Martina Bodner
BIO
Food chemist, science teacher, mother to a daughter.
Instagram: @scicommforeveryone
Twitter: @martinabodner
Martina Bodner
“Society is not on our side (yet), but we can help and support each other on any decision we make with our own body, career and life.”
I have always been passionate about science and research. After a BSc and a MSc in Biotechnology, I work as a research assistant at a University first and later as a lab technician in industry. At some point I became a science teacher in a High School. My students’ passion inspired me to pursue a PhD in food chemistry.
During this period I divorced, found a new love, faced the leukemia diagnosis of my mom and her death when I was 5 months pregnant. During the 2020 lockdown I wrote and submitted my PhD thesis, which I defended in the middle of a pandemic with a 1-year-old daughter.
Being a mother made me a better scholar. I became more focused, more goal-oriented, I managed my time better (I wrote my thesis while my daughter was asleep), and I reduced my procrastination time.
But from a personal point of view, the PhD taught me so much. I learned that I am enough, that I deserve to aim high, that I don’t have to listen to the little voice in my head and fight my imposter syndrome every day. I learned that I can be a mother, that I can be an example for my daughter, that I am resilient, strong, and I know when to ask for help (a big thank you to my therapist!). I have learned that I have a lot of people who love me and support me, no matter how strange I am.
Society is not on our side (yet), but we can help and support each other on any decision we make with our own body, career and life.