Dr Erin Williams

Hiya, I’m Erin. I’m a Senior Lecturer in Reproductive Anatomy and Physiology at the University of Edinburgh and I study postpartum health, lactation physiology and infant feeding in my lab. I’ve ridden the rollercoaster of Academia for the last 20 years and experienced the highs and lows that brings; I’ve led million euro grants and large research teams, and gotten by with seed funding in a lab of 1!

My two most fantastic yet demanding Repro Projects are my young sons! Adapting to Academic life as a Mum has been a real challenge and I have considered leaving Academia a few times over the years. I experienced postpartum anxiety after the birth of my first wee one and it has never really gone away, but I deal with it effectively using the skills I learned through coaching. This process genuinely changed my life (I know that sounds cheesy, but it’s true!), so much so, that I trained as a coach myself so that I can support myself and others on this wonderfully complex career path.

If you are looking for a mentor to help with the challenges of Academia, would like to discuss postpartum physiology, or simply just fancy an in-depth discussion of the latest Game of Thrones/House of the Dragon episode, get in touch.

Topics: Work-life balance, parenting in Academia, coping with stress and workload, career crossroads, postpartum physiology

Please email Erin directly at erin.williams@ed.ac.uk