How to balance science and activism as an early-career researcher

When I decided to volunteer in a neurodevelopment lab during my undergraduate studies, I was motivated entirely by my childlike curiosity. Even now as a PhD student, curiosity continues to drive my research efforts. But simultaneously, another factor has increasingly inspired my science. As I developed as a researcher, I found that my efforts in science were increasingly motivated by a desire to help my community. I’m not the only one who feels this way – a majority of those who find the prospect of a PhD in the biomedical sciences appealing identify helping their communities as one of the...