Journey Towards Independent Research
Against all odds, I’ve been living my life story the way I wanted, facing challenges head-on and learning valuable lessons along the way.
It hasn’t been easy, but every step of the journey has been worth it. Want to know more about my adventures?
Introduction
Growing up I had an inclination towards Maths and Science. Around 15 years when we choose specialised fields of subjects, I fell in love with Biology. In the class I was always reading topics ahead because the hunger to know more could not be satiated.
To be specific, one topic or area that struck me was the possibilities installed in DNA or genetic power. I even grew interested in the molecule because of several sci-fi movies that came across me in those days based on genetic power like cloning or stem cell research. To me, genetic power is going to be the next big thing, comparable to nuclear power.
I promised myself that I was going to study this molecule in detail as it curtails a lot of missing links of life.
Well, due to lack of guidance about how to study DNA at the time, I thought the career pathway was to enrol for medicine and then move into research.
I managed to competitively score points that were required for someone to study medicine but somehow I was not enrolled into the programme, I was however offered Biochemistry because I had scored 2 As in Biology and Chemistry and B in Mathematics (Advanced Level).
At first, I had an attitude towards the programme because it felt like it was too easy for my intellectual capabilities, so to say, but when professors and lecturers in our department introduced themselves to us and telling us their fields of studies, I felt being in the rightful place.
Interest in Viruses
The course focusing on ‘de novo’ synthesis of nucleotides was very tough, and it was still first year, I felt like nucleic acids were not my thing. To my rescue, in second year, we had a well-renowned African Professor who taught us about Viruses.
She was so interested in Viruses that whenever learners asked her about them you could see her enthusiasm in answering the questions, that instilled something in me that I chose Viruses as my future endeavor.
You see viruses are small and simple packets of nucleic acids and protein with just enough components to survive. They are very interesting to study because you learn a millenia of information about life in a short period of time since they reproduce very fast and also as an Evolutionary Biologist, it’s less bureaucratic to study viruses over higher organisms like animals.
Introduction to Bioinformatics
During my final year in Biochemistry, a Doctor I would go on to do my Honours project with introduced the field of Bioinformatics.
To most of my peers in the class, they didn’t like the course because it contained too much Maths, something most biologist dislike but still have to live with. I was fairly good in Maths so it set well with me.
In fact, I chose to further my studies in the field of Bioinformatics which was a rare graduate programme to find in Zimbabwe at the time.
I moved to South Africa, specifically University of Cape Town (UCT) and Stellenbosch University where I met several experts in the Bioinformatics field who were doing interesting projects.
One project that struck my heart’s chords involved developing a computer program which could scan for recombination in viruses or other DNA sequences of choice.
The UCT Professor gave me a crash course on Programming in Visual Basic (VB) which was the language used in developing earlier versions of the program.
Meanwhile, I would work in restaurants to manage my living costs, as I would be applying for funding to commence my studies.
After 2 years of no luck I headed back home, and fortunately, after talking to a friend about my failure to find funding, he knew a Researcher with the same passion for Bioinformatics and Virology as me.
Fortunately, he was looking for an MPhil student (Master of Philosophy/ Masters by Research at University of Zimbabwe where I would study) to supervise but he had limited funding where I had to pay my registration and tuition fees and he would provide my day-to-day living costs.
To me, this was a good deal because I was single and living with my Uncle’s family so all I needed was bus fare and lunch which could be covered by the funding. A relative had also offered to pay the fees so everything was in line.
MPhil studies
For my MPhil, I studied HIV and HPV (Human Papillomavirus) which I commenced in May 2019. Virology took a turn when in early 2020, COVID-19 struck.
My University encouraged early researchers to study SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19, so I joined in the research. As an early researcher in a mostly exhausted field like HIV/AIDS research, it is difficult to do ground-breaking research anyway.
Coronavirus/COVID-19 research had its perks too, DNA sequences were abundant and more accessible compared to other viruses.
In those days I was starting to move towards Python as my main programming language because available Bioinformatics tools were not giving me the scalability and flexibility I wanted. VB was also a bit old and could not handle strings (DNA sequences) as much as I would get with Python.
Additionally, COVID-19 research papers were easily accessible as it was free, though I saw a decrease in quality even in high-profile journals like Nature.
But what made this a good experience was that I was growing together with most researchers in that budding field.
The story then changed…
After gaining knowledge through self-teaching, I started to spend less time on my Purpose and focused more on writing and completing projects that benefited others, such as reports and research papers.
While I don’t hate writing in general, academic writing is too rigid and formal, and it is often archaic. For newer fields like Bioinformatics, the rigid format does not fit all, although I have noticed that some journals have understood the gap.
To focus more on my studies and new responsibilities as a husband and Dad, I had to look for a job that could cater to both, which meant leaving the research company that was funding my studies. So I started working as a biology teacher at a private school.
The job allowed me to fund my research and manage my responsibilities, so it was a win-win. I had my capable Thinkpad and could access the internet or other resources remotely, so I didn’t need to be at the university all the time.
I managed to add insights in the field of Virology through my unique skills I had gathered through Bioinformatics. Most of the work though not peer-reviewed, all I wanted was share my insights mostly through Medium.
Becoming an Independent Reseacher
During my ritual meditation on New Year’s Eve last year, I made the most disruptive decision in my academic life. I realized there was no reason to further register with my institution because I couldn’t afford the fees, and there were no resources I could point to, that the university was providing me, except for a certificate at the end of my learning.
Starting in 2024, I decided to become an independent researcher and informed my supervisors about my plan for my Bioinformatics career. I was in it for the skills and knowledge, more than just a piece of paper.
In today’s world, there is a lot you can learn online, even more specific to your field of study than what you get at universities or tertiary institutions. You can pay little or nothing for online courses compared to the fees for a degree at tertiary institutes.
Challenges of Independent Research
The life of an independent researcher is not ideal for all fields, especially researchers who require heavy or advanced machinery that can only be accessed at major institutions. Still, you can pay a fee to use the machinery, collect your data, and process it remotely. It depends on your field of study.
Another challenge of independent research is consistency; you need to be very focused to prioritize your research over other work-related tasks, especially if you have a job on the side to support yourself. It requires someone who is very disciplined with time.
Also, it is difficult to publish or apply for funding as an independent researcher without affiliation to any institute.
Independent research is not about external validation but fulfilling the fire, the hunger inside you. It’s not for those who are after anything else over the acquisition of knowledge and skills.
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