Скачать или смотреть NEW | Episode 8: Elina Kuznecova - Redefining what a science career looks like

Not every inspiring career in science requires a PhD. Elina Kuznecova has built a path that challenges expectations, from leaving her home country at a young age to working in high-tech labs at leading institutes across Europe. Now a lab technician at the VIB Spatial Catalyst, Elina reflects on the choices that shaped her career and the lessons she learned along the way.

She also shares how failure can be a powerful teacher, why she chose to make her journey public to more than 90,000 followers on Instagram, and what it means to inspire the next generation of scientists to find their own path.

Ready to take your research further? Join VIB – Where top science meets global talent. Check out our open positions at jobs.vib.be. #researchopportunities

Timestamps:
0:00 "You don’t need a PhD to grow in science "
0:20 Meet our guest – Elina Kuznecova
1:41 Latvia as an underrated, underexplored gem
2:30 Why move to the UK for your education?
3:35 What led you to science?
4:30 What is the Spatial Catalyst and your role in it?
6:20 What motivated you to come to VIB for your next step?
7:30 Choosing between industry and academia – a hard decision?
9:40 Facing pressure without a PhD and the “glass ceiling” as a lab technician
10:05 What do you enjoy most as a lab tech?
12:10 Lab technicians as the unsung heroes of research
12:59 Support and collaboration – everyone working toward the same goal
13:52 How collaboration benefits both you and science as a whole
15:18 Exciting recent projects
16:30 How research changes how we see life and what it means to be human
17:18 Dare to Ask – quick-fire science questions
20:41 Science communication and Instagram – why start a channel?
22:10 Finding motivation to start an English-speaking account
24:10 How social media influences your lab work
25:10 Building connections through Instagram and spatial biology
25:33 When followers become inspired – moments of impact
26:41 Balancing science and social media – is it exhausting?
27:48 Advice for scientists wanting to try science communication
28:44 Outreach dreams – showcasing experiments in schools
29:27 Looking ahead – where do you want to make an impact?
30:12 What would you ask an omniscient being?

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