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  • CAREER COLUMN

Turning off my phone improved my science

How stepping back from 24/7 connectivity helped to restore Adam Weiss’s focus in the lab.
  1. Adam Weiss

    1. Adam Weiss is a fourth-year chemistry PhD student at the University of Chicago, Illinois.

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In early 2021, I hit a rut in my studies. As a doctoral candidate at the University of Chicago in Illinois, I work at the interface of polymer chemistry and immunology, using synthetic strategies to design safer, more effective materials for vaccine and gene delivery. Although I had been productive early in my graduate career, my long hours and hard work were no longer translating into success in the laboratory, and I felt hopeless about achieving my goals. Something had to change.

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doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-022-00453-4

This is an article from the Nature Careers Community, a place for Nature readers to share their professional experiences and advice. Guest posts are encouraged.

References

  1. Alter, A. Irresistible: The Rise of Addictive Technology and the Business of Keeping Us Hooked (Penguin, 2017).

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  2. Bhargava, V. & Velasquez, M. Bus. Ethics Q. 31, 321–359 (2021).

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  3. O’Donnell, S. & Epstein, L. H. Addict. Behav. 90, 124–133 (2019).

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Competing Interests

The author declares no competing interests.

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