People’s Profiles – Arathy Ravindran
Arathy Ravindran was born in Kerala, India, where she completed her education up to her Bachelor’s degree in Geology. She then pursued her Master’s degree in Applied Geology at Pondicherry Central University, located in the southern part of India. She was awarded the Swiss Government Excellence Scholarship for pursuing her PhD at the University of Bern, Switzerland. Following her PhD, she moved to Zurich for a postdoctoral position at ETH Zurich. Since the end of 2022, she has been working at the University of Cologne, Germany, after receiving a Humboldt Postdoctoral Research Fellowship and a Swiss National Science Foundation Postdoctoral Mobility Grant. Her research focuses on the isotope geochemistry of Hadean-Archean Earth, with emphasis on the evolution of crust-mantle reservoirs and seawater.
Arathy Ravindran can be contacted by email here, or follow her on LinkedIn or X.
What field do you currently work in and what is the job title of your current position?
I work as a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Cologne. I am an isotope geochemist and explore research questions of early Earth. Currently, my research focus is on high-precision measurements of extinct radio-nuclides that operated in the Hadean-Archean eons.
What is the name of your employer, or are you self-employed and / or offering consultancy services?
I work with Prof. Carsten Münker at the Institute of Geology and Mineralogy, University of Cologne, and I am funded by the Humboldt Postdoctoral Research Fellowship and the Swiss National Science Foundation Postdoctoral Mobility Grant consecutively.
Describe your qualifications and career path to date, and any job hunting or networking tips you would like to pass on to others. In what ways do you consider yourself to be privileged?
I completed my Bachelor’s degree in Geology at Christ College, Kerala, which is affiliated with the University of Calicut, and my Master’s degree in Applied Geology at Pondicherry Central University, both located in the southern part of India. I completed my PhD in Earth Sciences at the University of Bern, Switzerland. Subsequently, I undertook a postdoctoral position for almost two years at ETH Zürich, also in Switzerland. This opportunity arose following a scientific discussion with my collaborator two years prior to joining, during Goldschmidt Conference 2018. For this reason, I recommend early-career researchers to attend conferences, as they are important for networking and career development.
I consider myself privileged to have a supportive family, who encouraged me throughout my career, even when I was far away from my home country. Additionally, I was fortunate to successfully secure scholarships and fellowships to work at leading institutions in different countries. These opportunities enabled me to collaborate with people from diverse cultural backgrounds and varying levels of experience. This has taught me to remain humble while also taking pride in my achievements.
Have you moved countries to pursue and build your career, networks, and credentials?
Yes, I have had the opportunity to move across different countries throughout my career. I grew up in India, where I completed my studies up to my Master’s degree. Afterwards, I moved to Switzerland to pursue my PhD, and I am currently based in Germany. I have been in Europe for eight years now to build up my scientific career. Each move to a new country has contributed to broadening my scientific network and shaping my career trajectory.
What aspects of your ethnic and cultural background are important to you personally?
I come from the state of Kerala in India, which is well-known (at least within the country) for its advancements in literacy and education. Coming from a region that is culturally unique within a country that is renowned for its diversity, I have always taken pride in representing my homeland. I enjoy sharing insights about my homeland with my international colleagues and friends.
If you were not presently in your current job, what alternative career might you have?
During my school days, I was fascinated by the idea of becoming a veterinarian to treat wild animals. However, that dream shifted soon enough as my interest turned toward geology- a decision that I believe has been the best one I have made so far!
Summarise how many hours do you work in a week, and / or describe a typical day at work. What is your level of overall satisfaction in your current job?
On a typical day, I work for about 8 hours, but on days that require extended work in the clean lab or doing measurements on the mass spectrometers, I spend additional time as needed. I try to maintain a balance between the time that I spend in the lab and in the office, ensuring that I work efficiently. Taking a coffee break with colleagues once in a day also helps boost my productivity.
I am generally happy with my current job, as I am working on diverse projects that keep me engaged and up to date. I learn new things every now and then, which has always been a priority for me. Additionally, I am satisfied with the flexibility to manage my working hours, as long as I remain productive.
Does your job involve you undertaking field work each year and do you find this pleasurable?
I like to take part in field work in general, and every year I have taken part in at least one field trip- big or small. This year has been the only exception. As part of my main work, I organise or take part in field trips in cratonic areas. I am also interested in field work that are organised as part of collaborations or by the institute where I am employed, as they are in most cases multidisciplinary. For example, one of the field trips that I enjoyed the most was taking part in collecting different lava flows from Hawai’i. Even though the field work was with geochemists, I learned many new things. The previous field trips that I have attended were focused on petrology, physical volcanology, economic geology, paleontology and structural geology, which helped me refresh my knowledge on other geological sciences.
What advice do you have for achieving work-life balance and having fun?
I believe that international scholars living far away from home benefit a lot from having a circle of friends, whether at their workplace or outside. Apart from that, maintaining a healthy work-life balance is important. I make it a point to keep work off my mind during weekends and during particularly busy periods. I prioritize spending time calling my family and friends, and on sunny days, I enjoy going for hikes. On a regular basis, I love to paint, read and play video games.
If you encountered any particular challenges or barriers in your career, how have you tackled, “dodged-the-bullet”, or overcome these?
Yes, a significant challenge that affected my career was experiencing burnout, which left me being less motivated in my research. However, I was able to overcome it through persistent effort and support. The key was surrounding myself with positivity and constantly reminding myself of the reasons I moved overseas and pursued this path. Right now, I believe that I have overcome the barrier and am looking forward to becoming the scientist that I aspired to be years ago.
How friendly is your current position and how neutral are your peers to your persisting or transient personal circumstances?
I have been working at my current workplace for only two years, so I can speak only from my experience so far. Each year, more and more international scholars join our institute, and I can see our workgroup becoming increasingly inclusive and tolerant with time.
Given the COVID-19 crisis of 2020-2021, how did you manage your work during this time and in what ways do you feel your productivity and outputs were enhanced or diminished?
The COVID-19 crisis had a significant impact on me, leading to work-related burnout. During the final year of my PhD, the labs were closed making it challenging to generate data, which added to the stress. My PhD defense took place in the latter half of 2020 in a hybrid format, which was being tested for the first time at my institute. My postdoc work at ETH Zurich started shortly after that. While I was excited to work at my dream institution, completing my work projects and also following the ongoing pandemic rules such as social distancing, made it difficult to fully enjoy the experience.
Is there a key event, experience, or person that has particularly inspired and empowered you? Do you have a favourite moment in your career?
In my scientific career, I can say that my PhD advisor had a significant indirect influence on me, motivating me to pursue academia even following the challenges during the pandemic. On a personal level, my mother has been my backbone from the beginning, especially when I chose to study geology. One of my favourite moments was when I was officially awarded my doctorate, even though my parents could not attend this important event due to the pandemic.
Do you wish to recommend any additional positive steps, or specific provisions, that the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Working Group should consider taking forward to help advance a friendly inclusive culture, progressive attitudes, and policies / practices positive for diversity, equity, well-being and resilience in science?
I am truly satisfied with the work done by the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion group, as I find it very important to have an inclusive attitude in universities globally. Given the large flow of scholars currently from diverse cultural, social and economic backgrounds, such initiatives are more important than ever. I actively read the blog and make an effort to attend programs at the Goldschmidt Conference each year. Through all these efforts made by the group, I feel that these initiatives help colleagues and peers across different universities to become more empathetic toward each other while accepting their differences.
Interview conducted by Pallavi Anand and Qasid Ahmad, EAG Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee