Career Paths
Naresh
Sunkara
Transition from a Scientist to an Entrepreneur
My street credentials: I’ve been a graduate student, a PhD in Organic chemistry from the University of Maryland Baltimore County, a postdoc from the University of California, Berkeley, and transitioned into a fulltime entrepreneur for over a year now. I have also founded the Berkeley Postdoc ...
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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...
Andrea
Habura
The Packing List
Several years ago, I was doing field research in a remote and extremely cold site, and I had to take a multi-day survival training course before they would let me out on the ice unsupervised. On our first day of “Happy Camper School,” my classmates and I were given a list: “Bring: Ex...
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 ...
Michael
Salgaller
The Siren’s Song of Employment – Part Two
Last fall, I was invited by Bio Careers to present a webinar on pursuing alternative careers. It dealt most specifically with transitioning from a bench career to one involving finance or business. Interestingly, what strongly resonated with attendees were the slides on how one’s skills could...
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...
Andrea
Habura
Superstition
Admit it: you have a “lucky” PCR machine, don’t you? As any experimental biologist can tell you, working at the bench has a strong element of tradition and muscle knowledge. If I’m running a Western blot or pouring a gel, I’ll probably do it a certain way, because that’s the way I w...
Ron
Hunter
Lost and Found: Surrendering to Opportunities, Rediscovering Long-term Goals
My grandmother often remarked that I had been here before, which meant that I was an old soul. More than knowing what I wanted as a child, I anticipated the future with a sixth sense. This remained true until the end of graduate school. I finished my PhD in chemistry, and all of the anecdotal evi...
Robert Cory
Bernhards
How to Increase your Chances of Landing a Military Research Job
Finding a good job in today’s economy is a challenge, especially when it comes to specialized research. Many PhDs are forced to take jobs they don’t really want, or ones that don’t benefit their career paths. It doesn’t have to be this way. Your dream job is out there, and ...
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...