Academic betrayal, tapping into silliness: Science’s top personal essays of 2025

From ScienceMag:

“I’m an NIH-funded researcher, drowning in uncertainty.”

That was the headline of a powerful essay we published in February, a few weeks after U.S. President Donald Trump began his second term in office. The essay was written by an early-career faculty member who shared how hard it was to watch the changes that were taking shape at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), not knowing how they would affect her lab, research, and career. “Will my grants ever be reviewed? What can I research?” she asked.

As the year progressed, we published other anguished essays by researchers navigating changes to the U.S. political and funding landscape, as well as issues that can apply regardless of time or place—including essays that explored the advantages that come with being yourself at work, the similarities between bike riding and graduate school, and the downfall of focusing too much on prestige.

They were all published as part of Science’s ongoing Working Life series, which explores key lessons scientists have learned as they pursue their careers. Here, in chronological order, are the most read Working Life essays of the year.

How I found professional satisfaction by adjusting my definition of success

As a professor at a teaching-focused university, Salahuddin Mohammed realized success isn’t solely about high-impact publications or prestigious grants.

I’m an NIH-funded researcher, drowning in uncertainty

Violeta J. Rodriguez wrote that she’d “keep doing what I can to move my research forward. But I, and so many others, can’t do this indefinitely.”

Science used to be my safe space. But when I spiraled into depression, I quit my Ph.D.

Amid significant mental health challenges, Eric Martiné writes that “failing in academia was the greatest relief I ever experienced.”

As a laid off postdoc, I turned to a side hustle—and found a new career

To augment her postdoc salary, Gertrude Nonterah started freelance writing. It turned into a lifeline.

I thought imposter syndrome caused my Ph.D. struggles. I was wrong

When Andrea Lius discovered her true passion, she finally understood why she had felt like a fish out of water in academia.

My academic job offer was rescinded. I’ll keep going—but U.S. researchers are running out of road

Despite an uncertain future, postdoc Na Zhao plans to “keep doing the science I love while I still have a bench.”

How a Ph.D. is like riding a bike

Ehsan Hamzehpoor struggled in grad school until he embraced it as a time for learning.

How an academic betrayal led me to change my authorship practices

“Every cleaned data set, debugged script, and refined figure deserves acknowledgment,” argued postdoc Hari Ram C.R. Nair.

How I confronted my growing cynicism about academia—and rekindled my sense of purpose

Professor Easton R. White had entered academia with hope and optimism, but those feelings faded over time.

I thought science hinged on prestige. Moving abroad made me reassess my priorities

After moving to Denmark, Ph.D. student Henry C. Henson fell in love with an egalitarian society that values work-life balance.

Other notable essays

I was worried I didn’t belong in science—until I discovered many researchers feel the same way

We started our Ph.D.s during COVID-19. Now, we’re graduating into political chaos

How I finally found my confidence as a scientist

I study burnout. I didn’t think it could happen to me

Embracing my silly side makes me a better scientist. I wish I’d done it sooner

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