Academia
Lauren
Celano
Building skills for career success while in academia
The topic of career planning is something that I discuss with almost everyone I speak with, regardless of whether they are a graduate student or industry professional. I emphasize that regardless of where someone is in their career, steps can be taken to develop the hard (e.g. techniques) and soft...
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Suzane
Ramos da Silva
The importance of lab meetings
Since I was an undergrad, lab meetings have been part of my scientific development.Although some people don’t like lab meetings, I think it is a great opportunity to brainstorm, keep up with your experiments and most importantly, it is a great way to organize your data.
Donna
Kridelbaugh
#SCICOMM TIP: NEVER CLAIM TO BE THE FIRST TO DO ANYTHING IN SCIENCE
You see it all the time—in a popular news article about a groundbreaking research study to even the primary literature—that so-and-so researcher is the “first” to make some brand new discovery.This claim makes me cringe every time I see it. Why? Well to be honest, it’s highly unlikely to b...
Dave
Galgoczy
Beyond the academic herd: how to pursue opportunity
Years ago, during my grad school interviews, the late Seymour Benzer told me that I would be forced to decide in grad school whether I would “run with the herd,” or instead become one of the few scientists who would be comfortable operating more independently. That succinct statement encomp...
Thomas
Magaldi
No Grandma, I am not that type of doctor: Never be ashamed of your PhD
Two weeks after I finished graduate school, my father-in-law introduced me to a friend by saying “I want you to meet my son-in-law. He just became a doctor.”While I forced a grin and politely accepted the ensuing congratulations, I instead wanted to clarify that I just received a PhD, and th...
Clement
Weinberger
Fifty ways to leave your lover
This doesn’t sound much like the title of a career path blog, does it? You most likely know it as the title of a song by Paul Simon, but while it may resonate with a lot of people, what specific relevance could it have to science PhDs and postdocs? Well, it does make sense if your first ...
Jane
Yang
Ready for a major career change? You’re not alone – part one
I am new to Bio Careers Blog. Excited as I am as a first-timer, I will set a rule for my blog: I do not intend to give out specific action items or tips to fellow job seekers.You see, I am one of you. After many years of academic research, I am ready for a major career change. It seems lik...
Clement
Weinberger
The future may be more in the benefits (Discussion) than the features (Methods/Results)
PhD students, and a majority of PhDs in science, spend many hours at the bench doing research designed to obtain results that will either confirm or reject a hypothesis. They write, defend and revise a thesis. Along the way, and as soon and as often as possible afterward, they publish the resul...
Clement
Weinberger
Making a journal short list
At some point, you will have to choose journals to submit your articles to. Finding the right journal is important because if your article isn’t published in a timely fashion, say within a year of a congress presentation, no one will know about it, and a delay will make someone ask, “why di...
Robert Cory
Bernhards
Academia, Industry, or Government?
The major question almost all graduating PhDs face is whether to pursue a career in academia, industry, or government. I’ll discuss pros and cons of each along with some common misconceptions.Many graduate students are under the false impression that most PhDs go into academia. This is...