Garima Shrivastava

I can never say it enough that everything that I have achieved so far - I'm in my mid thirties, but I have really done much better than other people - is just because my father is such a visionary. He always believed in me. In India, it's not very common, and there are people with different kinds of cultural and societal mindsets, but my father was very progressive. He always encouraged me. I was young when I started my PhD, traveling to Japan. I had a scholarship, but it was his encouragement that made it possible. My mom was not that supportive, to be honest. So I attribute everything that I have - even the resilience, the confidence - to my father. I'm a single parent myself, raising a child here alone without family. I think all the braveness and everything comes from his blessings and his undying faith that my daughter is doing good and she will do good.

My mentor, who is in his seventies and has seen a lot, always says to explore what your real passion is. Don't just follow traditionalism, because we have lived in a time when things were not like they are right now. If you want to explore things with the help of AI, or you want to transition into industry and just completely change your path of research, that is also okay. I would say that I received bad advice early on that you should plan everything and work on the same path that is predefined. But with my experience, what I think is that it's not necessary. Sometimes few people find their niche very late in life. The best advice I would give someone is to explore everything as early as possible, fail early, and do what you feel like doing - what makes you happy doing it. It shouldn't feel like work. So it's okay if you don't find a traditional path attractive, and just march on.

If I have to be honest, I would say that the biggest challenge is visa and immigration issues. Because of that, there are multiple gaps. You cannot go beyond a certain level. And also, because I'm an immigrant, I sometimes face lack of connectivity, social connectivity, because when you are working a lot, it's really difficult to make connections if you're not going out and meeting people permanently. The opportunities, I think, are endless, because those who are really interested in making a difference in other people's lives and really want to do something with research - research that really makes an impact and translates into developing work for the human being or patient - I think the opportunities are endless. You can go in academia, you can go in medical affairs, you can go in non-profits, you can go in industry. There is a lot to be done.

I think it's my personality that leaks out in both. I don't think I am a different person when I'm working and I'm different at home. I really appreciate resilience. I appreciate people who want to learn new things, adaptability, and also honesty. For me, integrity is very important. These are the factors I appreciate - people who are blunt, but they are honest.