In this PhD café article, Karishma S Kaushik, IndiaBioscience, recounts her transformative experience at an American Society for Microbiology (ASM) conference during her PhD, highlighting mentorship, networking, and professional growth. She emphasises the conference's value beyond scientific input, offering tips for maximising benefits, including attending diverse sessions, and following up post the event.

In this PhD cafe article, Aditi Jain, Development Editor, ACS Publications, emphasises the importance of empathy in academic settings, particularly research labs, for fostering a supportive and innovative environment. Cultivating empathy enhances relationships, supports colleagues during challenging times, and ultimately contributes to a positive and successful academic experience.

In this PhD café article, Karishma S Kaushik, IndiaBioscience, reflects on her unique journey as a 'non-traditional' PhD candidate who juggled personal and professional commitments, including motherhood. Karishma explores the dynamic nature of work-life balance, and discusses the challenges of applying one-size-fits-all solutions for achieving balance across different phases of personal and professional growth.

This PhD Café article explores the science communication journey of Devanshi Gupta, a PhD student at the Centre for DNA Fingerprinting and Diagnostics (CDFD), Hyderabad. Devanshi highlights the importance of effective science communication, the challenges she faced, and the rewarding experiences that fuelled her passion for sharing science with broad audiences.

Brinky Desai, a PhD student at Ahmedabad University, shares her challenges as a woman researcher conducting fieldwork on Mugger crocodiles in remote areas of Gujarat. In the first article of this year's PhD Cafe series, she describes the physical and mental strain of fieldwork, particularly during the COVID pandemic, as well as the challenges of working with crocodiles, including navigating hygiene facilities as a woman researcher in the field.