Academia and Managing High Expectations with Dr. Hannah Prather | For The Love Of Ep. 12

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Most people see lichens as the weird stuff that grows on rock. But did you know their more glamorous role as “innovations arising from collaboration”?!

Dr. Hannah Prather (she/her) is a NSF Postdoctoral Research Fellow and Visiting Assistant Professor of Biology at Reed College in Portland, OR. Her research has focused on the intricate relationship among lichens, bryophytes, host trees, and the surrounding ecosystem, with work taking place around the globe– even Antarctica, where she co-led a project examining warming effects on polar bryophyte communities.

With her students, Hannah hopes to foster a sense of excitement and awe for Pacific Northwest lichens and bryophytes. In her spare time, she seeks fun and flow on her bikes, skis, and feet.

We talk about...

A non-linear path to academia, tree climbing, and lichenology

  • Growing up on a tree nursery and studying forestry in undergrad after not imagining she'd be a scientist someday

  • Developing an interest in lichens through tree canopy research and a series of doors opening

  • Today's anxiety in students of the need to follow a prescribed path, yet there are plenty of ways to get where you're going

  • Starting grad school at 30 and taking almost 7 years to get her PhD

The trade-offs of work in academia

  • Getting to travel for work, including spending months in Antarctica for grad school

  • Travel with a science component: traveling for projects seems more enjoyable than going to the beach

  • The body wear and tear of tree climbing in her 40's and using slingshots and modified crossbows to get into tree canopies for research

  • Sexism from peers once you have a leadership role (like getting secretarial task requests from male counterparts)

  • Not knowing whether or not she'll stay in her current career and figuring out whether to shape an ideal life around this work

  • Boundaries, writing, data analyses, creating courses, securing funding, managing students...

  • But also a flexible schedule, variety, and the ability to ask new questions and try new tools

  • Living off a small income and operating with short, temporary cycles of funding

Mental health in academia for students and leaders

  • Identity as a scientist, especially when you have skills people deem "soft skills" (boooo)

  • Having to prove her own as a woman both as a climber and as a scientist

  • Working with imposter syndrome

  • The pressure for academic excellence and struggling with perfectionism

  • The pressure to always be available and "at work"

  • Assuming she'd have kids, then timing and a divorce at the tail end of her PhD not adding up to it

  • Feeling imbalanced with work/school, hobbies, and relationships due to PhD stress

  • Feeling both proud AND overwhelmed (both can be true) even though outsiders only see the success

  • Younger generations are having more dialogue around mental stress and stress management

The importance of mentorship

  • Moving from a student role to a peer role, and starting professorship

  • Creating a space for others to feel welcome

  • Scientists need empathy and relationship building skills, too

  • Helping women feel empowered and strong in nature and in work

  • Women were trailblazers in tree climbing science

  • Adults struggle more than kids do when they're "beginners"

Lichens!

  • What are lichens anyway?!

  • Lichens create "the forest of Antarctica"

  • Ecosystem engineers and symbols of collaboration

  • ...Are we all lichens?!

How to connect with Hannah:

How to connect with Jeni and Angie:

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Music: The Kind of Sandwich Island by Shut-ins

Thank you to The Ruins, the best wedding venue in Oregon, for supporting the show.

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Big Trade-Offs We're Still Thinking About: Reflections from Jeni + Angie after 12 conversations with athletes, activists, and adventurers | For The Love Of

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The Seven Summits and Healing through Cancer with Lisa Thompson | For The Love Of Ep. 11