Adriana L. Romero-Olivares
BIO
Assistant professor of fungal ecology at New Mexico State University (USA). Mother of two boys.
Twitter: @fungi_lover
Instagram: @fungal_adri
“I feel fortunate to have been surrounded by exceptional examples of mothers in science over the years.”
At 40 years old, I find myself in a role I never envisioned: an assistant professor in fungal ecology, married to my college sweetheart, and mother of two boys, ages 2.5 years and 3 months.
Growing up, I wasn't particularly drawn to motherhood, but I was never opposed to it either. As a graduate student and postdoc, my focus was on work and finances, doing experiments, traveling for field work, and living on a tight budget.
I started my tenure-track position at New Mexico State University in August 2020, amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. The university was under strict restrictions, complicating the typical startup timeline of a research lab. Instead of diving into research and hiring personnel, I found myself tasked with navigating COVID-related paperwork, trying my best to connect virtually with folks in my department and my university over Zoom, all while also trying to build a community in a new town. A few months into this, I had the biggest surprise of my life, I was pregnant with my first son.
Investigating the university’s maternity leave policies, I was disheartened to find they offered only 12 weeks of unpaid FMLA, which I couldn't afford. This is not something I asked during my interview because I did not envision having children then.
Another option was paid time off. But because at the time of giving birth I had only been working a little bit over a year, I had only accumulated 12 days off, which I decided to take anyways.
The months following the birth of my first son were very challenging: waitlisted at daycares, still isolated due to the pandemic, and trying to recover from pregnancy and childbirth while breastfeeding… I kept working because I had no other choice.
Fortunately, I was able to negotiate some accommodations informally with my department chair. I was able to continue to teach asynchronous online at a time when the university was pushing to return to in-person teaching. I am very lucky to have also had very supportive in-laws who were willing to sacrifice their lives and routines to come live with us for a few months each.
Motherhood has taught me to be very protective of my time. Balancing scientific focus with family life is a daily struggle, occasionally blending work and childcare responsibilities. Despite initial challenges and unsupportive university policies for parents, I've thrived in research and teaching, and above all, I have put the most important first, my family.
A year and a half later, I decided I wanted to have another child. This time around, despite the challenges, I knew what to expect. I also had a few things working on my side: I was awarded two federal grants to pay for teaching buyouts and I had established a lab full of amazing undergraduate and graduate students who helped me keep the research going.
I wrote my name down on daycares beginning very early in my pregnancy, to ensure that I would have childcare by the time I needed it. And my parents, once again, relocated temporarily to take care of me and my family.
I also relied on a very small, but supportive group of friends who helped me when I needed them most. Financially, as professors, my spouse and I still face hardships because of daycare expenses, but we're grateful for our flexible schedules, nearby family support, and understanding students and colleagues. Additionally, I strongly rely on an online community of women of color in my field (Women of Color in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology; WoCinEEB).
I am proud of my accomplishments as I prepare to submit my tenure package next year. I feel fortunate to have been surrounded by exceptional examples of mothers in science over the years. In my master’s program, four out of five professors were women, two of whom were also mothers.
My PhD and postdoc advisors were also women with children, all of them highly successful in their careers. Their achievements left an impression on me, showing me that balancing motherhood and a successful scientific career was possible; though not without challenge.