Away from home: The two-body problem

We’re bringing you the best stories in lab mobility from Nature India

The ‘Away from home‘ blogging series features Indian scientists working in foreign labs recounting their experience of working there, the triumphs and challenges, the cultural differences and what they miss about India. They also offer useful tips for other scientists headed abroad. You can join in the online conversation using the #postdochat hashtag.

Here’s the account of a scientist couple, looking at opportunities to come back to India. Naresh Bal, a PhD from Jawarharlal Nehru University, New Delhi and a postdoc from the Ohio State University, USA is currently wanting to start an independent research group of his own. He is busy writing grants overtime given the “current grant situation in the USA”. Naresh urges the Indian government and institutions to think of schemes to recruit scientist-couples to work as a team. Read on and leave your comments — have you had a similar experience, do you know someone who has or are your bracing up for this now?

The scientist couple: Naresh Bal and Nivedita Jena

The scientist couple: Naresh Bal and Nivedita Jena

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Away from home: Collaboration in a global organisation

We’re bringing you the best stories in lab mobility from Nature India

The ‘Away from home‘ blogging series features Indian postdocs working in foreign labs recounting their experience of working there, the triumphs and challenges, the cultural differences and what they miss about India. They also offer useful tips for their Indian postdocs headed abroad. You can join in the online conversation using the #postdochat hashtag.

Today, we have environment scientist Ram Avtar, an alumnus of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), New Delhi and a postdoc from the Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC). He tells us about his transition from a postdoc to a research associate with the United Nations University in Tokyo, an organisation with a global outlook and ample scope to forge meaningful collaborations — not just in one’s professional life but also in the personal life.