Catherine Tiligada (Greece)
| Hi, my name is Catherine and I am a university teacher at the Department of Pharmacology at the University of Athens Medical School, Greece. |  |
The way science approaches natural phenomena, philosophical and theoretical issues or even historical events has fascinated me ever since I was a student at the École franco-hellénique "St Joseph", Athens, Greece. After finishing school, I took a BSc in Biochemistry, at the University of Wales Cardiff, UK, that guided me through the laws governing life, survival and progress. During my PhD at the Department of Pharmacology & Therapeutics, University of Wales College of Medicine, UK, I discovered that science, besides being merely a system of acquiring knowledge, helps to resolve everyday questions and problems, and that determination and patience are prerequisites in research.
The basic principles of scientific thinking led me to follow a carrier as a university teacher at the Department of Pharmacology, University of Athens Medical School, Greece. As one of ten staff members, I teach pharmacology to medical, dentistry and pharmacy students. Part of my academic duties is to supervise postgraduate students and research scholars. My research team comprises eight quite demanding young people. Guiding them to use their own initiative - to observe, experiment and evaluate processes that could improve the quality of life, and to implement research for human needs - makes my professional life challenging.
It is hard to describe an academic's typical working day. Usually, I get up at 6 am, I take my son to catch the school bus and I walk to the university. I have a coffee while reading my emails and I chat with colleagues and PhD students for a while, getting organised for the day's activities. Office hours are normally spent teaching, tutoring and in meetings. Research is discussed in project meetings with postgraduate students. The team's capabilities are continuously tested, i.e. when designing the right experimental approach to an experiment, obtaining research funding or getting articles published in journals. Most of the time, the frustration resulting from negative responses from journals is counterbalanced by constructive criticism which is rewarding in the end. Quite often, working days turn out to be long, mainly due to administrative duties that have to be taken care of, leaving limited time to do real research. The best time for research is at weekends and during the holidays!
Although it sounds difficult to allocate time for personal life, family and work, there is no real competition. Planning and programming are the key words! Being a mother of an 8-year-old boy, variable working hours enable me to arrange my timetable, not completely to my liking, but certainly taking into consideration family needs. After all, I feel lucky that I have the chance to spend time with my son, stay at home, study or play tennis with him and at the same time take care of my professional responsibilities, like preparing lectures or reading and writing, when he has gone to bed!
Schools:
École Saint Joseph Peyki Attikis
Greek-French School "Jeanne d' Arc" Piraeus