has covid-19 affected your science life?

Harry Piper answered on 5 Mar 2021:

Yes! COVID continues to influence our science lives unfortunately! Usually, I would be conducting research in person, teaching in person, attending in person conferences and more! Instead I have had to change research plans – leaving behind ideas for eye tracking and instead using online surveys, attend conferences online, and teach online! On the whole I’ve been lucky it hasn’t given too much disruption, but things have certainly changed!

Alex Baxendale answered on 5 Mar 2021:

Definitely! I was running an experiment when everything was happening, and we had to stop testing when lockdown started. I have had to learn how to code so that I could create experiments in new software so I could test people online, but it just isn’t the same

anon answered on 5 Mar 2021:

Hi Olivia C,

Not a personal basis but in my research, it has for sure!
I am now looking at redefining how we view stress. Things like uncertainty of the future, lack of physical and social contact, as well as the support those things bring has really impacted all of us (young people especially) in stressful ways none of us could have known or predicted two years ago. So yes, it has affected my science life but in a different way than the scientists who have replied already.

Ellen Smith answered on 5 Mar 2021:

I was really lucky that I’d finished the two big studies for my PhD before Covid hit. But the university shut down so none of my biological samples could be analysed and were just stuck in the freezer there. As we conduct our research face-to-face, our research centre is still closed and we’ve conducted no research for a year now. But we’re hoping to be able to open up again shortly and carry on with research again.

Myrto Efstathiou answered on 5 Mar 2021:

Yes and quite a bit. I was planning to start my lab experiment when COVID-19 hit us and as a result I had to cancel that. However, this gave me the opportunity to design online experiments, which is not very frequent in my field, and this experience was very interesting and rewarding as I gained a new skill. I would also like to say that with COVID-19 restrictions, it is easier to attend seminars and conferences around the world virtually, and the cost is much lower than before.

Dennis Relojo-Howell answered on 8 Mar 2021:

Hi Olivia! I’m quite lucky because it hasn’t (yet) affected my science life. That’s because I’m still in the early stages of my PhD, which at the moment involves a lot of readings. I don’t have to go to campus to do that; I simply download the papers that I have to read. So regardless of Covid, I would still be reading research papers at home anyway.

Aside from being a PhD student, I also run my own small company. Fortunately, even before Covid, my team and I are already doing remote work due to the nature of our work (running an online magazine). While it hasn’t affected my work life, it has significantly affected my social life because pre-Covid I go out a lot during weekends and I love to travel abroad. Hopefully, 2021 will be a better year for all of us!
Good luck with your studies! 😊

Lisa Orchard answered on 8 Mar 2021:

Personally I have not been able to dedicate as much time to my research because of the need to homeschool during the pandemic. However, I am very lucky that cyberpsychology is based on our relationship with technology – so my research has perhaps become even more important as we increase our use of computers and smartphones to communicate and work.

Christina Brown answered on 8 Mar 2021:

Yes unfortunately. Our building was closed during the first lockdown so myself and others had to cancel many experiments. We were allowed to come back part time but now limitations have been made for the number of people in experimental rooms, which means it takes longer to complete experiments. It’s still not back to normal and it’s been tough trying to train people in doing experiments while social distancing, but I’m lucky that I can work from home when I analyse data or write up my PhD thesis.
I used to do some teaching which is tougher now, but I’m in awe at how the students have been dealing with it and how resilient they have been through all this

Question: has covid-19 affected your science life?

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