Meet two Virginia Tech research couples who share a special bond

From sharing joint research leave to raising a young child while both in academia, there is much to be said for having someone who knows what work is like when you come home at the end of the day.

With Valentine’s Day this week, two Fralin Life Sciences Institute research couples — Brenda Winkel and Jim Westwood along with Nisha Duggal and James Weger — share insight on how their worlds of being partners in life intertwine with their roles in academia. 

Winkel is a professor in the Department of Biological Sciences in the College of Science, and Westwood is a professor in the School of Plant and Environmental Sciences in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.

Duggal, an associate professor, and Weger, an assistant professor, are both in the Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology at the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine.

Do you establish any boundaries when collaborating on research together to ensure professionalism at work, or between work and home?

Westwood: We have not collaborated often. We are co-authors on just one publication. The boundary between work and home is weak, consistent with the nature of faculty life. It is nice that we both understand the crazy schedules and extra work demanded by research. Discussion of work matters is generally fair game with the obvious exception of confidential matters.

Duggal: Not really. We collaborate on several projects, and we have joint lab meetings once a month.

Do you find that working together with someone you know so well helps to dig deeper into the research, or do you keep your research work separate to maintain individuality?

Winkel: One of us has a background in biochemistry, the other in weed biology, so our conversations about plants are more likely to lead to expanded perspectives than deeper analyses. But it can be a real asset to get ideas from someone who has a different perspective and familiarity with different techniques. And it’s always helpful to discuss ideas with someone you trust. But this has limits. We used to read each other’s grant proposals, but that didn’t last long. The reviews were too brutal.

Weger: Yes, we do find it helps us to work out ideas. We review each others' grant proposals and discuss them frequently. 

How do you continue to recharge and stay passionate about your research or teaching?

Westwood: We’ve taken two research leaves and have been able to spend a half year in The Netherlands and seven months in France. This let us recharge and expand our horizons, and it has been very convenient to coordinate these under a single academic system.

Duggal: There are ups and downs in this field, and it's helpful to have someone who understands those ups and downs. We encourage each other a lot.

Weger: I step back and think about the big picture — improving human health and training students to think critically and be good scientists.

Are there advantages to both working in the science fields at Virginia Tech? Could you please share those?

Winkel: We are in different colleges and departments, but plant science at Virginia Tech is a tight-knit community. We travel in many of the same circles and even had offices and labs near each other for a few years, though it still often required an appointment to see each other. But even being located in different buildings, working on campus enables us to coordinate our daily routine of commuting to work, attending events, and generally flowing with the rhythm of the academic calendar.

Duggal: We do collaborate together, and we also share a lot about our experiences at Virginia Tech with each other. It's helpful to be with someone who understands the challenges associated with this career. The flexibility in academia has helped us with our daughter, Leila, who is 15 months old.

What are some of the activities you enjoy doing together?

Westwood: Ha! We’ve been a faculty couple for nearly 26 years, raising a pair of kids for 22 of those years. We enjoyed all of that, but it didn’t leave much time for anything else. In the past few years, we’ve been able to do more of some activities, such as gardening, biking, and camping.

Weger: Spending time with our daughter, hiking and going for walks, eating good food, and traveling.