Plantae Presents: Dealing with Rejection and Finding Motivation During a Slow Patch in Your Research
Plantae Presents: Dealing with Rejection & Finding Motivation During a Slow Patch in Your Research
Featuring Daniel Oseiofosu and Pritha Kundu
When: Thursday, October 31, 2024, at
8:00 AM PDT | 11:00 AM EDT | 3:00 PM GMT | 11:00 PM Beijing
About this Webinar
Navigating the ups and downs of academic research can be challenging, especially when faced with setbacks, such as rejected papers, stalled progress, or a general slow patch in your work. This session will explore effective strategies to handle rejection constructively and maintain motivation during these tough periods.
Join us to learn how to reframe obstacles, leverage feedback for improvement, and stay resilient in pursuit of your research goals. This session will provide practical advice, mental health tips, and inspiring stories from researchers who have overcome similar hurdles, helping you reignite your passion and drive.
Hosted by the 2024 Plantae Fellows.
SPEAKERS
Pritha Kundu
Pritha Kundu completed her bachelors and masters in Botany with specialization in advanced cell biology from University of Calcutta, India in 2012 and 2014, respectively. Post graduation, she started her PhD at Indian Institute of Science Education and Research- Kolkata (IISER-Kol), India, specialized in molecular plant pathology where she focused on unraveling the role of defense phytohormones and its modulators in wheat fungal pathogenesis. Followed by PhD, she shifted from plant pathogens to insects and started delving deeper into understanding the role of Calcium nucleotide gated channels and their regulators upon pest attack in plants at National Institute of Plant Genome Research (NIPGR), New Delhi, India with Dr. Jyothilakshmi Vadassery in 2019. Currently, she is recruited as a postdoctoral research associate in the Entomology department at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL), USA, with Prof. Joe louis, working on understanding and delineating the mysteries of molecular plant-insect interaction, with specific interest in unraveling the regulators of the phenylpropanoid pathway. Life outside of work for her is mostly food and travel. Also, spending time with family is what she admires as her quality time.
You can connect her on: Google scholar | X (formerly Twitter) | LinkedIn.
Daniel Osei Ofosu
Dr. Daniel Osei Ofosu is a Research Scientist at the Biotechnology and Nuclear Agriculture Research Institute of the Ghana Atomic Energy Commission. He currently also doubles as the Ghana Country Coordinator of the Program for Biosafety Systems (PBS) which is managed by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
His major interest is in the development and sustenance of good agricultural systems. His primary research focuses on the use of innovative systems including irradiation in the postharvest handling of agricultural produce and also on biotechnology and biosafety. He is motivated by the fact that biotechnology and the production of genetically modified organisms hold a great deal of prospects for the poor rural farmers who are the main backbone of the economy in Ghana to increase their income, reduce dependence on pesticides, ensure efficient land use, increase the nutritional value of crops they grow and better prepare them to withstand the effects of climate change. Find him on X: @saprojnr.
MODERATORS
Asif Al
Asif was born and grew up in Punjab, Pakistan. Currently, he is working as a Young Talent Researcher in Prof. Xianjun Wu’s Lab at Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, China. His research focuses on biochemistry and molecular biology involved in the reproductive development of plants. X: @pbgasifkalas.
Dennis Baffour-Awuah
Dennis holds an MPhil in Nuclear Agriculture from the University of Ghana, where he specialized in Mutation Breeding and Plant Biotechnology. He is a passionate science communicator who enjoys promoting scientific innovations. He is also passionate about encouraging children’s interest in science. With years of experience in broadcast journalism, Dennis is also a skilled DJ, MC, and voice-over artist. He likes to refer to himself as the “Pop Scientist.” X: @dennisgameplay.
Tamar V. Av-Shalom
Tamar is a PhD candidate in the department of Cell and Systems Biology at the University of Toronto. Her research focuses on understanding the virulence factors required for plant pathogens to invade their hosts and how plants defend against these same factors. Outside the lab she enjoys cooking, good books, or playing with her cats! X: @TamarAvShalom.
Nibedita Priyadarshini
Nibedita is an algal biologist with a passion for turning the world into her personal petri dish! When she’s not busy peering through microscopes or waxing poetic about the wonders of plant research, you can find her charming everyone with her quirky sense of humor and an uncanny ability to make phytohormones sound like the coolest party in town. Nibedita is on a mission to spread the word about the fascinating world of plant biology, one pun at a time, and she’s not stopping until we all agree that the greens are the real powerhouse of the world! X: @nivi_pri.
