Are You Still a Postdoc? How My Scientific Identity Intersects with My Immigrant Status Emma Hernandez-Sanabria a a VIB, Center for Microbiology, KU Leuven Laboratory of Molecular Bacteriology, Rega Institute, Leuven, Belgium ABSTRACT Academics in non-tenure-track positions encounter a unique set of chal- lenges on the road toward tenure. Institutionalized policies and lack of mentors are additional burdens for foreign scientists, resulting in representation differences. Be- coming a scientist has been a personal and moving journey in which my multiple selves intersect and clash every now and again. My identity as a scientist is a life project and has intersected with my other identities: a young Latina immigrant in Western Europe. This crossroad has molded, and at times, challenged my participa- tion in science. KEYWORDS academia, diversity, immigrant, postdoctoral fellow M y career has many commonalities with those of other young researchers. I have enjoyed science since my early years; I was good at it, and being in Europe has given me the opportunity to travel, experience multiculturalism, and expand my imagination. Beyond that, science provided me with a personal identity and the sense of being part of a community. However, navigating visa and immigration issues is a task that can be overlooked by academic and research institutions. Upon completing my bachelor’s degree in Mexico, I was accepted into a master’s program in the United Kingdom. On arrival, the customs officer at Aberdeen International Airport was uncon- vinced by the proofs of funding for my studies. My passport was retained, and I was told that I was going to be deported 2 days later. Fortunately, the welcoming team from the university picked me up at the airport. A staff member provided support and assisted me in successfully refuting the resolution of the officer. I often wonder what I would have done without any advice on the spot. The apology letter from the Immigration Office vanished during one of my travels, but the mark on my passport remained until I changed my document. Following a fulfilling period of doctoral studies in Canada, my passion for research led me to start a new journey in Europe. I have been a postdoctoral fellow for 6 years in the European Union (EU), and the time spent in the same position has raised questions about my future, prospects, and goals. The uncertainty of working in research while an immigrant oftentimes restricts the creation of expectations for settling down (1). As a Mexican citizen, my visa had to be renewed each year, even with a 3-year contract. If I wanted to make long-term plans, it was suggested that I find a permanent position. I worked relentlessly to cement the identity of a competent scientist, confi- dent that my abilities would allow me to conquer that permanent spot. Women are in the minority among senior academics in Europe (15%) (2), although by 2030, our participation in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM)-related fields will increase to contribute between 0.7 and 0.9 the gross domestic product (GDP) per capita of the EU (3). Europe now needs 1 million additional researchers in STEM (4), so I relied on my institutions to back my scientific identity and to support me in achieving tenure. Career recruitment, progression, and the organizational culture of European academia are influenced mostly by informal interactions, and local conditions Citation Hernandez-Sanabria E. 2020. Are you still a postdoc? How my scientific identity intersects with my immigrant status. mSphere 5:e00372-20. https://doi.org/10.1128/mSphere .00372-20. Copyright © 2020 Hernandez-Sanabria. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license. Address correspondence to emma.hernandezsanabria@kuleuven.vib.be. The views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of the journal or of ASM. My identity as a scientist is a life project and has intersected with my other identities as a young Latina immigrant in Western Europe. This crossroads has moulded and at times challenged my participation in science. @ehdezsanabria Published COMMENTARY Host-Microbe Biology crossm May/June 2020 Volume 5 Issue 3 e00372-20 msphere.asm.org 1 6 May 2020 Downloaded from https://journals.asm.org/journal/msphere on 11 December 2021 by 54.166.154.115.