Scholarship of Hungarian Academy of Science for Kinga Káplár-Kodácsy

The Hungarian Academy of Science has launched a call for proposals to support the scientific career of researchers raising children. Of the forty-three winners, five were from Eötvös Loránd University, four of them from our Faculty. Kinga Káplár-Kodácsy PhD, a mother of three children and an assistant professor at the Institute for Research on Adult Education and Knowledge Management, was awarded a grant in the category "Mentoring in higher education: a key to develop successful and sustainable mentoring networks" for the publication of the scientific results. She is currently conducting her research ("Comparative Analysis and Assessment of Mentoring Programs (CAAMP) for Advancing Faculty Excellence In the US and in the Hungarian Higher Education") at the University of Florida on a Fulbright scholarship, and has moved to Gainesville with her family for this time.

Institute: How do you manage to maintain a balance between your duties as a researcher and as a mother?

Kinga Káplár-Kodácsy: I'm surrounded by great teammates. My husband, grandparents, and my children work together to help each other achieve their goals. Strict time management and focused attention are needed for the process to work, as well was flexibility to be able to redesign some steps. My direct colleagues and friends also help me  to make it work.

Institute: What kind of professional challenges do you have to face?

Kinga Káplár-Kodácsy: I definitely have to take into account that my youngest child is not yet a year old, so she needs most of my attention. Although my older children are independent in many ways, I am here for them 7/24, and my husband and I raise them in close cooperation. This is how I have to find the time in my days when I can do useful and in-depth professional work, when for example, I can focus on writing a paper. Usually the latter is the most difficult. On the other hand, I had to accept that there are tasks for which I need more time compared to others, so I have to plan my projects with sufficient timeframe.

Institute: How does the Academy grant help you?

Kinga Káplár-Kodácsy: The grant provided by the Hungarian Academy of Science gives me a financial and time framework for my already planned project. It helps me prioritize and assign appropriate resources to my work at this stage of my research career.

Congratulations! We are proud of our teacher and researcher, Kinga Káplár-Kodácsy!