PhD advice from Rishika

Building skin in a dish: the PhD journey of Dr. Rishika Agarwal

Rishika Agarwal is a scientist specialized in human skin organoids, who obtained her PhD at the University of Basel, Switzerland.

This scientific field is far from mine and it sparked curiosity in me. Before meeting her, I read that organoid culture technology has advanced at an impressive pace in recent years, earning the title of “Method of the Year 2017” by Nature Methods for its transformative potential in studying human biology in both health and disease (Lancaster & Knoblich, 2014). These miniature, self-organizing 3D tissue models offer an unprecedented opportunity to bridge the gap between traditional 2D cell cultures and complex in vivo models, revolutionizing biomedical research (Agarwal et al., 2023). 

They sound like the perfect subject for a Sci-Fi story, right? 

She explained during our conversation that skin organoids mimic the complex architecture of human skin, incorporating multiple cell types like keratinocytes, melanocytes, fibroblasts, and immune cells. These models allow scientists to study conditions such as genetic skin disorders, skin cancer, infections, and inflammatory diseases, paving the way to a (not too far) future personalized medicine (Lee et al., 2020). 

Despite how interesting organoids may sound, this story is about Rishika and her PhD path. So here we go!

A personal mission: science with a purpose

Rishika’s passion for skin biology is rooted in her personal story. Her father suffers from psoriasis, and she wanted to contribute to research that could help people like him. Yet, her journey was far from straightforward. After earning a Biotechnology degree in India, she pursued a Master’s in Biotechnology at the Northwestern University in Illinois, United States. At this stage, a PhD was not in her plans—she simply wanted to do research.

Her career took off in an American biotech company, where she worked from 2014 to 2019. However, as she grew professionally, she hit a plateau—without a PhD, advancing into senior scientific roles was nearly impossible. This realization made her reconsider pursuing a PhD. She applied for programs in Germany, Switzerland, and Italy. And eventually, she secured a position at the University of Basel, within the group of a professor she had never met before — a risky decision but her only option at that moment. 

A rocky start: the challenges of a PhD

Moving to Switzerland at 29 was far more difficult than her earlier transition from India to the USA at 22. Cultural differences, language barriers—Swiss-German was spoken everywhere—and an unfamiliar environment made her question whether she had made the right choice. 

Additionally, she was facing a difficult scientific challenge: at the time, the literature on epidermal skin organoids was not extensive, which meant that, on one side, her project was very innovative, but also she couldn’t rely on much prior knowledge. And so, her project started from scratch, and for an entire year, nothing worked. Every experiment failed. She began doubting herself, feeling lost even in everyday activities like grocery shopping in a foreign language.

Yet, her PhD supervisor remained supportive, never discouraged by the lack of results. A turning point came when she traveled to Utrecht (the Netherlands) to collaborate with experts in the field. Upon her return, she finally succeeded in developing her first organoid—a true Eureka moment! But just two weeks later, COVID-19 hit. A six-week lockdown forced her to pause lab work, which, unexpectedly, allowed her to reset. By the time she returned, she felt like a different person—more acclimated to Switzerland, more confident in the lab, and with a better support system of friends and colleagues.

Publishing, mentorship, and new directions

Once her experiments gained momentum, the next challenge was structuring her research into publications. Fortunately, she had a colleague in the lab who guided her in breaking down the process—starting with figures, followed by captions, materials, and finally summarizing the results.

However, she didn’t have the same luck navigating all interpersonal relationships in the lab. She faced challenges collaborating with her first-year daily supervisor and, although she enjoyed supervising her students, she encountered one particularly difficult to mentor. Yet, she remained resilient, overcoming also these obstacles to successfully complete her PhD and transition into a postdoctoral position.

Looking ahead: beyond academia

Now as a postdoc, Rishika is exploring new possibilities beyond traditional academia. She became involved with Nucleate, a student-led organization that helps PhD students and postdocs commercialize their research through workshops and networking opportunities. She initially joined to expand her connections but gradually took on more responsibilities, from social media management to event organization, til now managing director responsibilities. Kudos to her! 

Advice for aspiring PhD students

Reflecting on her journey, Rishika emphasizes the importance of self-awareness before committing to a PhD. She advises prospective students to ask themselves: Why do you want to pursue a PhD? Are you genuinely curious? Do you enjoy problem-solving and experimentation?

She also recommends gaining work experience first—whether as a research associate or in industry—to understand if a lab environment suits them without the intense pressure of a PhD. 

A story of growth and resilience

Rishika’s journey illustrates the resilience required to navigate a PhD. From failed experiments to cultural adaptation, from personal motivation to professional reinvention — her story serves as inspiration for aspiring researchers. The path of scientific discovery is rarely smooth, but as she has shown, perseverance, curiosity, and the right mentorship can make all the difference. 

Last but not least: what’s her favorite coffee?

For Rishika, coffee was never something she needed to stay awake—it was more of a comfort, although in stressful times, it would sometimes made her anxiety worse. In India, she enjoyed it simply as a teaspoon of instant coffee mixed with warm milk and sugar, or in the summer, served cold with ice. She also liked making Dalgona coffee, whipping coffee and sugar into a fluffy foam before adding hot or cold milk, making it rich and creamy like a cappuccino.