Abigail Nieves Delgado
Associate professor at the Freudenthal Institute
I was the nerdy type of kid, raising my hand before classmates did and always eager to learn new things. Growing up in Mexicali, Mexico City and Puebla, I remember I wanted to transform water into powder, so I could carry it in my pocket. My parents stimulated my curiosity by choosing proper schools and encouraged me to learn the English language. That was the basis to become the first generation working in academics within my family.
The societal relevance of History and Philosophy in Science (HPS) is huge. We bridge the gap between science, which helps us understand how things work in this world, and society. How do differences in time and political and social climates affect science? Knowing such things could change our scientific questions and make us aware of their ethical implications too. With my current project, my ultimate goal is to ensure that microbiome research, which receives substantial funding, really benefits people rather than just building another data base.
A fundamental connection
I chose to study Biology. I was concerned with the environment and nature and wanted to save the world. I still love biology and I am fascinated by everything that’s alive. In my master’s and doctoral studies on HPS I found great pleasure in connecting humanities with science. And look at me now! I feel like a real fundamental connection: without me there would still be a big gap between HPS and life sciences. Utrecht University’s Faculty of Science provided the perfect opportunity for me. I can still feel the excitement of being selected, especially given I had no prior connections in Utrecht. The selection committee probably really made an effort to be non-biased.
What excites me about working at Utrecht University is the connection with people, and the strong willingness to help with problems.
Research funding
Before going to Utrecht, I worked at Wageningen University and at Ruhr University Bochum, coming from the National Autonomous University of Mexico where I finished my PhD in 2016. After one year in Utrecht, I started writing a Vidi proposal. Writing research proposals is tough, and I couldn’t have done this without the help of my colleagues at the Freudenthal Institute and my colleagues around the world. I am very proud of earning the Vidi grant for my current research project. This grant allows me to build my own research group. I am now the principal investigator of the project ‘Microbiome research and race in the Local South' funded by NWO. Working on this project gives me great joy.
Colonial history in science
One of my PhD candidates, Elian Schure, found out that approximately 80% of research funding on the human microbiome in South Africa comes from wealthier countries and regions like the US and Europe. What worries me about this, is that those who control the money dictate research priorities. For example, research on HIV could be more central in microbiome research in South Africa given its importance for health in that context. If the money would come from other sources, would that make a difference?
This is one central concern of my research: how the current dynamics in science are linked to our colonial history. The legacy of colonialism is reflected in the unequal distribution of funding between rich and formerly colonised countries. The history of colonialism is really complex. I cannot speak of all the implications it has, but for me there is a strong connection between the impact of colonial history on rich and poor countries (colonies) because the gap between these two has not changed. The balance of power is still the same. Scientists should be aware of these historical power dynamics to avoid reproducing such patterns.
Another element of huge influence on current research is the use of the concepts of race and ethnicity in science. Colonialism gained power because of the racial hierarchies we created between people. It was useful to say that a group of people was inferior and not as intelligent as the colonisers and to back up these ideas with science. To me, it is really important to not reproduce these racialisation practices and racism in our current scientific research.
Ethics in research
For my research I like to gather empirical data in addition to the methods used in philosophy and history. For that, we can use methods from anthropology such as participant observation and talking to focus groups and individuals. In addition to that, we can take one step more and try to go to places where we can interact with experts and create spaces of collaboration. Moving from studying the other to learning with them.
It’s the same when teaching students. Two years ago I was part of the reading group “Delinking” organised by students of the HPS Master programme. We decided to write an review together of a book relevant to the reading group. For me, this activity was a way to help students gain experience writing together, reviewing and finally publishing. I am proud that they have a publication in their CV now and really know what it means to do so.
Teaching is very rewarding, I love showing my students how wonderful all living things are. I am especially in my element when my class is interested or when a student comes to me and wants to know more about HPS. Teaching can take a lot of time because one hour of teaching takes three hours of preparation. Balancing this with research can be challenging, so I always have to set priorities.
Understanding each other
I love my job, but it can also be stressful. I have seen people crying because of the high demand of their work. The workload in academia should be discussed at a high level, because the academic system can lead to burn outs. Individual solutions are insufficient; simply telling people to 'take care of themselves' does not solve the underlying issues.
I always tell my PhD candidates: not everything is urgent, feel free to ignore my crazy e-mails at midnight which I really try to avoid sending, stick to the eight hours work in a day and take your holidays.
What excites me about working at Utrecht University is the connection with people and their reality. I experience a high accessibility to help with problems, although sometimes it is difficult to find the right person in such a large community. The Descartes Centre, is very supportive. It establishes good connections with people in Utrecht and from other places as well.
I feel valued by colleagues, which is essential to stay happy in a place. And I find stability here. I am assured that I can stay in Utrecht and work on my research project for several years. In the future I hope to work more on climate change and health from an HPS perspective, as well as creating more awareness about the importance of diversity in science and society. Understanding each other better is essential and addressing our biases is a step in that direction.
dr. A. (Abigail) Nieves Delgado
Associate Professor