“While in India, I met someone who would become my husband. He went to grad school in Philadelphia, and I originally applied to schools on the East Coast for my Ph.D. But then, he received a postdoc offer from Los Alamos National Laboratory, and there I was, in New Mexico, exploring avenues for graduate education and beyond. But, interestingly, it all worked out rather well. Adjustments and compromises were made for the sake of family, but then it goes both ways. My husband moved to Berkeley for me.”
Just shy of two years ago, Harshini joined the Lab to work jointly with the Office of National and Homeland Security (OHNS) and the Biosciences Area. ONHS works in all the Lab’s research areas. While many of the Lab’s scientific interests are naturally aligned with those of the Department of Energy, significant expertise and interest are pertinent to other federal agencies, such as the Department of Defense. Harshini works with researchers to explore these alternative federal program opportunities, which can be enriching and exciting, allowing new avenues for scientific growth – specifically in the chemical and biological sciences. Her job is to help researchers form teams, identify opportunities, and curate programs where those opportunities can take root. This also involves strategic thought, scientific team and program development, and institutional and national engagement, which are aspects of her job that Harshini is most enthused about.
She also continues her research in the biosciences area, collaborating with others in infectious disease microbiology and health sciences. She is building partnerships with other national labs and the UC campuses and engaging with federal agencies in emerging areas around the health sector, biosecurity, and pandemic readiness.
The move also worked out for her husband, Rangachary Mukundan, a senior Energy Technologies scientist working on fuel cells and alternative energy centers.
“There’s a role for the arts in science and technology. Science requires creativity and the ability to imagine things that are not there. I think the arts help you imagine and to think outside the box.”
– Harshini Mukundan
Q: What was your first paying job?
A: In high school and college, I primarily worked to earn some pocket money for my expenses. I participated in speech and debate competitions, sometimes paying the winners cash. I also tutored students and translated medical records from Hindi to English or vice versa. Those were my first “jobs”.
Q: Did you purchase anything special with those speech winnings?
A: I bought things I needed for school and books. Sometimes, the prize was a bookstore gift card, which made me very happy. I still have some of those books because they were hard-won. I bought a few fiction books and some microbiology books with those winnings.
Q: What triggered your interest in microbiology as a child?
A: As a child, I was interested in the arts and wanted to pursue drama. I participated in many drama events in college and sat in on literature classes. I was also very interested in academics, though – science in particular. I followed that path because many of my friends were in the sciences. However, Imaintained my interest in the arts; I still do to this date.
While pursuing my master’s, I interned at the National Institute of Immunology in Delhi for the better part of a year. I was working alongside other students, postdocs, and world-famous researchers.
I didn’t know what it meant to be a scientist until my time there. That was when I truly fell in love with science and began to dream of being a scientist. I tell younger people to talk with people working in a field of interest. Intern there. What you want to study in college and what you do in life may not be the same. Explore several options before making a choice.
Q: Has your interest and love of the arts helped you in science?
A: I believe in STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, math), not just STEM (science, technology, engineering, math). There’s a role for the arts in science and technology. Science requires imagination and creativity. I think the arts cultivate creativity and help you think outside the box. I still draw at conferences. Some think I am doodling, but I can focus and listen better while drawing. I continued to dance Indian classical and Bollywood dance in New Mexico. I don’t do as much now but I teach Bollywood dance virtually.
Q: Which of your jobs has been the most rewarding?
A: Each position I have had has been enriching and rewarding in its own way. I love scientific pursuits and helping others find avenues to develop and grow their science. I enjoy program development, matching scientific capabilities to key gaps, and creating new avenues for innovation. I love science leadership. But what I love the most is mentoring – enabling and watching the careers of students, postdocs and early career scientists take off and succeed. It is a wonderful feeling.
Q: Was there a career setback or mistake you learned from that helped you grow?
A: Everyone makes mistakes. If you take every experiment or every data point that makes it to your Ph.D. thesis and do them daily, then your entire thesis will be done in six months. The fact that it takes about five years to earn a Ph.D. indicates that the other four-and-a-half years are dedicated to learning, making mistakes, and growing as a scientist. When something doesn’t work, we learn to accept it, be honest about it, tolerate and embrace failure, and acknowledge it. This allows one to learn from their mistakes and experiences and to realign their path.
So, yes, I’ve been making mistakes forever and learning from them. Each one of them helped me learn and grow. They have provided learning opportunities that allowed me to pivot and figure out what I love even more. I remember the red ink splashed across my first manuscript and the multiple revisions as I learned to write better. I remember trying my first laboratory experiments – techniques that took weeks to perfect. I remember a set of experiments that never worked and never made their way to my thesis or a manuscript after a year of work! I continue to make mistakes today, but I am more resilient and open to learning from them.
Q: What’s the most essential piece of career advice you’ve ever either learned or was given to you?
A: Don’t hesitate to make mistakes. They are only opportunities to learn and grow. Also, seek out mentors. We need mentors at all stages of our life. I’ve benefitted from having some amazing mentors. I have called and asked them for advice in every stage of my career. I don’t know what I would be without my mentors and advisors. Today, I am available to students, post-docs, and early career scientists, to help them in the best way possible. I never say no to talking with a student.
We should have “Ask a Mentor Day,” during which everyone asks one person to mentor them, give them advice, or share a valuable learning experience!
A career at Berkeley Lab offers a range of opportunities supported by training, mentorship, and career development programs. Whether you choose to build a career at the Lab or take your skills to other organizations, a career path to and at the Lab sets you up for success.
