Embracing failure in art and science
Computational neuroscientist Melanie Stefan, Ph.D., first wrote about “A CV of failures” in 2010 for “Nature” as a postdoc, and while at first the idea garnered little attention, it has gone on to become a viral topic. Now a professor at MSB Medical School Berlin studying the mechanisms behind learning and memory, she continues to speak globally about the importance of acknowledging failure as an academic scientist – or anyone for that matter. At the upcoming SPARK event on September 5, following a world-premiere musical performance, Stefan will exchange ideas about failure in art and science with pianist SooJin Anjou, violinist Marlene Ito, composer Reggie Moore, and SPARK co-host Professor Nikolaus Rajewsky.
We spoke with Melanie Stefan about failure and celebrating the effort made along the way to success.
What is a CV of failures and how did it come about?
Melanie Stefan, Ph.D.
Melanie Stefan: When I was just out of my Ph.D. looking for jobs, I realized that as scientists, we only talk about our successes. Our CVs are very much about putting our best foot forward and all the things we fail at are invisible. The idea of the CV of Failure is to make an alternative CV where you list your failures instead of your successes. This could be done as a reflective exercise for yourself. Or it could be done, especially for senior academics, to share with younger people, so that they see that it’s not a straight line to success, but there is struggle involved.
Why is it important to highlight the setbacks and rejections?
It is important to open a candid discussion about failure as a part of the career we have chosen and how to cope. For a while, I had a spreadsheet of all the grants that I applied to and that I failed at. You could think that would be depressing to see, but it’s also nice, because it shows me how much I’ve worked. Then when I succeed at something, it’s not just a fluke or random chance – it builds on this large amount of prior work that hadn’t been previously recognized.
How has the concept been received?
When I wrote the “Nature” essay, nothing happened. A few friends read it. Then in 2015, a Princeton professor published his CV of failures, tweeted about it and referenced my article, and that hit a nerve with a lot of people. It got a lot of attention on social media and news outlets started talking about it. Since then, I have been invited to give talks, especially to early career scientists about failure. It is exciting to see multidisciplinary conferences now being organized around the question of who is allowed to openly discuss failure?
How has the discussion evolved since 2010?
We are talking more about how this concept relates to larger systemic issues like discrimination and privilege. It turns out that not everybody is given as many chances to fail. Privileged groups can fail more often, discuss it openly and get a second chance, while others in minority groups do not have the same luxury. We have also realized that some things that feel like personal failure are actually systems failing you.
What are you most looking forward to at this SPARK discussion?
I’m a SPARK fan girl – I’ve been to several events. I’ve found it so interesting that we might think music and science are such different worlds, but you see how we share similar challenges and struggles. There is so much common ground where we can really learn from each other. I am interested to hear what strategies the musicians use to cope with failure.
How has the discussion around failure changed how you work?
My friend and I don’t celebrate acceptances, we celebrate submissions. When we submit a paper, it’s ice cream day, that’s the rule. If you get an acceptance, then you can celebrate again, that’s fine. But you don’t wait until something is successful to celebrate. You celebrate the effort made – this really has helped me to normalize the process and find joy along the way.
Register to attend the SPARK event Sept. 5 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at MDC-BIMSB.
Interview: Laura Petersen
Further information
Literature
A CV of failures, Nature, 2010
Ten simple rules for failing successfully in academia, PLOS Computational Biology, 2022
