Fail-Safe Science Repository
Studies have shown that graduate students commonly feel as though successful scientists rarely experience challenges or failures. Fail-Safe Science is an initiative designed to normalize experiencing and overcoming challenges in science graduate programs. Below are videos of different scientists discussing the hurdles they encountered during their PhD programs, how they coped with the challenges, and what advice they have for current graduate students.
Search the repository by type of challenge and learn from successful scientists who have overcome obstacles throughout their graduate careers.
Explore our companion podcast.
Welcome to the Fail-Safe Science podcast, a collection of scientists sharing candid stories about challenges they faced in graduate school, how they overcame them, and advice for current students.
Fail-Safe Science Repository
Dr. Jennifer Bekki
Challenge Type: Lab experimentDr. Jennifer Bekki is currently a Professor in The Polytechnic School within the Fulton Schools of Engineering at Arizona State University, and also serves as the Associate Dean of Inclusive Excellence for the Fulton Schools. Her dissertation research focused on modeling and analysis of… Read more
Dr. Sara Brownell
Challenge Type: Qualifying/Comprehensive/Prospectus exam or defenseDr. Sara Brownell is Professor and biology education researcher at Arizona State University, where she studies how students and instructors navigate concealable stigmatized identities in academic science. Sara transitioned to studying undergraduate biology education during her postdoc. She… Read more
Dr. Michele Clark
Challenge Type: Writing the dissertation, Navigating feedback on writingDr. Michele Clark is currently an American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) STPF fellow at the Department of Energy in Washington D.C. Her PhD research focused on the drivers of invasive plant species and plant distribution within community forests in subtropical Nepal, where… Read more
Dr. Leah Jones Crank
Challenge Type: FieldworkDr. Leah Jones-Crank is an Assistant Professor in the School of Environment, Resources, and Sustainability at the University of Waterloo in Canada. Her PhD research focused on collaborative governance of the food-energy-water nexus in Phoenix, Arizona, and Cape Town, South Africa. Currently, she… Read more
Dr. Nsa Dada
Challenge Type: Navigating department/university cultureDr. Nsa Dada is an Assistant Professor in the School of Life Sciences at Arizona State University. Her PhD research focused on the interactions between mosquitoes and their associated microbes, specifically those that inhabit domestic water containers. She worked on the container dwelling… Read more
Dr. Raúl Araya-Donoso
Challenge Type: Not meeting personal expectationsDr. Raúl Araya-Donoso is currently a Postdoctoral scholar at Arizona State University, but will soon be moving to a Postdoc position at Yale. His dissertation research focused on the genomic and ecological factors affecting speciation rates on lizards, and his current postdoc keeps exploring… Read more
Dr. Karin Ellison
Challenge Type: Writing the dissertation, Navigating feedback on writing, Finishing the dissertationDr. Karin Ellison a Clinical Professor in the School of Life Sciences at Arizona State University. She also directs the Ethics Program in the school, and is the Associate Director for the Center for Biology and Society. Her dissertation research focused on the history of Grand Coulee Dam and… Read more
Dr. Logan Gin
Challenge Type: First-year research projectDr. Logan Gin is currently the Assistant Director for STEM at Brown University. His dissertation research focused on the experiences of STEM students with disabilities, and since graduating he’s been in this position working with graduate students and postdocs on professional development mostly… Read more
Dr. Sarah Habibi
Challenge Type: Lab experimentDr. Sarah Habibi is the founder of Mito &Co, a children’s STEM education company based out of Toronto, Canada. Her dissertation research focused on characterizing novel drug targets in parasitic worms, and specifically looked at the parasite Haemonchus contortus, which infects livestock… Read more