Post by Tomasz Turowski

Yesterday, we had a great conversation with our collaborator Prof. Daniel Schindler about what it means to be seen as a “successful” scientist — especially when it comes to securing grant funding and publishing. The truth is, we often only share the wins: new grants, accepted papers, awards. But behind every success story are multiple failures. Even at top institutions, grant success rates are often well below 50%. My folder of unsuccessful grant applications is far thicker than the successful ones. Paper rejections? All too common. A smooth acceptance after minor revision? Rare. Failure is not the opposite of success — it’s part of the process. Learning to cope with it is essential for growth and resilience in research. Maybe we should normalize sharing the full journey, not just the highlights. #AcademicLife #ResearchReality #GrantsAndFunding #ScienceCommunication #JuniorPI #PhDLife #PostdocLife