (also founder, wildlifesnpits.wordpress.com), evolutionary biologist @emilyepuckett. Emily studies the distribution of genetic diversity across a species’ range and uses this information to identify where in the genome differences exist and if they are tied to adaptations. Most of her research is on #blackbears, but she has also worked on rats, and soon chipmunks! She is mostly in a lab or at the computer, but has gone to the field a few times for #bear research. Her fancy hobbies include going to the #ballet, #opera, watching indy movies and drinking bubbly beverages (Cava, Champagne, or Chandon). I also love her shirt on the right – from Anthropologie.

Are you a fancy scientist? Or do you know a fancy scientist? Send me a message to nominate them!

The post 90 Fancy Scientists that Challenge the Scientist Stereotype appeared first on Dr. Stephanie Schuttler.

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