Women in STEM Seminar: Preserving emotional health in an academic career

This event will explore some of the challenges people face to their mental health and emotional wellbeing while working in academia, as well as support practices and tools to address this. Speakers will also share their thoughts on what needs to be done systematically in academia to build an environment in which people can be mentally and emotionally well. This event is the first of the Women in STEM seminar series organised by the student led Education ED&I committee, which is part of the Grantham ED&I committee.

Speakers

Yael Kisel

Climate Smart Analytics Lead at San José council, California.

Yael Kisel is a person with many interests trying to improve the wellbeing of human and non-human life on this planet. She is currently working for the Climate Smart program at the City of San José, California, doing data, policy, and program work to drive citywide climate action. This is the latest stop on a wandering career path that has so far included a PhD in evolutionary biology at Imperial College (Silwood Park), some years of unemployment, a postdoctoral research fellowship in Germany, a few years as a freelance artist and scientist, and a stint behind the scenes of NASA’s Space Biology program. Over the years, she’s had many struggles with anxiety, depression, perfectionism, and imposter syndrome, and she tries to normalize these issues by speaking openly about her experiences. You can find her drawings on instagram at @yaelsnail.

Ana Pineda

Founder of iFocus & Write

Ana Pineda, Ph.D., is a scientist, certified yoga instructor and founder of “I focus and write”, an all-in-one resource to help scientists write their papers, get things done, and have a productive, creative, and happy academic life. She is also an associate editor of the leading Journal of Ecology and a guest researcher on microbe-plant-insect interactions at the Ibero-American Center for Biodiversity at the University of Alicante, Spain.Her blog, free masterclasses, and online programs combine her passion for a new mindful approach to academic life with more than 15 years of research experience at top European Institutions, such as Wageningen University and the Netherlands Institute of Ecology. Ana’s work has been published in the journal Nature, and she has given talks for Oxford University and the British Ecological Society. Ana now lives on the tropical island of Borneo, where you can find her walking on the beach, doing yoga, or eating chicken satay with her husband and two children.

Vida Carmel (Chair)

Vida is a Behavioural Change Coach with over 8 years’ experience supporting people to think differently and positively change lives. She enables people to build connection and balance in order to create a sustainable future for themselves, others and the world. Vida does this as a speaker, trainer and coach focusing on self-care and belief change. Working in the public and private sector with organisations such as the NHS, O2 and Wavin, she has a unique insight to share.

About Women in STEM seminar series