Globetrotting Academia

The transition from academia to industry has been well documented on Scholarcy’s blog. The motivations and challenges associated with making the jump are very personal, and emerge from a variety of different reasons.

So what reasons are there for someone to remain within Academia? What are the motivations for someone to complete a PhD, and then remain in the academic work environment?

Oliver from Scholarcy was fortunate enough to interview Dr Özge Saraçbaşı about her trip across the world to begin her PhD, and to then start her PostDoc position.

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So let’s hear a bit about Ozge! Özge was born and raised in Bursa, a city in northwestern Turkiye, which is popular with historical places and delicious foods.

After graduating from Kocaeli University, with a degree in Mechatronics Engineering, Özge began working in the engineering industry, but dreamed of bigger things.

This led her to apply to Kings College, London, to study for a Master’s degree in Robotics. She then moved to Reading to tackle her PhD in Biomedical Engineering. Özge researched cooperative motor learning and EEG hyperscanning, which involved some fantastic experiments, and a series of published journal articles.

Since graduating with her PhD, Özge moved again to Japan, to work as a post-doctoral researcher at Osaka, Japan, at the center for information and neural networks.

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What was your motivation to pursue a PhD?

There is a lovely phrase, "Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life." First, I love teaching, in particular Maths subjects. When I was in high school, I would always help my friends to study for their Maths exams. In my university years, I taught some local high school students, which was fun and never felt like a chore.

Second, I love reading, studying, doing research, and analysis. For instance, I love starting a day with an interesting paper, not necessarily even related to my research area. So, my motivation to be an academic was both both to teach and to learn. Doing a PhD was a step to becoming an academic.

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Did it feel like the right choice?

Not every day was perfect in my PhD life. For instance, sometimes the experimental system didn’t work as I expected, or I couldn’t get the expected results, but I tried my best all the time. That’s to say I didn’t give up. I owe a big debt of gratitude to my family. They always supported and encouraged me. Without their love, I have nothing in my life.

I also think that having the right supervisor is a really important aspect of a PhD, and I was lucky to have a lovely supervisor who always supported me. I’m now doing a postdoc and love research.

Did you face any unexpected challenges during your PhD journey? If so, how did you overcome them?

The first and most significant one was the closure of the university and the labs due to COVID-19. Collecting data from behavioural experiments played a key role in my PhD research and I had to wait a long time to restart this work because the labs were closed during Covid. 

So, I went back to Turkiye, and my family supported me. They set up a new workplace for me at home which was similar to the one at university. So, I was still studying, just in more comfortable conditions. I was also quite anxious and nervous during this period, and my family tried to make me calm. My supervisor was also very supportive during this period and I was able to continue doing analysis and writing a paper under his guidance.

Another challenge was related to the system setup. Sometimes I faced system errors during the experiments, and the participants asked me about these problems. In the beginning, this made me anxious, but with time and persevenerence I was able to solve the problem. My friends and lab mates also helped me when I couldn’t find a solution myself. Over time, I became more confident with problem-solving, and my knowledge of the experimental setup grew, which improved my confidence.

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Did you ever face burnout during graduate school? If so, what did you do to combat it?

I don’t think it’s possible to graduate from a  PhD without burnout! Since I couldn’t conduct the behavioural experiments during, I got a 2-year extension, so I completed my  PhD in 5 years. When I was approaching the end of my 3rd year, the expected graduation date, everyone started to ask me the same question: "This person, who started their PhD at the same time as you, is so close to completing it. When are you planning on finishing yours?'.

It felt like so much pressure and a very personal thing to ask me. I don’t think you should ask those questions of anyone doing a PhD. 

Each person's major is different, and each person is unique and has different qualifications, so to try to make comparisons is wrong.

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I went to the lengths of writing my thesis at home, in my hometown, so that I didn’t have to be surrounded by people talking about the PhD. However, the questions continued in calls and messages. For instance, when I shared anything on Instagram, everyone asked me the same question: “What about your PhD?” It became so repetitive that I stopped going on Instagram and didn’t look at messages until I’d submitted my thesis.

On a positive note, my closest friends and my lovely family always supported me. I am lucky to have them!

After completing your PhD, you not only decided to stay in academia but also made the move to Japan. What motivated you to continue on the academic journey, and what was it like moving to Japan?

I have always dreamt of being an academic, and of conducting research into human health to help people. A dream I have is to design robotic devices for use in rehabilitation - this was a big motivation for my PhD project.

I should say that the decision to become an academic wasn’t an easy one, and there are days when being an academic isn’t easy either. A lot of people ask me what my job is, and most people don’t think that doing a PhD or being an academic is a real job! They think that since I couldn’t find a ‘real job', I chose to do a PhD and just stayed in academia. I always remind myself:  "This is both my dream and my job. I am following my dream."

From starting my PhD, I’d always dreamt of visiting Japan, famous for Robotics. My first step was to attend Japanese language classes run by the University of Reading, which I really enjoyed. My family, especially my father, always encouraged me and my sister to visit Japan to see the technological advancements. 

Last year I had a chance to present my research at a conference in Japan. I got to speak to a lot of people from all over the world, including many well-known academics from Japan. I’m now doing a postdoc in Japan, so I am following my dream!

Being in Japan is awesome, the people are so kind and helpful. The taste of sushi is amazing. It has been an incredible, and fulfilling experience so far. On the other hand, because there’s a 6-hour time difference between Japan and my hometown I sometimes feel lonely and homesick. My parents try their best to adjust their day to my timezone so that I don’t feel so alone, but it has been a big change.

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Between studying in the UK, and now working in Japan, you have spent a long time away from home. What do you do to make sure you stay connected with your family?

Being away from my family was the most difficult challenge for me, not doing a Master's, PhD or postdoc! I missed being with them a lot, especially on special days and holidays. I still continue to miss them, but I know that they are always with me, they are just a phone call away. I speak with my family almost every day despite the time difference between Turkiye and Japan. My parents and sister send messages to say "Good Morning" or "Have a nice day" almost every day, which makes me cheerful and reminds me that I have an amazing support system. 

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I am lucky to have a lovely sister and auntie. They always visit me, wherever I am in the world. My auntie would always bring traditional Turkish food to the UK whenever she visited me, it was always a lovely reminder of my family and home. 

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What advice would you give to other international students heading to the UK to pursue a degree, or even a job?

When moving to another country such as the UK, especially in the first months, there are a lot of new things to do and try, even if you’d visited before as a tourist.

There are a lot of things that you need to understand and adjust to, whether it’s the education system or working styles, each country has its own systems and styles to get your head around. It can be quite a period of adjustment, as there are legal requirements, cultural differences, and potentially different weather to get used to!

On the other hand, I think being in a different country is amazing. You can learn new languages and explore new places. You can meet new people who could even be your best friends in the future. So what I’d say is, despite thechallenges, try to 'enjoy the moment'.

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Can you tell me about some of the unexpected challenges you experienced moving to the UK? Was anything surprising or strange to you? What do you think of the Brit's obsession with beans on toast?

I can say that almost every day was full of surprises for me in the UK! 

It was rainy or cloudy almost every day in the UK, and much colder than Turkiye in all seasons, especially in summer. I knew what the weather conditions would be like before coming to the UK, but I didn’t expect so much rain! Also, when people see the sun in the UK, they sunbathe at the parks, even in the winter. The other strange thing is probably the English breakfast. When compared with Turkish breakfast, I could not say this is a breakfast for me, especially beans. Also, I need to note that the beans are sweet, not salty. I have never eaten 'sweet' beans in the breakfast before coming to the UK.

Please can you tell me something that you are proud of?

I am proud of having such a lovely family. I could not be in this position without their encouragement and support. It is hard to find something to say about myself, but I can say that I am proud of being a postdoc and being a lot more self-confident.

Despite all the difficulties I faced, I am proud of myself, and how I now live in a foreign country alone, managing my life.

Another thing I am proud of, is to have been able to learn English and Japanese. Being able to meet new people, and talk their language has given me the opportunity to learn so many new things, and have so many experiences.

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