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EURAXESS
NEWS6 Jan 2020Meet the researchers

Interview with Viraj Torsekar, Postdoc Fellow Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and Science Slam Finalist 2018

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Viraj was one of the 5 finalists of the 2018 EURAXESS India Science Slam. He is currently living in Israel, where he is doing his postdoc studies at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. In the interview Viraj shares with us interesting insights about his experience as a young researcher in Israel, and how EURAXESS India has helped him on his carreer path. 

Short Bio:

I did my undergraduate degree in St. Xavier’s college, Mumbai. In my first year, I was still waiting to hear back from the medical entrance exam, but over time I started enjoying learning science. I got interested in research during my MSc in Sophia college, Mumbai. For my PhD I was guided by Prof. Rohini Balakrishnan in the Centre for Ecological Sciences in the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore. Since the completion of my PhD degree, I have been a postdoctoral fellow at the Risk-Management Ecology Lab in The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel.

You are currently doing your post-doc studies at the Hebrew University in Israel. How did you get to know about the Post-doc Fellowship and what motivated you to apply?

Yes, I am a postdoctoral fellow in the Risk Management Ecology lab at the Ecology, Evolution and Behavior department in the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. I met Dror Hawlena (the principal investigator of the lab) at a conference, the Gordon Research Conference on Predator-Prey Interactions, in 2018. This was approximately a year before I finished my PhD. It was an unplanned meeting mediated by a common collaborator, Maria Thaker, who was also on my thesis committee. Dror is a big contributor in the field of predator-prey interactions and a remarkable mentor. Spending time with him at the conference helped me know him as a person and convinced me about wanting to work in his lab. Lucky for me he liked me and my work too. We stayed in contact and later I joined his lab as a postdoctoral fellow. We further applied for a few grants in order to continue my position.

What are the benefits of conducting your post-doc in Israel?

One obvious benefit is that Israel has a rich history in the subject of ecology. Even in the field of predator-prey interactions, conceptually novel and impactful ideas were proposed and tested in Israeli universities. Consequently, there’s a lot to learn in terms of ecological theory from many researchers here.

The postdoc culture here is truly international. My colleagues from USA, Europe and Australia bring their unique research culture to the table which allows us all to learn from each other. This insight will help me revisit some of my convictions and hopefully make me a better researcher and mentor.

Israel has robust research connections with Europe and USA and a strong collaborative culture which are important for an early career researcher.

From your experiences, how does the research environment in Israel differ from that in India?

The research culture between the two countries differs the most when it comes to academic hierarchy. Although the department in which I did my PhD, the Centre for Ecological Sciences was immune to it, hierarchy in Indian science can be a hindrance to open discussion of ideas. In most labs in Israeli universities that I have engaged with, students are upfront about their academic objections and are allowed space to make mistakes with minimal consequences.

The Indian research environment will benefit immensely from developing a postdoc culture. Beyond the obvious productivity-related advantages of having postdoctoral fellows in labs, they can bring in different skill sets and perspectives to discussions in the lab. Importantly, graduate students can also discuss with postdocs their prior professional experiences and make informed decisions about their future in research.

Interestingly, I find the conversation on retaining women in STEM and mental health awareness to be fairly progressive in India, when compared to Israel. Students in some Indian institutes are at the forefront in discussing these problems and are demanding change in attitudes and policies. More importantly, there is a push to take institutional steps to address and mitigate these issues.

I have been fortunate to have worked with many undergraduate students during my PhD and postdoc. Undergraduate students in both countries are well-informed and diligent. One difference I feel is that students here are not expected to pursue a career in research just because they are participating in research during their undergraduate, which can be liberating both for the undergraduate student and the lab member guiding them.

What motivates you as a researcher?

That’s a tricky one. I guess different reasons have motivated me at different stages of my academic journey. When I gradually got into research, it was the pursuit of stimulating discussions with colleagues and finding something exciting that interested me. With time, I have gotten a better idea of how punctuated gratification in research really is, especially with rejection rates, including publications and funds, being so high. Consequently, I have started finding motivation in more day-to-day activities and in the academic success of others.

What motivated you for contesting in the EURAXESS Science Slam?

I am an ardent supporter of communicating science in ways that makes it understandable and entertaining without over-simplifying the message. Science comedy, for example, is a genre that I’m fond of and feel is vastly unexplored. Science slam by EURAXESS provided the perfect platform to experiment with some of these ideas. Since I had made a few simple science-related movies during my MSc, it was easier to make a video and send it in as an entry.

How did the Science Slam help you as a young researcher?

The slam helped me think about science communication in ways that I would not have otherwise. For instance, I realized firsthand the delicate balancing act between taking artistic liberties to convey the scientific message on one hand and staying true to the idea on the other.

I consciously chose to tell a research story that I had worked on during my PhD, instead of explaining a broad concept in my field. Not only did I enjoy the challenge of communicating a specific research question, but I felt I owed to my scientific discipline, ecology, to explain something that a non-academic audience member might not find on Wikipedia. Ecology, ever so important in today’s changing world, gets easily misunderstood as a science discipline without unifying concepts or predictive power. I subscribe to the idea that unless you choose to explain how complex ideas in ecology are disentangled using elegant experiments and/or analysis, it might continue to be summarised as only natural history. Since the slam did not straitjacket us on style, format or content, it made exploring these ideas possible. Also, since I participated in the slam towards the end of my PhD, I had more complete stories to tell and making this choice easier.

Additionally, I realized the similarities between scientific talks and slams. For example, how the audience determines the content of your talk/slam.

How do you think EURAXESS India can further promote research collaborations between India and Europe?

Depending on availability of funds, I feel encouraging more participation in conferences by offering multiple small travel awards (instead of few large awards), especially for early-career researchers would be a good idea. I feel fostering more research conversations between scientists is a great start to understanding what the other side can offer.

Could you kindly share some tip to other Indian researchers who are considering to do a post-doc study or research in Europe or Israel.

Europe and Israel have quite a few grants to pursue postdoctoral research. They are very prestigious and consequently very competitive. It is best to find the researcher with whom you would like to work with and contact them well in advance before you aim to finish your PhD. This gives both of you time to plan which grant to apply for, or whether the researcher already has funds to support you. Many universities in Israel also have university-specific grants that supplement your salary.

It is generally a good idea to experience a different research culture while doing your postdoctoral work. I have enjoyed my time in Israel both academically and socially. Anyone considering a postdoc in Israel can contact me to get a better idea of research life in this country.

 

Thank You Viraj!

 

Interview Postdoc Israel Science Slam