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COLLABORATION

A Postdoc's Journal

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Episode  ·  16:30  ·  May 18, 2026

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SEASON 2, EPISODE 2: COLLABORATIONThis episode is about how uncomfortable I used to feel about collaboration during my postdoc and how I started to lose the joy in things I used to love. I was lonely, but all I wanted was to be alone. With hindsight, I now know that these were the early signs of me falling into depression.I revisit a journal entry I wrote in March 2014. This was the first journal entry into my 3rd year of my postdoc. I was still struggling to make progress on papers and I needed help.I reflect on collaboration in academia, perfectionism, receiving help, not knowing what the rules were around conferences as a postdoc, and the early signs of depression (losing passion for things I normally loved doing) and social anxiety (being lonely, but always wanting to be alone).Timestamps:[00:00] Intro[02:43] Journal entry[06:21] Collaboration in academia[07:54] Being ashamed about receiving help[08:50] Underestimating your own contribution[09:05] Navigating conferences[11:22] Losing passion for things I normally love to do[12:58] Being lonely, but just wanting to be alone[13:33] OutroFor more information about the podcast, please visit https://a-postdocs-journal.captivate.fm/Please leave a review wherever you get your podcasts!Follow me/connect with me on:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/simit-patel-063388ab/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/simit_apj/BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/apostdocsjournal.bsky.socialReddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/APostdocsJournal/Need help with your scientific English? Visit https://simitpatel.com/ and fill out a contact form.

16m 30s  ·  May 18, 2026

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