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Brandon Brown “fell into farming” after tiring of city life during the COVID-19 pandemic and now tends more than 150 fruit trees alongside his research into HIV and public health ethics at the University of California, Riverside, School of Medicine. “I had to look at farming the same way that I look at my academic career, and to take it one day at a time with my eyes towards a goal,” he says.

Brown says it took him a while for the realization to dawn. “My PhD taught me that the work is never done, and there’s always a new research project to pursue, more students to collaborate with, more policies to work on,” he says. “And since research builds on research, the fun never ends.”

Mornings spent outdoors also gives him time to think about work priorities. “I have lots of free time to think as I do the farming, and many times I write down notes as I’m working, because ideas and kind of reminders and goals and deadlines pass through my mind,” he says.

There are other benefits. Brown says he now falls asleep to the “beautiful” sound of howling coyotes, alongside possums, racoons, skunks, squirrels, lizards and gophers.

This is the fourth episode in a six-part series about creativity in science. Previous episodes featured a researcher who draws parallels between her research and sewing, another whose pursuit of baking and fermentation revealed fresh career opportunities, and two researchers who follow the concept of “day and night science” to distinguish between routine tasks and reflection.

Brandon Brown sees parallels between life as an academic and tending a citrus grove following his move to the country.

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doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-026-01391-1

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Transcript

Brandon Brown sees parallels between life as an academic and tending a citrus grove following his move to the country.

Brandon Brown 00:00

So I had to kind of look at farming the same way that I look at my academic career, and kind of take it one day at a time with my eyes towards a goal.

David Payne 00:18

This is Creativity in Science, a series brought to you by Nature Careers…

Brandon Brown 00:24

So I have lots of free time to think as I do the farming.

And many times I have to, you know, take out a small notepad that I keep with me to write down notes as I’m working, because ideas and kind of reminders and goals and deadlines pass through my mind.

David Payne 00:42

….a podcast about how science and creativity go hand in hand, and about how one can nurture the other.

Brandon Brown 00:52

It took me some time to learn that I needed to think about this work on the farm in the same way.

David Payne 01:01

Here’s a researcher who left the big city for a small farmstead and found how surprisingly compatible rural life and the academic world really are.

Brandon Brown 01:24

My name is Brandon Brown.

I’m a professor in the department of social medicine, population and public health in the University of California, Riverside School of Medicine, in the United States.

My research interests are broadly on the topics of HIV and the ethics of participant payment in research.

But I’m also working on ways that we can increase community involvement in research and addressing some of the often-unspoken challenges that faculty, students and staff face in academia, most recent with the grant terminations here in the US.

In addition to research, I teach public health ethics and I’m involved with different organizations off campus.

Brandon Brown 02:15

Yeah, so the story of how I got involved in farming is an interesting one, and I would say that honestly, I kind of fell into it during the Covid-19 pandemic.

But one evening in 2020 we were awoken from bed by loud noises in front of our house, and saw that the street was partially closed off due to a Trump rally.

And we saw hoods and Confederate flags in the garage across the street.

So that was our cue to kind of immediately try to move. And since this was still at the height of the pandemic, we decided we would look for a home with more space outside.

That way we could try and grow our own food and have a larger yard and enjoy fresh air and kind of nature and exercise, and be in the what people call the earth gym.

And then when we found our home, it was like it was meant to be, because the owners wanted to move out of state, and we were the buyer who kind of was ready to go.

So we got the space, but we did not have any experience in managing such a large plot of land, which is primarily citrus grove.

But we learne

Running a farm, pursuing a research career: what’s the difference?