Dr Debra Bernhardt has an extraordinary list of accomplishments in her academic career. Along with a number of Fellowships and Awards, Debra has held research appointments at the University of Basel in Switzerland, the Australian National University, and Griffith University. After spending a number of years teaching and in management roles, Debra made a conscious decision to return her focus to research – a decision that led her to The University of Queensland.In our conversation today, we talk about being the only female among 17 group leaders, the different hats an academic wears in their professional life, and the importance of regularly asking yourself, “Is what I’m doing right now what I want to keep doing?”Learn more about Dr Bernhardt's research here: https://aibn.uq.edu.au/profile/2001/debra-bernhardt