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. 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. Ángel Garcia
Challenge Type: Qualifying/Comprehensive/Prospectus exam or defenseDr. Ángel Garcia is an assistant professor at James Madison University. His dissertation research focused on exploring how reliable is culturally-framed geological knowledge about karst, and his work now focuses on multiple… 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. Joseph L. Graves, Jr.
Challenge Type: Navigating social dynamics in graduate schoolDr. Joseph L. Graves, Jr. is the MacKenzie Scott Endowed Professor of Biology at North Carolina A&T State University. He also serves as the Director for the Genomic Research and Data Science Center for Computation and Cloud-Computing (GRADS-4C, the NIH), the Associate Director for Precision… 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
Dr. Gwen Iacona
Challenge Type: Qualifying/Comprehensive/Prospectus exam or defenseDr. Gwen Iacona is an Assistant Research Professor at Arizona State University, where she serves as the Assistant Director for the Center for Biodiversity Outcomes. She also serves on the advisory board for the National Parks Service, where she promotes data-driven ecological decision-making.… Read more
Dr. Simona Kraberger
Challenge Type: Presentation; Public speakingDr. Simona Kraberger is currently an assistant research scientist at Arizona State University. Her dissertation research focused on the global dynamics of mastreviruses which are a group of agriculturally important plant infecting viruses. Now, her work focuses on evolution and ecology of… Read more
Dr. Ramesh Laungani
Challenge Type: FieldworkDr. Ramesh Laungani is an Associate Professor at Marist University in the School of Science in the department of Environmental Science and Policy. His dissertation research focused on nitrogen and carbon cycling in grasslands. Now, his work with undergraduates primarily focuses on the ecological… Read more