GoKawiilGeopolitical unrest, rising costs of living, research funding cuts and a widespread sense of decreasing trust in science have put early-career scientists everywhere on edge. World events have added to the uncertain job security of up-and-coming researchers and graduate students, many of whom face defining choices that will shape their career trajectories. Among them are Generation Z scholars: those born after 1997 who are now in their 20s and in the scientific workplace.
Nature’s Careers team asked four Gen Z researchers why they joined the scientific ranks and what motivates them to stay. Here, they describe the lessons they have learnt and the strategies they use to stay positive and move forwards in the face of hard circumstances and anxiety-inducing current affairs worldwide.
TATIANA UAMAN SVETIKOVA: Seek a good research environment
Postdoctoral researcher at the Institute of Ion Beam Physics and Materials Research at the Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf in Dresden, Germany.
Physicist Tatiana Uaman Svetikova reminds other Gen Z researchers that “passion is not an endless resource, so we have to protect it”.Credit: Oliver Killig/HZDR
I am involved in two physics research projects. The first focuses on non-linear terahertz effects in quantum materials. In simple terms, I study what happens when materials that have unusual quantum properties are exposed to intense, ultrafast far-infrared pulses of light. This work can contribute to ultrafast electronic devices, terahertz emitters and detectors and technologies in future wireless communication systems, including 6G. The second project, DiaQNOS, uses magnetic detection for medical purposes, such as monitoring brain activity during surgery. My speciality is condensed-matter physics, but I joined DiaQNOS to use my programming skills and to help with data processing.
I definitely want to stay in academia and research: there’s pleasure in studying something at the edge of what is known and in thinking that your work can help to move that boundary, even if just a little. But during my bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Moscow, I thought I would not be able to pursue an academic career because it was extremely difficult to treat science as a full-time profession while earning enough to cover basic living expenses, particularly rent and food in such an expensive city. I came to Dresden in Germany to pursue my doctoral degree, because it was a way to stay in science.
Are these the happiest PhD students in the world?
In Germany, postdocs earn roughly the average German salary, which covers rent and living expenses. Geopolitics is affecting funding and support for science here, too: global armed conflicts, the energy crisis, climate change, inflation and concerns about food and economic security all place pressure on public budgets. When governments have to address urgent and immediate needs, long-term investment in research can become more difficult to prioritize — we have already felt the effect of these cuts in the past few years. Even so, I’m happy that Germany has social security, such as unemployment benefits covering up to 67% of a previous salary for up to a year — which allows you to find another job or pivot to another field. I would leave academia only if I had no other choice. I love the intellectual independence of science, and I love feeling that I’m doing something that can be useful to the world.
It is not easy to stay motivated in the face of the current global scenario. But there are some rules of thumb I follow to keep going. One is to take your motivation seriously and protect it: passion is not an endless resource, so we have to protect it by making career choices that support it.
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