Biggest Challenges Faced by a Graduate Student Researcher at USC
Daria's biggest challenge as a graduate student research assistant is troubleshooting experiments that "don't work," spending "months" on this process and working "long hours" to achieve results. The iterative nature of the work, while frustrating at times, is ultimately rewarding when experiments are successful.
Problem-Solving, Resilience, Overcoming Challenges, Experimentation, Research
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Daria Timonina
Graduate Student / Research Assistant
University of Southern California
University of Arizona / 2015
University of Southern California
Biology & Related Sciences
Healthcare, Medical & Wellness
Research and Development (R&D)
Honors Student, Immigrant, First Generation College Student
Video Highlights
1. Troubleshooting experiments can be time-consuming and frustrating, requiring persistence and problem-solving skills.
2. Experiments may not always work as planned, highlighting the importance of adapting to setbacks and learning from failures.
3. Long hours are sometimes necessary to complete complex experiments, emphasizing the need for dedication and time management skills.
Transcript
What is your biggest challenge in your current role?
The biggest challenge? Well, sometimes experiments can be really frustrating. When they don't work, it's hard to figure out why because there are many different steps.
This means there are many opportunities for things to go wrong. I might spend months troubleshooting, which can be very frustrating, doing the same thing over and over again.
It's like banging your head against a wall, but when it does work, it's beautiful. Sometimes there are long hours to try and get an experiment done because some are very long and difficult.
However, they do get easier as you do them more.
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