General advice

• Choose what you are passionate about and choose who you work with.
• Networking is key and it starts during your master internship (seminars, conference, doctoral schools, journal clubs, other teams in your institute). Talk about science with everyone you can! Share ideas! Look for opportunities to collaborate!
• READ A LOT. You should have a clear global map of the researchers working in your area of research. Reading helps writing, getting new ideas, interacting at conference, finding your next job.
• Help build scientific communities (it can start small-scale, scientific societies are great: become active members). Talk to your advisor about such societies.
• Find the right balance between perfection and progress.
• You are part of a team, which is a particular strength of the French research system. Most students in the team benefit from co-advice, and we strongly encourage it because exchanging with people with different backgrounds and perspectives is both scientifically fruitful and personally valuable. Don’t hesitate to discuss your work, ask questions, or share difficulties: You are well surrounded, make the most of it!!
• Research is inherently international. Be especially mindful of making sure everyone feels comfortable, that is be inclusive and kind in your interactions with others.

How to build confidence?

It’s a privilege to be surrounded by smart people. Experiencing impostor syndrome is common, but it doesn’t mean it reflects reality. Remember that you belong here. Over time, you’ll gain confidence in your abilities. There are all types of scientists and we need all of them. Some are good at problem resolution, some have great ideas, others are excellent at finding money and communicating, others are incredible mentors & teachers, etc. This is why collaborations are essential. Making choices that turn out not to be the best ones are an inevitable part of the learning process. Research rarely follows a straight path, and some experiments will not work, some hypotheses will be wrong, and some decisions will need to be revisited. What matters is not avoiding every mistake, but learning from them: understanding what went wrong, adapting your approach, and using what you have learned to make better decisions next time. Don’t be afraid of getting things wrong—provided you reflect on them, mistakes will be some of your most valuable learning experiences. Be nice to yourself, that helps a lot!

Work-Life balance is key!

It’s good for you: It supports your mental well-being, helps you stay resilient during challenging times, and enables you to be more focused and effective at work. It’s good for your colleagues: It helps foster healthy and sustainable working relationships. Also remember: research is not a regular job — and that doesn’t necessarily mean working more hours. It means working differently, driven by curiosity, creativity, independence, and willingness to spend time thinking, exploring ideas. It also requires flexibility: some periods will naturally demand more time and effort than others.There is rarely a clear list of tasks telling you exactly what to do each day, and progress is not linear or immediately visible. You have a lot of freedom, but with that freedom comes responsibility for deciding how to use your time and where to focus your energy. Think of yourself as an artist: you are not simply following instructions—you are creating something that did not exist before. Learning to manage that freedom, while also knowing when to switch off, is an important part of becoming a researcher.