Academia

The importance of lab meetings

Fifty ways to leave your lover

Beyond the academic herd: how to pursue opportunity

The value of a good mentor

I like this quote that I read written by Rene Olstead - “I encourage all of you to seek out teachers and mentors that challenge you to think for yourself and guide you to find your own voice.” My long journey on the path of academia has been peppered with numerous mentors many of whom have be...

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...

#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...

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...

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...

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...

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...