Welcome back to our "Who keeps PhD Balance running?" series! We're going to be introducing our team over the next few weeks, so keep an eye out! 👀
Next up is Bryan Wilkins, PhD, Content and Editing Co-Lead.
Bryan (he/him) is an assistant professor at Manhattan College, in NYC, with a research focus in chromatin biochemistry. During his postdoc, Bryan developed severe anxiety and self-doubt, to the point that he realized his personality had completely changed, for the worse.
Having most likely had these issues all his life, Bryan never felt affected by them until he was fully immersed in the toxicity of academic research. He stayed in academia because the stigma of mental health and the toxic cycle of mentorship needs to be broken. Research and course work can be successful without needing to shatter a student's mental state.
What does he do for PhD Balance?
Bryan is our Content and Editing Co-Lead! He co-manages our team of editors who work with our storytellers to ensure their story gets across in the way they want, in a way they are comfortable with! He's also part of our speaking team!
Why did he join PhD Balance?
Bryan had a very intense postdoctoral experience. He thought he was alone in his experiences and then he found PhD Balance (PhD Depression at the time) and realized how many of us are going through (or experienced) the same thing. He wants to contribute to a community that addresses mental health in academia and aims to break the negative stigma associated with it.