National Student Parent Month: Gefen Baranes
Celebrating MIT’s graduate student parents
Happy National Student Parent Month! This month, the Office of Graduate Education is featuring one graduate student parent per week, highlighting their academic work and parenting journey at MIT. Stay tuned for more student parent features!
Family: son Adam (8 months).
Degree program: PhD in Physics
Years at MIT: 4
Meet Gefen Baranes, a fifth-year PhD student in Physics at MIT who spends her days developing fault-tolerant quantum technologies.
She arrived on her current path after conducting research for the first time as an undergraduate. She quickly realized that she wanted to pursue graduate studies at the best school possible. “I looked into schools, and the best quantum computers are at Harvard and MIT,” she explains. “I didn’t expect to get in,” she muses, reflecting on MIT’s competitive interview process.
Now, as she anticipates graduation and contemplates a career choice between academic and industry paths, Gefen is navigating an additional milestone: parenthood.
Shifting priorities
Gefen’s son, Adam, arrived midway through her fourth year at MIT, as she was already well accustomed to graduate life.
On her return from maternity leave, the new reality of balancing a demanding research program with a newborn became clear: “There’s a lot of flexibility, but my professional responsibility is the same, which is challenging.” She shares candidly, “I find myself working in the evenings after nights of really bad sleep, instead of resting.”
It’s a familiar experience for many new parents, particularly those who are also completing their studies. Yet Gefen has discovered something unexpected in this demanding season of life.
“It’s nice to have something more,” she reflects, noting that having her son Adam has fundamentally shifted her approach to life. “The problems I had before don’t seem as important now. I have a better perspective and now prioritize my time better.”
This often means less downtime. Instead of decompressing with a show in the evening, she spends time with her son. She’s reorganized her life around being both a student and a parent without losing the initial drive that brought her to MIT five years ago.”It’s hard because you have a lot of research, but it seems like it’s harder when you get higher up because you have less time,” she reflects. “I feel like I can still achieve everything I set out to do.”
When Gefen first arrived at MIT as a graduate student, she wasn’t aware of the community of other student parents. But pregnancy and early motherhood changed that. She found multiple communities: a “moms at MIT” group chat, Site 4 activities, several Jewish moms groups (both within MIT and the broader Cambridge community), and even baby lapsits and sing-alongs at the Cambridge Public Library.
“I met moms during maternity leave,” she recounts. “I’ve met many postdocs with children, but not many grad students.” That postdoc community has become an unexpected source of connection and support during a demanding period.
Leaning on MIT’s support systems
What Gefen emphasizes most when reflecting on her journey to motherhood is the comprehensive support MIT provided throughout her pregnancy– support that made having a child during a PhD feasible.
The cornerstone of that experience has been MIT’s healthcare system. “The health insurance was exceptional,” she praised, recalling how all her diagnostic and delivery needs were covered.. Both the convenience and quality of care were remarkable: her baby’s pediatrician is located right next door at MIT Health. When questions arise, she can call the help line and speak with a nurse immediately.
“Having a baby on campus has been the best experience,” she says. “If you want to have a kid during a PhD, this is the place.”
For more information on MIT’s support for students with children, please visit the MIT Families website or contact gradfamilies@mit.edu.
