Earlier this month, we had the pleasure of speaking with two of our Chief Investigators at TMOS, who are also proud fathers—Sharath Sriram and Ilya Shadrivov. We asked them about their experiences of balancing fatherhood with a career in STEM, and, of course, whether they have any good Dad jokes to share…

Q1. In what ways has being a Dad positively impacted your work and career?

SS: I am passionate about research to deliver value to society, by creating technologies that make life better. Being a Dad fuels that fire even more, as improving quality of life will have a long-term impact.

IS: I learned how to explain things as simple as possible, and not take any knowledge for granted. This is crucial both when talking to kids and when talking to students.

Q2. What advice would you give to working parents with young children?

SS: Quite simply that it is not easy, especially as the only guarantee in research is failure.I would encourage working parents to find a workplace and environment that mixes ambition with freedom, as a degree of flexibility is needed to make it feasible at both work and home.

IS: Academia for parents is good if your supervisor is understanding of the conditions and your position provides a lot of flexibility. If you are early in your career, when applying for the job ask if your potential supervisor is flexible with your working hours to fit child caring responsibilities. These often require you to leave office/lab during normal business hours.

Q3. What do you think organisations should do to support working parents?

SS: To be fair, most organisations do their best, and have increasingly been raising the game.It is now down to our sector and peers to recognise challenges, truly assess people relative to opportunity, and appreciate that the transition phase for an early- and mid-career researcher is intensely challenging.

IS: Flexible hours. Subsidised childcare close to work. Possible holiday program for primary-school aged kids.

Q4. As a Dad, what would you hope the future would look like for the next generation?

SS: I am confident the future is going to be heavily reliant on technology for learning, living, and staying healthy. My hope is that technology is primarily used to make lives better, not just easier.

IS: Free world with fair pay for work that is not taxed to hilt.

Q5. How would you describe your work at TMOS to your child?

SS: I like to describe activities of TMOS, and my work in general, as making science fiction reality. TMOS specifically can unlock technologies that use light to create complex images, speed up data, improve navigation, and non-invasively monitor health. Conveying these examples through analogies is something I enjoy doing.

IS: We do fun stuff with light.

Q6. What’s your favourite Dad joke?

SS: That’s a risky question! But will go with a nerdy one, which was a favourite when my son was young.

“Why was 6 scared of 7?”

IS: I don’t have one!