Science is all about connection and working together, something that has been made all the more challenging as a result of the new coronavirus that has had a huge effect on everyone’s lives around the world.

With lab and office block closures in accordance with the social distancing measures, most of us have found ourselves working from home.

We’ve asked AFM users how their work has changed and how they are sharing their research and keeping in touch with other scientists. We also asked them for some Working from Home Top Tips.

It’s amazing that some of the scientists we asked have managed to take their AFMs home with them, and are still getting good images outside their labs!

We want to encourage the AFM community to share their work, interesting papers they have read or anything else they wish to share with the community on our LinkedIn group.

Pablo Ares, University of Manchester - National Graphene Institute

Laia Pasquina Lemonche, PhD student at the University of Sheffield

Mark Buckwell, University College London

Francesco Lavini, New York University

Peter Eaton, University of Porto

Ragha Eachambadi, Hasselt University

Alice Pyne, University of Sheffield

1. How has working from home changed the way you work and what you’re working on?

Pablo - Routines are much different, but I try to follow a similar scheme as I am used to. I've been very busy with deadlines for sending out the responses to reviewers of some articles. I also have to carry out data analysis of the last measurements we carried out, and in the following days I plan to do some more data acquisition remotely: my supervisor and I moved an AFM to her flat before the lockdown, so we aim at continuing some of our measurements.

Laia - Working from home full time has dramatically changed my daily routine. Firstly, I got separated from the AFM. It might sound weird, but I miss my microscope a lot! Secondly, I no longer have my nice office with two screens, perfect for image analysis. However, I took this opportunity to finish old paperwork, read papers I have been meaning to read for a long time.

Mark - As instrumental access is off the cards for the time being, I've had the time to start putting together a review article, which has given me a few ideas of systems that would be interesting to model. I've been putting off learning to use COMSOL and develop my Python knowledge due to focusing on measurements, so the situation has given me the impetus to work on these areas.

Francesco - The shift to a work from home model has called for radical changes and for a reassessment of project operations, resources used and sometimes even goals. My experimentalist fellows and I have been particularly hit by the laboratories lockout as our research progresses rely on our regular presence in the lab and on performing experiments.

But there is still a lot to be done even far from our instruments and samples. Personally, as I have been collecting several data in the past months, this is the perfect occasion to just sit down, analyse them, put everything together and write a paper.

Peter - I actually brought my AFM home the day before we were told to stay home, and have installed it in the spare bedroom! Normally AFMs are very sensitive to vibration, but I have it on a small optical table in the spare bedroom of my flat (which is on the 10th floor) and it's working fine! I have been able to get great images even of "challenging" samples like single layers of graphene under these conditions!

Ragha - The corona pandemic has caused changes to my plans, especially when it comes to lab work. However, it has also given me the opportunity to go through my old data in detail and see if I missed out on a detail or two. It also gives me the time to work on manuscripts and on my thesis. However, I intend to work in the labs on a very planned basis, because there are rules placed on how many people can be present at the labs at any given time.

Alice- Working at home hasn’t changed much for me but has also changed everything. I’m obviously not currently in the lab, which was a huge part of the final year of my fellowship, but I’m enjoying doing some coding, paper writing, and planning another grant proposal. I’m also busy teaching and am taking courses in methods for effective online teaching which I think could be transformative for how we teach, even post COVID.

2. How are you keeping in touch with other scientists?

Laia - Most of the meetings are being held as normally as possible thanks to Google Meets (Hangouts) which is a great platform for scientific presentations online. Other platforms we have used are Zoom and Blackboard. I am a very social person and I miss face to face contact, but thanks to these new technologies, although it is not the same, I can still be up to date with colleagues and friends.

Mark - Aside from email, I've just been using Microsoft Teams for meetings. It's very functional and easy to use, although sadly it doesn't give the option of changing your background, so you can't broadcast from the beach, or a mountain, or the moon. The research group that I'm part of has been very proactive in making sure we're all keeping in touch, so we also have daily meetings to have a casual chat and check that everyone's doing ok.

Francesco - We live in a time where distance is not really an obstacle anymore. From one-on-one calls to virtual meetings with 300+ attendees, dozens and dozens of platforms, apps, and services now allow for easy and rapid communication. I was actually using most of them even before the whole coronavirus emergency. I rely on Slack for selective and efficient team communication and file-sharing, while I use Zoom for team virtual meetings.

Seminars, talks, and panels are now held remotely, whereas regarding conferences, as several have been cancelled, speakers are trying to make up for them by recording their presentations and sharing them on YouTube or similar. We have all the tools we need for staying connected. Now is all up to our initiative and inventive.

Alice- I’m keeping in touch using Google meets and Slack mainly, Sheffield uses Google’s platform and it's meant keeping in touch and scheduling meetings is really easy. We already had a group slack, which is a nice and less formal way to interact. Some of my students have changed projects due to the disruption and so I am trying to ensure that they are supported through this as best I can. I’ve also attended a lot of webinars and seminars on zoom, Microsoft teams, and other platforms.

3. Any top tips for working at home?

Pablo - I think it's important to try to organize a work routine and try to keep a schedule. I understand this can be more difficult in some cases, as when there are caring responsibilities. I would try to set reasonable working hours and try to focus all my attention so that I could get as much work done as possible at those times. But in the end, everyone has their own way of working, so my advice is to explore the different options you have and adapt to the one that works best for you.

Laia - The most important thing for me is having a routine. Having regular breaks and drinking coffee helps as well to keep up with the routine. I only use my desk for work and when I am doing other leisure activities with my laptop I move to a different area of the room. It is important to physically create a sense of "office" at home.

Mark - I find that staying active really helps me focus, as well as preventing getting a bad back from sitting in front of a computer all day. A few minutes of stretching, or something more energetic (I do a lot of marching on the spot or around the flat while lifting tins of beans) is a great way to break up the day and fend off stress, as well as making it easier to sleep at night.

It's also easy to forget that there's a world outside, so make sure to stay in contact with friends and family. I think people are being a lot more open and supportive of one another, which is something to take comfort in.

Francesco - Since the lockdown is probably going to last for at least a few more weeks, try to make your workspace as comfortable and suitable to your needs as possible. In these moments, it may be worth buying a cozy chair, or a standing desk or a laptop bed stand just to make your working life easier.

Finally, build a legacy project. This can be anything, preferably non-work related, to dedicate some time to every day. So, when everything settles back to normality, you will be able to proudly say “What did I do during the 2020 quarantine? Well, I finally learned how to play guitar!”.

Ragha - I try to keep work timings, although I take a longer lunch break since I cook my meals. Also, keeping work timings lets me stop my work in the evening and relax, trying to simulate a normal work.

Alice - There’s no “right” way to work from home… Lots of people do really well by setting up a dedicated work space. I can work just fine at my kitchen table but really need headphones to focus. I also have to be comfy and warm, so when I’m marking, I often retreat to a sunny spot in a window or to a radiator on a chilly day.

Build exercise into your schedule, either as your 'one a day' outside, or at home… I’m doing one of Adriene Mischler’s 30 day yoga programmes, which are free on YouTube and through her website. Her practices are aimed at all levels, and they definitely help as a replacement “commute”, clearing my brain, and waking me up.

Plan meals. It's not easy for everyone but we’re really lucky here in Sheffield, we can get flour and a veg box which we pick up a 5 minute walk from our front door. I’ve learnt to bake bread, and we try to cook meals that can be used as quick lunches the next day too.

Take breaks. At work it's easy to grab a coffee, make lunch, fill up your water, chat to a colleague, and take a mental refresh. Try to do the same at home… I find I’m more efficient after I've taken a break and even go outside for a walk if I’m feeling like I’m not getting much done.

Be kind to yourself. We’re in a situation I don’t think any of us ever imagined ourselves ending up in. I try not to judge myself and others through too harsh a lens and try and support those around me where I can. Everyone’s doing the best they can, whatever that is for them.

We hope you’ve found these top tips and insights into how fellow scientists are coping with life under lockdown helpful. Our top tip is to arrange a Zoom pub quiz between yourself and your colleagues – that’s definitely brightened up a couple of NuNano team evenings for us!