Lisa Nivison-Smith
BIO
Postdoctoral researcher in vision science. Mom of 2.
Twitter: @LNivisonSmith
Lisa Nivison-Smith
“I learned to focus, to say no, to delegate and to ask for help.”
I was inspired to pursue a career in science by my grandmother. She was a scientist and one of the first women to study physics and chemistry at the University of Sydney. I followed in her footsteps, studying at the same university and graduating with a Bachelor of Science and a PhD in tissue engineering.
I decided to change to the field of vision science for my postdoc. It was a good move - I love the retina. However I felt a lot of pressure to 'catch-up' to those who did PhDs in the field.
5 years after my PhD, I fell pregnant with my first child. I was nervous as I had yet to secure independent funding. My institution provided me with 9 months paid maternity leave and I discovered a new passion: motherhood.
Returning to work was HARD. I was time poor and sleep deprived. I would leave early so I could see my daughter before bed then work nights to catch up. I learned a lot of lessons - to focus, to say no, to delegate and to ask for help. I did more work than ever in fewer hours but still felt I was falling behind.
A year and half later I went on maternity leave for my second child. Two days before he was born I was awarded a competitive 5 year national fellowship, and my university offered me a prestigious position. I cried - I wasn't falling behind after all.
I returned from my second maternity leave during COVID-19. My partner's job cannot be done from home so I was trying to restart my research and navigate virtual academia whilst caring for my kids solo. I was fortunate to have access to carers leave and reduced to part-time hours.
Now COVID-19 is easing, my kids have returned to daycare. A win for working from home is I have time to have breakfast with my kids before daycare. These little moments are important for me. I love my job but my kids are growing up fast, I don't want to miss it.