introduction: who are we anyway?

do whatever | episode 2: introduction: who are we anyway?

Burcu, Mirna, and Ardiana kick off the episode with travel updates: Mirna returns from Croatia and a stop at the Venice Biennale, while Ardiana reflects on a yoga retreat in Normandy that pushed her to slow down, cut screen time, and reconnect with single-tasking.

The hosts celebrate a major milestone, after eight months of setbacks, Burcu's lab experiments finally worked, lifting the mood of her entire research group.

The main topic explores just how many roles academics juggle beyond their research titles: graphic designer, teacher, finance manager, statistician, technician, lab manager, and more. They discuss how unprepared most PhD students are for supervision, admin, grant writing, equipment troubleshooting, and workplace politics. 

The conversation turns to communication across cultures, sharing candid stories about direct vs. polished styles, false apologies, and how non-native English speakers often translate politeness conventions literally from their own languages.

The hosts also reflect on the unexpected skills they've gained: Mirna learned to ask for help; Ardiana developed patience and cross-cultural communication; and all three found ways to bring creativity into their science, through storytelling, figure design, project writing, and experiment design.

They close with what they would be if not scientists, the blurry line between work and personal life in academia, and what they genuinely love about their work.