This event aims to foster open discussions on how leadership can support mental health and well-being inacademic and professional environments, especially within international and multicultural contexts.

We invitestudents, researchers, leaders, and support staff to join us in reflecting on key challenges and sharing strategiesfor building healthier and more inclusive work environments in science and education.

Topics will include leadershippractices, mental health awareness for PhD students and postdocs abroad, early signs of mental healthissues, work-life balance, burnout prevention, and how institutions and group dynamics can foster psychologicalsafety — including reflections on parenthood and support for young researchers.

Key points:

• What makes a healthy work environment across different cultures

• Mental health challenges for PhD students and postdocs living abroad

• How to detect early signs of mental health struggles

• Balancing exciting work without overworking

• Good practices for work-life balance

• Fostering psychological safety in research teams and the role of leadership and institutions

• Reflections on the impact of parenthood for early-career researchers, particularly young women in science

Schedule:

13:45-14:00 – Welcome and presentation of organisers

14:00–14:25 – Dr. Sol Carretero Palacios (20 min presentation + 5 min discussion)
How to Balance It All: Science, Teaching, Administration, Family, Relaxation

14:25–14:50 – Dr. Victoria Esteso (20 min presentation + 5 min discussion)
An abroad work experience and plans for motherhood

14:50–15:15 – Dr. Sarah McKee (20 min presentation + 5 min discussion)
Hiding in plain sight: A Testimony from Within the System on Mental Health in Academia

15:15–15:30 – Coffee Break

15:30–16:00 – Dr. Fatima Erthal (25 min presentation + 5 min discussion)
Mental health challenges in Academia: Insights and reflections from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (Brazil)

16:00–16:30 – Flavia Crossetti (25 min presentation + 5 min discussion)
Mental Health in Research Work: A Clinical Perspective on Burnout and Prevention (Flavia Crosseti)

16:30–16:40 – Final words from the organisers

Registration
Register here to participate in the event: https://forms.office.com/e/kBmXNKmU2A

Participation is free and open to everyone.
The event will be held in English.

Acknowledgements

This is part of the project No. 2022/47/P/ST3/01236 co-funded by the National Science Centre and the EuropeanUnion’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie grantagreement No. 945339.

Abstracts

How to Balance It All: Science, Teaching, Administration, Family, Relaxation (Dr. Sol Carretero Palacios)

Abstract: Young researchers today are expected to excel in science, teach effectively, contribute to administration,maintain a family life, and still find time to rest and recharge. Balancing these often conflicting demandscan feel overwhelming and unsustainable. This talk offers a candid exploration of the challenges faced by earlycareeracademics and presents practical strategies for managing competing priorities. Drawing from real-lifeexperiences and shared insights, we’ll reflect on how to navigate these pressures with intention, set boundaries,and redefine what balance truly means in an academic career.

An abroad work experience and plans for motherhood (Dr. Victoria Esteso)

Abstract: Working abroad is quite common in science and becomes an important experience for both professionaland personal life. In this talk, I would like to share some reflections on how it can positively andnegatively affect the young researcher, their science and the person they are. In addition, I would like to sharesome more reflections on how plans to become a mother can impact your research career.

Hiding in plain sight: A Testimony from Within the System on Mental Health in Academia (Dr. SarahMcKee)

Abstract: This talk shares a testimony from within the system about navigating mental health challenges whilststudying under the intense demands of a prestigious academic scholarship. At the time, I was working from6 a.m. through to 3 a.m. most days, not just to meet the academic expectations placed on us but also as thestudent leader responsible for supporting two cohorts of high-achieving scholars. I’ll speak candidly about whathappened, who noticed, what kinds of help were offered (or not), and how I eventually built myself back fromthe brink of burnout and chronic stress. This isn’t a policy critique or a research summary, but rather a livedaccount of what it means to lead, achieve, and buckle under the pressure of carrying both performance andappearances in an environment which often mischaracterises mental health struggles as a symptom of beingunfit for the field. My hope is that by sharing this, we can begin more honest conversations about what studentsare carrying, and what academic institutions can do to truly support mental health

Mental health challenges in Academia: Insights and reflections from the Federal University of Rio deJaneiro (Brazil) (Dr. Fatima Erthal)

Abstract: Brazil has the highest levels of depression and anxiety in Latin America. The COVID-19 pandemicimposed an even greater challenge, with one of the world’s worst responses from the government. It led toa high level of insecurity for the whole population, including graduate students. This group faced high levelsof stress related to social and financial insecurity, as well as high demands for productivity and worries aboutmeeting deadlines. This presentation will showcase data collected during the pandemic at the largest publicuniversity in Brazil and one of the most prestigious in Latin America, the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro. Itwill analyze the contributing factors to these mental health issues, highlighting the critical role of building andsustaining social connections as a fundamental strategy to enhance mental well-being and resilience.

Mental Health in Research Work: A Clinical Perspective on Burnout and Prevention (Flavia Crosseti)

Abstract: Academic life is known to be a stressful job, highly cognitively demanding job, which can often leadto Burnout. In this presentation, I’ll talk about how can stress become pathological, signs that it’s becomingBurnout and ways to prevent it from happening, both from an individual and a management point of view.

Introductions

Dr. Sol Carretero Palacios

Sol Carretero Palacios is a Tenured Scientist at the Institute of Materials Science of Madrid, part of the SpanishNational Research Council (CSIC), the largest public research institution in Spain. She leads the SemiconductorMaterials for Sustainability (SMS) Group, a collaboration with the university of Seville, where she leads theoreticaland simulation studies of semiconductor materials. Sol earned her PhD from Universidad de Zaragozaand completed postdoctoral research at LMU Munich, ICMS-Seville, and Universidad Aut´onoma de Madrid.Her current research explores the optical and electrical properties of semiconductors for real-world devices likesolar cells, LEDs, lasers, and detectors, including cutting-edge work on perovskite materials and Casimir forcecontrol. In 2024, she was awarded CSIC’s Best Early-Career Supervisor Prize. She is also the mother of twogifted children, aged 5 and 8, a role that adds an extra layer of intensity and purpose to her daily balancing act.

Dr. Victoria Esteso

Victoria is a Postdoctoral Scientist at the Institute of Materials Science of Sevilla (ICMS), part of the SpanishNational Research Council (CSIC), the largest public research institution in Spain. She also is a professor atthe University of Seville (US). She co-leads the Semiconductor Materials for Sustainability (SMS) Group, acollaboration with the Institute of Materials Science of Madrid, where she leads theoretical and simulationstudies of semiconductor materials. Victoria earned her PhD from the University of Seville and completedpostdoctoral research at LENS in Florence. Her current research at ICMS and US is devoted to the design andcharacterization of the optical response of materials for different applications, among others the study of theCasimir-Lifshitz forces.

Dr. Sarah McKee

I am Dr. Sarah McKee a Physicist from South Africa with a background in Space and Astrophysics. I aminterested in the conversion of science in to real world solution and thus applying my space science tools tothe problems which affect the quality of life for ordinary people. Currently, I am involved in peace research- specifically considering the nexus of nuclear arms control and dual-use space technology, space policy andinternational law.

Dr. Fatima Erthal

Neuroscientist with a PhD in Sciences and specialist in neuroimaging with fMRI. Associate professor at the Instituteof Biophysics (IBCCF-UFRJ-Brazil), investigating brain processing in trauma victims and mental health ingraduate students. Founding member of the Brazillian chapter of the Organization for Women in Science for theDeveloping World (OWSD-Brazil) and the Diversity Committee of the Brazillian Society for Neuroscience andBehavior (SBNeC). Integrates mental health committees (Biophysics Institute-IBCCF-UFRJ) and the AffirmativeAction committee (Psychiatry Institute-IPUB-UFRJ). Coordinates an education project with students from publicschools in Rio de Janeiro on deconstructing stereotypes.

Flavia Crossetti

Flavia Crossetti de Castro, psychologist, graduated in PUC-Rio (Pontif´ıcia Universidade Cat´olica do Rio deJaneiro) and specialist in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy.

Workshop Organizers:

Dr. Mathias Bostrom
Email: mathias.bostrom@ensemble3.eu
Centre of Excellence ENSEMBLE3, Warsaw, Poland

Dr. Astrid Armgarth
Email: astrid.armgarth@ri.se
Unit Manager, Department Smart Hardware, Unit Bio- and Organic Electronics
RISE Research Institutes of Sweden, Norrk¨oping, Sweden

Duncan Platt
Email: duncan.platt@ri.se
Unit Manager, Printed Electronics
RISE Research Institutes of Sweden, Norrkoping, Sweden

Dr. Larissa Inacio (Moderator)
Email: larissa.inacio@ensemble3.eu
Centre of Excellence ENSEMBLE3, Warsaw, Poland

Dr. Sol Carretero-Palacios
Email: sol.carretero@csic.es
Instituto de Ciencia de Materiales de Madrid, ICMM-CSIC, Madrid, Spain

Associate Prof. Silvio Osella
Email: s.osella@cent.uw.edu.pl
Chemical and Biological Systems Simulation Lab, Centre of New Technologies
University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland

Prof. Dorota Pawlak
Email: dorota.anna.pawlak@ensemble3.eu
President for Centre of Excellence ENSEMBLE3, Warsaw, Poland

Contact: mathias.bostrom@ensemble3.eu

Acknowledgements
This is part of the project No. 2022/47/P/ST3/01236 co-funded by the National Science Centre and the
European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie
grant agreement No. 945339.