Let's Talk Research Life

Anne Purnima Gamage and Yifan Ding

Welcome to Let’s Talk Research Life podcast! Research life can be exciting; research life can be stressful. We are two early career researchers wanting to share, to discover, to grow, and to find out what research life really is. Whether you are a graduate student, R&D specialist, established scientist, scientist in the making, or essentially a curious soul, here is the place for you to relax and reflect.

  1. Jun 1

    Role Models in Research Life

    We made it to the first anniversary and season finale of LTRL!!!Tremendous thanks to everyone across the globe who tuned in and supported us through this incredible first year of the podcast! Having you as our cloud companions has been the ultimate reward! In our Season 1 finale, we dove deep into something that shapes every academic journey: Role Models. We broke down what we look for in academic figures, we discussed from the concept of the flawed "anti-role model" to the danger of piecing together an impossibly perfect "ensemble identity", and we shared how we live with our role models and why we think the role models must be viewed with a dynamic, developmental mindset. We combined with two listeners’ favorite episodes and shared our experience with our role models on academic writing and balancing research and personal life. Have a listen and celebrate the conclusion of our first season with us!     Music: "Cipher" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/   “True Appeal” generated byMubert.com https://mubert.com/render

    1h 28m

  2. May 3

    Living with Uncertainty: Early Career Research Life

    People say to you that the only certainty is uncertainty, but what do you do when your research life feels like one giant question mark? In this episode, Anne and Yifan normalize the feeling of "possibility without clarity," exploring how uncertainty evolves from a daunting hurdle into an enticing part of the research life. We ruminate on the emotional weight of living in the "in-between," from the anxiety of career next-steps, to the unique intricacies of being an international researcher residing many time zones away from home. We don’t know all the answers yet, but we loved sharing our personal practices to help us live with uncertainty in harmony, and we’d love to hear how you deal with it. Have a listen and see if it helps you navigate your own "grind" toward stability! Music: "Cipher" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ “True Appeal” Mubert (mubert.com)

    59 min

  3. Apr 4

    Brain-rot and Technology

    Did you pick up your phone to look up something important but somehow started listening to our awesome podcast again? In this episode, Anne and Yifan dive into "brain-rot" and how the technology we use every day might be harming our minds. We reflect on how technology acts as both a trigger for "brain-rot" and a vital tool that has expanded access for early career researchers. From navigating the tension between digital overload and opportunity to sharing the rituals that help us reclaim focus, we explore the messy middle of our tech-saturated research lives.   Have a listen and let’s give our brains more love!    Bibliography:  Dell'Acqua, Fabrizio and Ayoubi, Charles and Lifshitz-Assaf, Hila and Sadun, Raffaella and Mollick, Ethan R. and Mollick, Lilach and Han, Yi and Goldman, Jeff and Nair, Hari and Taub, Stew and Lakhani, Karim R., The Cybernetic Teammate: A Field Experiment on Generative AI Reshaping Teamwork and Expertise (March 28, 2025). Harvard Business School Working Paper 25-043, Available at SSRN: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=5188231    Music:   "Cipher"  Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)  Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0  http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/   “True Appeal”   Mubert (mubert.com)

    1 hr

  4. Mar 2

    Research life and personal relationships

    Is your research jealous of the attention you give to other relationships? In this episode, Anne and Yifan dive into the rewarding, but sometimes exhausting reality of balancing research with the people who make us who we are. We explore the unique hurdles of maintaining family ties across time zones, the "two-world" feeling of living as a first-generation researcher abroad, and how our personalities dictate how we handle these pressures. From navigating the guilt of missing milestones back home to the evolution of friendships and partnerships in an academic environment, we share our hardest moments and the strategies we use to stay connected amidst looming deadlines.   Have a listen and let us know what is the first word that comes to mind describing the balance you strike?      Music:   "Cipher" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ “True Appeal”   Mubert (mubert.com)

    1h 6m

  5. Feb 1

    Imposter syndrome

    Feeling like an imposter? As we endeavor through our research lives every day, it’s not always smooth sailing without doubting ourselves. In this episode, Anne and Yifan dissected their experiences on imposter syndrome in their early careers. We shared what makes these imposter feelings pop up and how we normally respond to them. We sought out some solutions to prepare ourselves better, nipping the self-doubt in the bud and regaining confidence.   Have a listen and share what tools you have in your shed!    Bibliography:  Granfield, R., 1991. Making it by faking it: Working-class students in an elite academic environment. Journal of Contemporary Ethnography, 20(3), pp.331-351. https://doi.org/10.1177/089124191020003005   Mulholland, K., Nichol, D. and Gillespie, A., 2023. ‘It feels like you’re going back to the beginning…’: addressing imposter feelings in early career academics through the creation of communities of practice. Journal of Further and Higher Education, 47(1), pp.89-104. https://doi.org/10.1080/0309877X.2022.2095896   Read, B. and Leathwood, C., 2018. Tomorrow’sa mystery: Constructions of the future and ‘un/becoming’amongst ‘early’and ‘late’career academics. International Studies in Sociology of Education, 27(4), pp.333-351. https://doi.org/10.1080/09620214.2018.1453307   Music:   "Cipher" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ “True Appeal”   Mubert (mubert.com)

    49 min

  6. Jan 1

    Working through holidays: how did cultural switch impact our research lives?

    Life abroad comes with new perspectives: opportunities, challenges, excitement, disheartenment, you name it. In this episode, Anne and Yifan reflected on how it feels during holiday season while away from home and whether cultural shock has ever stricken. We shared how our identities have been impacted and how our research lives are shaped by new perspectives. We appreciate you starting your 2026 with us and we wish you a curious and balanced New Year!  Have a listen and we'll take a cup of kindness yet, for auld lang syne.    Bibliography:  Frank, K. and Hou, F., 2019. Source-country individualism, cultural shock, and depression among immigrants. International Journal of Public Health, 64(4), pp.479-486. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00038-019-01218-z  Winkelman, M., 1994. Cultural shock and adaptation. Journal of Counseling & Development, 73(2), pp.121-126. https://doi.org/10.1002/j.1556-6676.1994.tb01723.x   Jurásek, M. and Wawrosz, P., 2023. What makes people abroad satisfied? The role of cultural intelligence, cultural identity, and culture shock. Social Sciences, 12(3), p.126. https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci12030126   Presbitero, A., 2016. Culture shock and reverse culture shock: The moderating role of cultural intelligence in international students’ adaptation. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 53, pp.28-38. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijintrel.2016.05.004       Music:   "Cipher" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ “True Appeal”   Mubert (mubert.com)

    1h 7m

  7. 12/07/2025

    What keeps us going?

    Got no motivation? No worries, we got you! In this episode, Anne and Yifan talked about how to keep ourselves motivated and what things, or people, can help us get there. We recognized how important reconnecting with why we started the journey and dug deeper to find motivation and joy from daily research life. Also, we would love to hear from you whether you should give it 100% or 80%!   Have a listen and wish everybody eats demotivation for breakfast!     Music:   "Cipher" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ “True Appeal”   Mubert (mubert.com)

    56 min

  8. 11/02/2025

    What if – you had unlimited funding?

    Ka-ching! In this inaugural episode of “What if -” thought experiment series, Anne and Yifan became researchers with the deepest pockets. We explored what do we do with all the money in the world, what research projects we would fund, and what unlimited funding means for us after all. We hope this thought experiment will bring you some joy as it for us!   Have a listen and let us know if you approve of Yifan’s chimney idea!       Music:   "Cipher" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ “True Appeal”   Mubert (mubert.com)

    53 min
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About

Welcome to Let’s Talk Research Life podcast! Research life can be exciting; research life can be stressful. We are two early career researchers wanting to share, to discover, to grow, and to find out what research life really is. Whether you are a graduate student, R&D specialist, established scientist, scientist in the making, or essentially a curious soul, here is the place for you to relax and reflect.

Information

  • Creator
    Anne Purnima Gamage and Yifan Ding
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    17
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Anne Purnima Gamage and Yifan Ding
  • Show Website
    Let's Talk Research Life