Journal Article Outlines 'Ten Rules for Women Principal Investigators During a Pandemic'

University Relations

Shannon Servoss

A chemical engineering faculty member has co-authored an article examining the unique impact of COVID-19 on women engaged in academic research.

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, most universities have transitioned to some form of online instruction and have limited lab access, creating barriers for researchers. However, women researchers share a disproportionate amount of the burden, said Shannon Servoss, associate professor in the Ralph E. Martin Department of Chemical Engineering and co-director of the university's Office of Undergraduate Research.

"The move to remote learning at both the college and K-12 level has put an inordinate amount of stress on principal investigators with caretaking responsibilities," Servoss said. "These are the same PIs that are often asked to take additional service requirements that had an increased load during campus shutdowns such as undergraduate and graduate student advising, serving on research compliance committees and diversity and inclusion efforts. At the same time that these PIs were feeling overwhelmed with responsibilities at work and home, others were finding that the time gained with no commute or in-person meetings allowed them to focus more on writing both manuscripts and grants."

Servoss and a group of colleagues from universities around the country published an article in PLOS Computational Biology titled "Ten Simple Rules for Women Principal Investigators During a Pandemic," outlining suggestions to navigate the hurdles created by the pandemic, including finding support among peers and how to say "no" to adding more responsibilities with an already-full workload.  

David Ford, head of the Ralph E. Martin Department of Chemical Engineering and holder of the Kevin W. and Marie L. Brown Department Head Chair, said Servoss has long been a champion for equity in the department.

"Dr. Servoss is a champion for diversity and inclusion in our department and has a keen eye for developing faculty and students," he said. "I'm not surprised that she has co-authored this insightful and useful article on the pandemic's impact on women engaged in academic research."

While the article is meant to serve as a guidebook for women PIs, Servoss said it's important to remember there are no rules — every PI's situation is different.

"If you get nothing else out of this article, know that there are no rules," Servoss said. "We are all in this together and must support each other in any way possible."

Read the full article.