Introduction: 2025, The Year That Aged Me and Grew Me

Every PhD student knows one universal truth: a year in academia can easily feel like five! 2025 was exactly that, equal parts growth, chaos, breakthroughs, breakdowns, and caffeine-fueled productivity! This year, I learned that success is never linear, failure is inevitable, and sometimes the biggest win can be as simple as remembering to label your tubes. Here are my biggest wins and fails of my PhD journey so far!

1. Win #1 Learning to grow organoids (AKA mini brains!)
2. Fail #1 Underestimating Incubation times
3. Win #2: Feeling More Competent (Even Without Perfect Data)
4. Fail #2: Experiments That Personally Victimised Me
5. Win #3: Building Community
6. Failure #3: Work-life balance (Still loading…)
7. Win #4: Growing as a Scientist
8. Failure #4: Taking On Too Much
9. Win #5: Content Creation & Science Communication
10. Fail #5: Forgetting That I Am Human

Win #1 Learning to grow organoids (AKA mini brains!)

This year, I officially entered my organoid era. I learned how to grow mini human brain-like structures in the lab, tiny, beautiful, scientifically powerful blobs that we can learn so much from!

This was a huge win: mastering complex techniques, understanding their developmental timelines, and producing organoids that didn’t immediately die from dramatic tendencies.

What I learnt:

• Patience is a skill
• Cells have different moods
• Science takes a long time!

Fail #1 Underestimating Incubation times

If I had a pound for every time I said, ‘this would only take an hour,’ I could fund my own lab! Long incubation times humbled me A LOT this year. Every protocol that looks relatively simple on paper turns into a 7-hour long experiment! Remember to read the protocol very carefully before you start experiments; that way, you can plan your day better!

What I learnt:

• Experiments often take longer than you think
• Read each protocol carefully before you start
• Bring snacks!

Win #2: Feeling More Competent (Even Without Perfect Data)

Look, this year I may not have produced a groundbreaking dataset worthy of Nature or Cell, but I did hit a different type of milestone. Things are finally starting to make sense. Techniques that once felt impossible became manageable, protocols became intuitive, and I stopped Googling “what is PBS?” (mostly).

This year, I stepped into the role of a researcher! Not because of perfect data, but because of growing confidence, understanding, and consistency.

What I learnt:

• Competence grows quietly in the background
• You don’t need perfect results to be progressing

Fail #2: Experiments That Personally Victimised Me

Some experiments felt like they were trying to ruin my career on purpose! Sometimes I was humbled so deeply that I considered switching fields to something less taxing!

Among my greatest hits:

• Not labelling my tubes with enough information
• Using the wrong type of water (not all water is created equal)
• My stem cells always dying #rip

What I learnt:

• Failure is educational
• Mistakes don’t mean incompetence

Win #3: Building Community

This year I found my people! Fellow PhD students who listen to each other’s rants, celebrate each other’s wins, and understand each other’s failures! If you are embarking on a PhD journey, surrounding yourself with like-minded people is very important for your sanity. But remember, it’s also important to build a community with people from outside academia too! This gives you the ability to switch off!

What I learnt:

• Acadmeia is easier when you don’t do it alone
• Community keeps you sane

Failure #3: Work-life balance (Still loading…)

This year, I wanted to become That PhD Student™, you know, the one with the thriving social life, organized calendar, consistent routine, glowing skin… you get the gist! Spoiler: I failed. Some weeks I lived in the lab, while other weeks, it felt like I did nothing productive! My version of balance was abstract:

What I learnt:

• Balance looks different every week
• Rest doesn’t make you weak
• Productivity is not your personality

Win #4: Growing as a Scientist

This year I leveled up. I became more independent, more confident, and more capable. Things that once scared me are now routine. I asked smarter questions. I understood my field more deeply. And I started to see research not just as a task, but as an evolving story.

What I learnt:

• Growth is usually invisible until suddenly it isn’t.
• Confidence is built through repetition, not perfection

Failure #4: Taking On Too Much

If overcommitting was an Olympic sport, I’d have a gold medal. Between experiments, meetings, content creation, a social life, I lived in a state of constant overwhelm! I said yes to things I shouldn’t, stretched myself too thin, and paid the price: tiredness and stress.

What I learnt:

• “No” is a complete sentence
• You can do anything but not everything

Win #5: Content Creation & Science Communication

This year, I decided to document my PhD journey! I grew my platforms, connected with thousands of students and scientists, and shared the reality of doing a PhD: messy, funny, chaotic, inspiring. When I was younger, considering a career in science, science content creators gave me clear insights into what the world of science is really like. Now I love that I can do the same!

What I learned:

• People WANT real, honest science content.
• You can be a scientist and creative.
• Sharing your journey helps others feel less alone.

Fail #5: Forgetting That I Am Human

At times, it feels like I pushed myself too hard! I forgot that:

• I need sleep
• I need breaks.
• I need hobbies.

What I learned:

• You can’t pour from an empty pipette.
• Your health matters more than your results.
• Academia is a marathon, not a sprint.

Conclusion

My PhD journey in 2025 wasn’t perfect. It wasn’t glamorous. It wasn’t linear. But it was transformative. My wins made me proud; my failures made me resilient. I grew as a scientist, as a communicator, and as a human navigating academia with equal parts ambition and chaos.

Here’s to more learning, more mistakes, more breakthroughs, and more unexpected plot twists next year.

And if all else fails… at least I labeled my tubes.