Qualification: Biologist
Areas of expertise: self-development and self-management, intercultural diversity and communication, career development, third party funding, establishing a career as an international researcher
Languages: Indonesian, English, German
Moving to Germany was a big step in my life and career, especially as a female. Different research and academic systems as well as language and culture in Germany are among other challenges I have to face. After more than a decade here, I believe I could say that I successfully navigated these challenges and established myself as an international researcher in Germany. These were shown in numerous scientific publications, fundings, talks, and collaboration I have thus far.
I am pursuing a career as a trainer through Scienza, which is a different path in science. I want to engage more in supporting early career researchers with my experience and expertise, especially those who come to Germany from another part of the world, to pursue their career that intersects with their values, goals, and personality.
Biography:
- Postdoc under Marie Curie Individual Fellowship (Global Fellowship) at University of Hamburg and University of California Berkeley, USA
- PhD in Biology at University of Hamburg,
- Bachelor and Master in Biology at the Institute of Technology Bandung, Indonesia
- More than 15 years conducting various research projects, teaching, coordinating and disseminating projects in several countries worldwide (e.g., Germany, Netherland, Swiss, United Kingdom, USA, Singapore, Indonesia)
- I attended various workshops and training as in various topics related to science, communication, career, and being a female in a male dominated field. I also regularly read books in these topics to enhance my skills (e.g., Culture Map, the Geography of Thought).
- I have given various talks, lectures, and actively engaged in numerous public outreaches to disseminate my science and career journey to a broader audience. One of my research findings was featured in Forbes and Discovery Channel Canada, and my career journey was featured in the 1millionSTEM.
- Keynote speaker on “Meet in the Middle: toward equity and inclusive international research collaborations in biodiversity related fields” at FörTaxCon2 – Konferenz für Förderung von taxonomischen Wissen als Grundlage für den Naturschutz (2023) and invited speaker on “Conservation (of Amphibians and Reptiles): Do we speak the same language?” at the 10th World Congress of Herpetology
- 2016-2018: Team member of PIASTA—Intercultural Living and Learning under Department of International Affairs, University of Hamburg
- 2020-now: Founder and organizer of Global Women in Herpetology Project (womeninherpetology.com), an initiative that put a spotlight on the diversity of female researchers who are working with amphibians and reptiles across the globe. Umilaela Arifin is also an editor and one of 50 females featured in the book “Women in Herpetology: 50 stories from around the world”
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