GoKawiilOrganic chemist Josh Smalley uses baking concepts to teach science and engineering to children.Credit: Josh Smalley
A career in science can require perseverance and determination, with long days in the laboratory or in the field. There is often little free time for a social life, let alone charity work.
But despite these pressures, many researchers seek out volunteering opportunities to develop friendships and find purpose in their local communities.
Some are influenced by family members, and many are motivated to serve and help people by their religious beliefs. Scientists who have moved to another country might work with diaspora communities to connect with their roots.
In some cases, researchers volunteer for a charity because they are conscious of the privilege that they have been born into, according to Lia Bote, a third-year PhD student at the Wellcome Sanger Institute in Hinxton, UK.
Bote says: “You soon realize that it is not about assuaging guilt, it is simply about being able to contribute with the specific skills you have. I just happen to be a researcher, and they need researchers. It is something that I have derived a lot of joy from, being part of a community.”
Here, Bote and five other researchers describe how and why they juggle charity work with their day jobs — and some of the unexpected returns on their time investment.
MARIA PIA COSMA: Personal growth opportunities
Tissue-regeneration researcher at the Centre for Genomic Regulation in Barcelona, Spain, and a volunteer at the charity Casa Solidaria.
I started volunteering with Casa Solidaria, a charity that provides food to homeless people in Barcelona, Spain, three years ago.
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