Biophysical Society Bulletin | January 2021

Career Development

Dealing with Failure and Rejection “Science is hard…” is my conversation stopper in taxis (as I gaze pensively into the distance), but this was once countered by the driver’s reply: “If we were happy, we would still be swinging in the trees.” Indeed, humans— including scientists

not care what we think, it just is.” This is definitely humbling and puts us into our place in the universe. But thinking and emotions are important determinants of our perspective and attitude. So the experiment that failed—the bacteria that did not grow on a contaminated petri dish—may in fact lead you to a break- through finding (e.g., Fleming’s discovery of Penicillin). A mentor of mine had a particular talent: Although by objective criteria the experiment, the grant application, or manuscript submission was a dismal failure, he was able to convince you that this was the most intriguing set of data or an actually thoughtful and useful review he had seen in a long time and you just needed to do another experiment or revise the proposal. Flexibility of mind means being able to regroup, refocus, and reframe. Being able to wholeheartedly believe the opposite to your previous hypothesis is a beautiful thing. The ego can badly get in the way, but at the same time emotions can be a powerful driving force to succeed the next time. Third, ask yourself, Does this particular instance of failure or rejectionmatter tome as a person? Mindfulness experts urge us to have an internal locus of control, in part by “not taking things personally.” If anything, this is what I learned from rejection: They don’t knowme as a person, so a rejection should not be [inter- preted as] a personal attack or dismissal. Granted, many failures are uncomfortable, as some relate closely to personal weakness- es and typically failure has consequences. Many scientific and technological giants have written about how catastrophic failures enabled a most stellar breakthrough later. So failure and rejection are opportunities for change, but in the process, please be kind to others (and yourself). Finally, it’s good to celebrate even your small successes and to include everyone who helped. 1. “On Death and Dying” book by Elizabeth Kübler-Ross, 1969 2. https:/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Locus_of_control 3. https:/www.sciencehistory.org/historical-profile/alexander-fleming — Molly Cule NSF Funding Opportunity: Designing Synthetic Cells Beyond the Bounds of Evolution Because of the recent technological advances in synthetic biology and bioengineering, researchers are now able to tailor cells and cell-like systems for a variety of basic and applied research purposes. Highest funding priority is giv- en to proposals that have outstanding intellectual merit and broader impacts. Deadline: February 16, 2021 Website: https:/www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ. jsp?pims_id=505851

—are an emotional species and we all remember the anticipation of joy or trepidation when clicking on the results of a paper review, an interview outcome, a

fellowship or grant application. Within split seconds our expec- tation of recognition, perhaps even validation, is turned into a feeling of utter disappointment and dejection. “I have been there somany times…,” one personmentioned, that she carefully times these “reveals”—only click on Sunday nights, after the next paper or grant is submitted, and so forth. Indeed, the timing of some events can be controlled: Schrödinger’s cat is both alive and dead until you open the box! But eventually one must face the outcome, which is sometimes bitter. Most of us experience some or all of the five stages of grieving with varying intensity: Denial/ Bewilderment, Anger/Scapegoating, Bargaining (aka writing an appeal or rebuttal even if only to oneself), Depression/Despair, and finally Acceptance (of reality). First, the facts. Quite a few future Nobel Laureates had their— eventually prize winning—results rejectedmany times, and I don’t know any scientist who regularly gets all their pet hypoth- eses applauded and their papers and proposals accepted. “If I can get x%, where x is usually much smaller than 50, I’d be very happy.” Using others for comparison (e.g., but he has Y and I only have Z) is not productive; nobody knows all the circumstances of another person’s life. Second, scientists, like few other professionals, are usually hardened by many years of failures and rejections. Persistence is a key quality, but this makes it difficult to decide when to give up. Some people live by mantras andmy favorite one is “Nature does Grants & Opportunities The Robert A. Welch Award in Chemistry The purpose of this award is to foster and encourage basic chemical research and to recognize the value of chemical research contributions for the benefit of humankind. Who can apply: No self-nominations are allowed. Deadline: January 31, 2021 Website: https:/www.welch1.org/awards/welch-award- in-chemistry/welch-award-guidelines

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