I'm a scientist who moved to Lithuania from the US. I am less stressed and my work-life balance is so much better that I don't consider moving back any time soon.

• Stephen Knox Jones Jr. never felt he could take a break while pursuing a science career in the US.
• He felt guilty taking a vacation and his work-life balance wasn't ideal.
• All that changed after he moved to Lithuania. And the quality of his research is better for it.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Stephen Knox Jones Jr., a 37-year-old scientist who lives in Vilnius, Lithuania. It's been edited for length and clarity.

Growing up in New Hampshire, I never questioned the strenuous 16 years it would take me to pursue my passion for biotechnology.