Using social media for personal branding

Two months into my PhD, things were going really well. I discovered a new C–H halogenation reaction and I was over the moon. I thought I could have a first author publication before the end of my PhD. This would have paved a great and successful career as an academic, landed a postdoc in a prestigious university and possibly granted me a professorship or lectureship within a few years.

The excitement didn’t last long. The research group was small and no one else was working on catalysis. I didn’t learn anything new, the quality of my research was horrible, and I ended up failing my first year.

During this challenging time, I used to question myself every day. Was I wasting my time doing research? Would a career outside academia be possible? Was I a good scientist?

Back then, I didn’t have any answers. However, I noticed that many PhD students were using social media for personal branding – building their reputation on something unique about themselves.