I'm a STEM research scientist

[JohnMcCainsDeathStare]

Early mid-career material scientist - don't want to be too identifying but ask me questions about career, life as a scientist and what it's like to be a parent too.
My second time in AMA.

We have a problem that you could probably hide a corpse in any STEM thread and no-one would notice - even if it is about COVID...

Grrrr - some dumbass troll thread is getting more attention than this one! Or indeed any other AMA!

Why did you describe yourself as a “STEM” research scientist? As a scientist surely you are STEM by definition? (I’m a mathematician. I like things well defined!)

I think it is because I specialize in physical sciences rather than biomedical/biology or more compsci/theoretical aspects. You are right in technically all science is STEM but the earlier usage of the acronym tended to be more explicitly the more physical sciences, applied science and engineering. Today of course there is much more recognition of cross-disciplinary and mixed disciplinary research.