11 reasons why we’ve stayed in academia

Katrina Claw, PhD, assistant professor of biomedical informatics, is one of 11 researchers in a career feature in Nature on March 12 explaining what motivates their academic lives. “My dad was a heavy-equipment operator for more than 40 years, and in our tribe’s traditional ceremonies, he always prayed for me to have a job in which I would stay clean all day and have an office,” Katrina says. “I not only have an office with views of the Rocky Mountains, I also have a laboratory full of pristine equipment and lead a successful research programme that trains students and collaborates with Native American communities on pharmacogenomics and the cultural, ethical, legal and social implications of genomics research.”