As part of its Female Career Lunch talk, TRR 418 welcomed Prof. Laura Kervezee, who leads research on circadian medicine at Leiden University Medical Center, for a conversation about building an academic career as a woman in science.

Her career in chronobiology took her through the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Australia and Canada before she established her own research group in Leiden. Alongside this professional trajectory, she opened a more candid discussion: what the experience of working in academia looks like for women, and where support made a difference.

A central message ran through the conversation — the value of making your own voice heard. Putting forward your views, articulating the conditions needed to do your best work, and claiming space in discussions are skills worth practising early.

The exchange also turned to life beyond the lab: making room for sports and other commitments, and the ongoing task of holding professional and personal life in balance. The relaxed lunch format gave early career researchers the chance to ask their own questions and talk openly about what lies ahead of them.

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