Grande palestra, bassa retribuzione - werkgeversreview Anonieme werknemer bij IFOM

I wouldn’t say there were any pros

I was fortunate to be selected for several PhD opportunities abroad, and one of them was at IFOM – an institute dedicated to cancer research in Milan. I joined a newly established lab under a junior principal investigator (PI), and was their first international student with prior training in cancer biology. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, my travel was delayed for months. However, my PI and I utilized this period productively—regularly connecting over weekends to plan the project and even co-authoring a review article together. Eventually, I made a bold decision to travel to Italy via an alternate route, determined to pursue the opportunity. When I finally arrived in Milan, I was excited to meet the team and immerse myself in the research environment. I had realistic expectations—European institutes often don’t have large campuses, and that was never a priority for me. However, what I experienced was something I hadn’t anticipated. As I settled in, I began to notice certain dynamics within the institute. A number of researchers, including my PI, were closely tied to the leadership, having been mentored by the institute’s then-director. This created a somewhat insular environment, where professional boundaries seemed blurred. It became clear that the institute functioned more like a tight-knit, internal network than an open, international research community. I also noticed that communication was a barrier—outside of international researchers, very few spoke English fluently, which made collaboration and day-to-day interactions challenging. More concerning, however, were subtle—but deeply unsettling—experiences of racial bias. I heard frequent generalizations about Indian students and their capabilities. Remarks such as “Indians only publish in garbage journals” or “they don’t train students well” were not isolated instances. I was also expected to be present in the lab by 8 a.m. sharp, including weekends, with no regard for work-life balance—an expectation seemingly more stringently applied to Indian researchers. While I initially assumed weekend work was part of the early project planning phase, in hindsight, it was an early indicator of a deeper issue: a culture that normalizes overwork for some, but not all. I believe it’s important to share these experiences honestly for prospective students, especially those considering international research positions. Institutional culture, inclusivity, and transparency are just as crucial as academic rigor—and should not be overlooked.

All the facilities, faculties and the possibility to easily create collaborations

Poor work/life balance, standard retribution with no benefits