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She credits her love of science to her high school physics teacher, who encouraged her to get a bachelor’s degree in physics. Although she had planned to continue her studies in physics, an unexpected rejection led her to a master’s degree in electronics. “I was not at all happy for over six months, or maybe even a year,” says Jhuria, “But now, when I look back, I think setbacks are very, very important. They are the most critical phases of your life.”
“But when things don’t go the way you expect, that’s when you actually push yourself more than your normal, routine life, and when you push yourself, you end up doing much better than if things had been going the way you wanted.”
– Kaushalya Jhuria
Q: What inspired you to pursue a career in science?
A: It’s a bit of a natural inclination. I started out with my interest in physics, and that developed because during my school I had a really good teacher for physics. I did my undergrad in physics, then I decided that I wanted to do a bachelor’s in physics only. We used to have these tours to different research labs, and during those tours, I got to know that this is the kind of environment I want to be in for the long term, and then this is how the research came into play. And then I just went through some internships, and then I figured out within physics what I wanted to do. It was based on what I experienced, what kind of exposure I got, and then what I liked from them. And then this is where I am.
Q: How many different jobs have you had in your career journey, and which one was the most rewarding?
A: It depends on what you consider exactly as a job. Starting from my master’s, the very first research project that I took was the most impactful in terms of pursuing research as a career. Before that, it was mostly about teaching. I wanted to be a good teacher and then, for the very first time, I did this very small scientific project and I just liked the whole process. Otherwise, my experience in the U.S., particularly at Berkeley Lab, has been quite impactful. Here in Berkeley, they have this very nice ecosystem around collaborations. You can talk with so many people about your work freely. You can always reach out to people, ask for collaborations, and use their instruments. You have a dependence on other people, and people are so willing to collaborate with you. It’s something that is quite fascinating, very unique, and rare to find.
Q: Who has been your most influential mentor, either formal or informal, and how have they shaped your career path?
A: When I was in 9th grade and 10th grade, my teacher was doing a bachelor’s in physics. She was the main inspiration for me to start taking an interest in physics. Here in Berkeley, I’m inspired by my PI and just seeing how he manages. He has a manager role, he is a scientist, and he balances out everything. This is something that inspires me in terms of how I would like to be as a scientist later on in my life. For the technical and the scientific part, he’s the one who inspired me the most. But to even start this journey from zero, that was my physics teacher in school.
Q: What career setback or mistake has helped you to succeed or grow?
A: After my bachelor’s in physics, I was going to do a master’s in physics at the same university. I was kind of sure that I was going to get in. But the cutoff was too high that year, and it eventually turned out that I didn’t get it. I had to go to my number two priority: a master’s in electronics. And while I was doing that I thought, “How can I go ahead?” To do that, I started taking more interest in research, and then I went through internships. I would say the setback led to this research journey in a way because I’m not sure if I would have done that kind of research work otherwise.
I was unhappy for over six months, or maybe even a year. But now, when I look back, setbacks are very, very important. They are the most critical phases of your life that shape the next steps. Sometimes, you plan something, and things just go that way, and you’re happy about it. But when things don’t go the way you expect, that’s when you actually push yourself more than your regular, routine life, and when you push yourself, you end up doing much better than if things had been going the way you wanted.
Q: What is the most important career advice you have received or learned?
A: I was in Delhi during my master’s and wanted to transition to a Ph.D. I wanted to leave India and go to France. I wanted to prepare myself because that was a big transition. One piece of advice I got from one of my colleagues was to have friends to share your experiences with and your day-to-day life with. Because the Ph.D. journey, or even the whole research journey in general, is not something where you can be excited all the time or you’re getting the results you like every day. So you may have high highs, but then low lows too, and having somebody to share that with is essential.
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1 Comment
Thank you for sharing your journey! It takes a brave person to be vulnerable about setbacks and disappointments. Reading this article made my day.