Year 2 of my #PhD when I was atvthe peak of my #PhysicalActivity and #fitness! This was the time when anything felt acheivable 😀
Loved my #hair that I had grown since the start of my PhD! This was #onceinalifetime thing for me to do! I donated 12’ to @locksoflove #cancersurvivor Then the #science #reality and #depression hit me! It was the most unimaginable experience! It’s easy to brush off when other people say what depression entails, but the #experience was very profound and physically devastating! I noticed the smallest things around me differently!

Walking out these doors @UMassIALS @UMassChemEng @UMassAmherst is a weirdly feeling! I left home 13 years ago for the pursuit of happiness. Over the years, I have seen that some people move out of academia neutral 😐, some bitter 😕, and some happy 😀..... contd. @AcademicChatter However, almost all the time you have to leave for bigger and better things in life.
One thing I’m absolutely sure about is that almost all people move out with a sense of ‘pride’. #phdlife

Positive #transformations are always great to see as an end product. The journey to a transformation however is almost always hidden. On the first day of #phd #gradschool in @umasschemengg, I introduced myself by saying....contd.

@AcademicChatter ....I came to the US for the ‘#science’ and ‘#fitness’ industry that is known to be the best in the world. Everyone got a good laugh 😂 out of it. However, I wasn’t kidding at all 😈! I always had this vision of a scientist 👨🏾‍🔬who is also ripped to the core physically 💪🏾.

After 6 months of #lockdown and #lab shutdown I spent a full day 9 am-8 pm in lab doing experiments! New #grad students in #lifesciences: There is always light 💡 and #fluorescent images at the end of the tunnel! Filing a #patent on my #invention from #phd work soon @OrganOnAChip This is an Organ on a Chip platform that enables mimicking #tissues and #organs in a high throughput manner! The main focus will be towards developing #mucosal organs with tissue resident #immune cells and lining #epithelial cells for #testing #COVID19 treatments #covidvaccines

To all the new #graduate students starting their #PhD or the ones already in it. It's true that the #journey of a PhD is like #life packed into a few years. You must also understand that it is not your entire life either! Life goes on despite how this journey goes or ends! Thread I made this #infographic to represent my journey in #gradschool at @UMassChemEng @UMassAmherst. When you're in the thick of things, It will be hard to see the light at the end. Everyone around you will keep telling you that but most of the times it will seem #impossible!

After 6yrs of a roller coaster ride #PhD and 1yr of #jobsearch, #immigration woes, and a #pandemic, I am humbled and happy to officially accept a Postdoctoral Scientist position @abbvie. I owe this to my wife and savior @priyankaitkar9, #parents, #inlaws, and all #familymembers! Shoutout to kind and supportive people in my life who guided me and kept me sane and positive so I could aggressively go after my dreams @UMassChemEng @IITGuwahati.

Let me share a true 'horror story' of #academia titled #STEMOPT. Imagine being an #internationalstudent in a #globapandemic #COVID19 and finishing a #PhD while navigating this process. read on... In layman terms OPT from #USCIS is required for all #internationalstudents in Masters' and PhD programs to legally work in the US after completing the degree. My application got approved last week amidst the possibility that new OPT approvals might be cancelled for the year. sigh

I have joined the Army of brave souls who completed their #PhD during the global #pandemic of 2020 #COVID19 . I am full of gratitude to everyone that contributed to this mammoth achievement directly or indirectly. 🎓👨‍🔬👨‍💼 @forbeslabumass @JWLeeJWL @UMassChemEng #microbiome #mucus I am looking into ways to have my name on the diploma to be 'Abhinav Priyanka Sharma'. My wife @priyankaitkar9 has contributed equally towards this degree emotionally. Without her love & support it would be incredibly hard to find the courage to keep going when I hit rock bottom.