Burcin Ikiz
BIO
Neuroscientist and independent scientific consultant. Mother to Meru (3) and Nila (1).
Instagram: @burcinikiz
Twitter: @burcin_ikiz
Burcin Ikiz
“They inspire me to strive to be the best person I can.”
Did you know that an alpine swift can fly without stopping for up to six months? Or that giraffes sleep standing up? Or that octopi have three hearts?
You may think that being a biologist with a PhD I would have already known these facts. But, in reality, these are just a few things my children have taught me over the last couple of years. They also taught me about unconditional love, endless curiosity, willingness to try and learn new things, keeping an open mind, resilience and not giving up after a failure. They are my teachers, my guiding lights, and the main reason why I get up in the morning both literally and figuratively. They inspire me to strive to be the best person I can. Their mere existence has encouraged me to try alternative career paths in science, which led me to arenas I never knew existed. I hope that by sharing my science journey below, I will be able to do the same for other parents in science.
I was born and raised in Istanbul, Turkey. I came to the US when I was 18 years old to go to college. My parents, being engineers themselves, wanted me to become one as well. Since I was mostly interested in biology, I studied a combination of both, a major called Biomedical Computation. I learned about a range of topics including biology, programming and statistics. I also got introduced to the world of biomedical research. One day during my freshman year, I attended a lecture explaining how nerve cells can activate different pain pathways in our brains and it blew my mind. I knew then and there that Neuroscience was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. I went to grad school for Neurobiology right after college. Later in my career, I realised that having only experienced academic research limited my view of what else might be out there as a career option.
If I could go back and give advice to my younger self, it would be to broaden my perspective and explore new avenues. To take advantage of classes, training programs, and internships that are outside of my immediate topic of interest.
After grad school, I started my postdoctoral training in a pharmaceutical company. This felt like a great opportunity, because I was able to initiate a new research program and learn about how research is done in an industry setting. Towards the end of my training, however, I got pregnant and that changed everything for me. I realised that, as a new mom, I did not want to pursue a career in research for several reasons. One was my three hour long commute everyday. Another was the many hours I spent in the lab, including most weekends. Others included the short maternity leave and not having my parents around to help with my baby.
Right around then, a biotech startup reached out to me about my research. They were a bioinformatics company looking for someone who could help them with preclinical development and experimental strategy. The role contained all the elements I was looking for - an opportunity to leverage my expertise, lead projects, gain new skills, and work remotely with flexible hours. So, I accepted the offer. Within the span of a couple of years, several other companies and organisations contacted me with similar opportunities and I made the transition to become an independent scientific consultant. I had my second child during that transition.
Being self-employed is not for everybody, but I love the freedom and flexibility it provides me. It allows me to strike a work-life balance I desire with two young children at home.
It also pushes me out of my comfort zone to learn more, to reach out more and to put myself out “in the arena”. I would have never had the courage to make such a jump in my career if it wasn’t for my children.
Dear mamas (and papas) in science, no matter what kind of scientific career you choose, you are doing a great job. Not only are you making your child(ren) proud, you are also lighting the path for others behind you. Thank you for your hard work.