Dear Future Liya,
Today, I chose my North Star. I chose to become a Neurophysicist. You know I've been wandering for years. Since my childhood, I just didn't seem to know what I wanted to be as a grown-up. A doctor? An Engineer? A Teacher? An OnlyFans influencer? (Just kidding! {Or am I?})
But… I was today years old when I finally figured out what I wanted to be. Yeah, it took me a bit too long, but hey, better late than never, right? So yeah, being a Neurophysicist it is!
Neurophysics is not just a field for me, it’s gonna be a mirror. A place where my struggles, intensity, and curiosity all make sense. Where materials science can touch memory, healing, even consciousness itself! No, it's not something I just came up with. Took me some time to actually figure out that something like this exists.
You know I've always had a passion for Psychology, but I couldn't study it because I was not bold enough back then to choose Psychology as my major and be called a “Paagol er doctor” by people who mean nothing to me, so I had to migrate to Physics despite originally wanting psychology.
Until my previous semester (2nd year, 2nd semester), I had basically no interest in physics, it just felt like something I accidentally got stuck with. Then when I started therapy while coping with my depression, and in one session, when I told my therapist that I regretted not pursuing psychology and migrating to physics for the sake of society, she handed me a light. She said, “Who said you can't do both?” And I was entirely mindfucked because pursuing both, or knowing about a sweet spot existing between Physics and Psychology, was not something I was aware of. She gave me homework, to study on my own and check where Physics meets Psychology.
And boy! THEY REALLY MEET SOMEWHERE! And what are the odds! The very field that I've started working on to learn research work, which is materials science, can have a damn strong bridge with psychology, and knowing it stunned me! I literally lost all track of time today while learning online about it and exploring my potential career pathways. I can't believe that my current academic trajectory, my dream to pursue Psychology, my personal journey with mental health, and Abbu’s experience with stroke and neurological problems, all these things can be connected with the same red thread and fit perfectly like pieces of a puzzle!
Think of it. What am I gonna do with Materials Science? I'll (hopefully) build serious technical credibility in physics, nanotech, and lab-based skills, right? But here’s the sweet spot, neuro-materials, cognitive neuroscience, or human–technology interfaces, where materials science overlaps with psychology and the human brain, the very thing that fascinates me the most. Neuro-materials / Neurophysics, Human–Technology Interaction / Cognitive Engineering, Psychophysics / Computational Neuroscience, AI & Cognitive Modeling, you name it!
Here's how my academic trajectory would be from here. After BSc Physics, I'll have to bridge to neuro-materials or cognitive materials research. My previous target was EMJMD, and I can still pursue that goal, the target programs would just change. I’ll consider programs like Nanomaterials for Green and Digital Transitions, Master Nanoscience and Nanotechnology (EMMNano), Materials for Energy Storage and Conversion.
As alternative MSc programs abroad, I might look for neuroengineering, biomedical materials, cognitive systems, or HCI-related materials programs. After MSc, I might apply for a PhD degree in Neuro-materials, cognitive neuroscience + materials, neuroengineering, or bio-interface engineering. Or, if I want an industry fast-track, some companies take MSc graduates into R&D roles for wearables, prosthetics, or neural devices, I’ll just have to look for those if I don’t want to stay in academia. Totally depends on how I feel after finishing my MSc.
For now, to build psychology basics, I'll take online courses in cognitive psychology, neuroscience, and psychophysics. My Python plan will have a slight tweak, focusing on data analysis, simulations, and neural network basics alongside the 16-week plan I made earlier.
I was afraid it’d either be too rare, too competitive, or worse, not in demand! But turns out, it’s not too rare to have demand, it’s rare enough to make me extremely attractive if I play it smart. Think of it, my path, physics + materials science + small psychology/neuro projects + coding, will give me a competitive edge over “just physics” or “just psychology” candidates. That’d make me stand out, hopefully, but I believe in myself!
You know, Abbu passed away after a stroke, and I know firsthand how helpless it feels when medicine can only do so much. And even before that, I went through my own struggles with depression, anxiety, and ADHD. Those experiences didn’t just leave scars, they’re exactly what made me wonder how materials science, usually associated with electronics or batteries, could actually be used to heal the brain.
This field won't be just about building cool gadgets, it’ll be about giving people new hope. Imagine materials so smart they can guide brain recovery after stroke, help paralyzed people move again, or restore hearing and sight. The more I'm looking into the possibilities, the more I see that the boundary between materials science and neuroscience isn’t a wall, it’s a bridge. From someone with depression who’s tried every pill without success, to a stroke patient learning to speak again, to a kid with ADHD who just wants to focus, to a person with Alzheimer's disease, neuro-materials could create solutions where psychology and medicine alone have hit a wall.
So future Me, if you’re reading this, I hope you’ve stayed true to this spark. I hope you’ve kept the fire alive through sleepless nights in the lab, through rejections, through self-doubt. I hope you still remember that this dream was born not out of a desire for prestige, but out of love, love for science, love for mystery, love for understanding the very thing that makes us us.
I picture you now, independent, confident, maybe in a lab coat surrounded by bright students, or maybe at a whiteboard scribbling down equations about neural networks and quantum signals (?!). Wherever you are, I hope you feel the same electricity in your veins that I feel right now as I write this.
This is the day it started. August 23, 2025. Don’t forget it. Don’t forget me.
With love, The version of you who first dreamed it. ♥️