Read, Persevere and Make Friends!

Read, Persevere and Make Friends!

PRABHLEEN

Insights from my research journey

Hey aspiring researcher,

Here’s Prabhleen Kaur, someone who was in the same dilemma as you a few years ago. Equally confused about what to do and what not to. Am I made for research? What kind of superpowers does it require to be one? Are there truly any answers to the biology questions in my head?

Let me tell you my story if it helps you get a perspective about how a journey in research may go. Firstly, a disclaimer for you: Your journey will be shaped by your interests, personal experiences, motivation, determination, etc. What I mean is, it's not the same for all. I am here to just share my story.

This is me!

As a child, I really never understood why there seemed to be so many different kinds of animals while all humans (the so-called 'smartest' animal of all) seemed almost alike."

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For instance, there seemed to be so many different types of dogs, lizards, and birds. This and a number of other such questions made me always think I'd choose biology for my higher studies. This is what eventually brought me to Gargi College, DU, for doing a BSc Honors degree in Zoology. I loved learning how I could do my own experiment to understand what my blood group is, or that that something that looks like a thread that we extract from cheek cells is ‘DNA’, as it doesn’t look like anything that one sees in the textbooks; making me realise how instruments (such as an X-Ray crystallography set up or a powerful microscope) can show us what our eyes cannot.

But as a biology student, I also had to weather hard times when I had to do those ‘spottings’ where I had to identify which species a snake belongs to, or which one is venomous or not, which bird has a red mark on the ear, etc. It was difficult, but it was the same fascination for animal diversity that got me there, so, no regrets! And soon I realised that I was learning a lot more as well.

TEM image with intensity profile and corresponding FFT pitch calculation of λ-DNA fibers. Image Source: Nano Lett.

Eventually, in order to cater to my developing interest in understanding the biology of why and how organismal diversity developed as well as how we can use the basic molecules of life like DNA and RNA for therapeutic purposes, I joined as a PhD student at CSIR-IGIB under Dr. Souvik Maiti and Dr. Debojyoti Chakraborty.

I have a few things that I learned during the course of my research journey that I would want you to know of even before you begin: One is, If you really wish to become something of a life science detective to solve all the biological mysteries that fascinate you, read a lot. Try to read and understand if anyone has researched the topic that you are pursuing before; when you get stuck, try to search and find out if people have had similar kinds of doubts. Something that is often not talked about much is that you might be interested in doing biological sciences research but you may not actually have any questions of your own. Reading helps you with this too! Try to understand what is underexplored, ask yourself if you are interested in digging into a particular topic. I believe there is no alternative to reading.

It is also equally important to read from reliable sources. One can begin with reading up on their preferred scientific topics using research engines like PubMed and Google Scholar. Apps like Bluesky and Twitter also serve as useful platforms to keep up with recent research and people’s perspectives on the same. Very recently, people have also started using AI as a research companion for literature surveys and quick summaries for the topics of choice. TedTalks and YouTube videos also help understanding interesting topics in biology in a nutshell.

Besides reading, do not hesitate to talk to people and understand their perspective when you are in doubt or need guidance. A very vital support structure that you need to navigate research spaces is friendship along with motivation, hard work, and a healthy attitude towards failures. Talk to people, hear their perspectives, understand what fits best with you, and share your stories, ideas, etc. Research isn't all rosy; it requires a lot of hard work and commitment, but if you enjoy the process and persist with the journey, I am sure that you will not only be able to answer the question that you started experimenting with, but you will grow as a person as well.

Cater to your curiosity and a lot of learning will follow you along the path :)

All the very best for your future endeavours.

Wish you the very best,

Prabhleen

About Prabhleen

Prabhleen Kaur is a biology enthusiast currently pursuing her PhD in Dr. Sauvik Maiti's lab at CSIR-IGIB. Her focus largely covers the fields of CRISPR and RNA biology. In her free time, she loves to swim laps in the pool and try out new restaurants.