As the pandemic continues, researchers are coming to terms with what they\u2019ve learnt and lost so far, finds Nature<\/em>\u2019s global survey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Martha Nelson was in her element in early 2020. As the world grappled with the outbreak of the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, Nelson, who studied viruses with pandemic potential at the US National Institutes of Health (NIH), felt her work was suddenly more urgent and relevant than ever. Friends and family assumed that she had ultimate job security. \u201cPeople were telling me that I must be on top of the world because my work is so important,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In reality, Nelson says she was barely hanging on. Balancing work and family life was often a struggle even before the pandemic, and that was when she had paid childcare support and nearby help from her young son\u2019s grandparents. The pandemic removed that support system, and it became harder to keep pace at work. In October 2020, her annual contract wasn\u2019t renewed. In turbulent times, even important jobs can disappear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Nelson was one of more than 3,200 self-selected scientists around the world who took Nature<\/em>\u2019s 2021 Salary and Job Satisfaction Survey, which ran from June until early July. Nature<\/em> is presenting the survey results in a series of articles that will shed light on the state of science at a pivotal time (see \u2018Nature<\/em>\u2019s salary and job survey\u2019). As with last year\u2019s survey of postdoctoral researchers<\/a>, this year\u2019s included a series of questions about the impact of the pandemic on lives and careers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n