Career Paths

Anibal
Valentin-Acevedo

Switching Paths

Having a job is an essential part of our adult life, and it is definitely something we need in order to survive. It is something we depend on. If we think about it, most of us will spend most of our productive life working, so looking for a job or staying at a job that we are unhappy about might ...


Su-Jun Lim-Higbie

Perspectives on teamwork for technology transfer job candidates

In a research laboratory setting, it is typical for each trainee to work independently on his or her own projects and only convene as a lab for occasional discussions, meetings or data presentations. My experience was no different. During my PhD training and postdoctoral work, I had my assigned p...


Will Soliman

Building your pharmaceutical industry career as a PhD, PharmD, or MD.

Ask most PhD, MD, or PharmD professionals how they had envisioned their careers developing while in graduate school and you will hear things like becoming a tenured professor at a reputable university, working in a retail pharmacy or having a successful medical practice. And although these can be re...


Shomita Mathew

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...


Ian
Street

On Being Entrepreneurial to Find Your New Career

There are many paths out of academia, and finding one can be surprisingly difficult. There are a few things I might suggest can do to speed the process, things I wish I’d done earlier.


Ron
Hunter

Navigating Through a Government Job World

Chemists work everywhere! Over the years, I interviewed for jobs ranging from forensic chemist at the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration to research professor at Drexel University. As PhDs, we have mastered the art of learning. As a result of completing an ultra-specific dissertation, one of...


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...


Naresh
Sunkara

Can I productize my research findings?

As a scientist, we inadvertently think about publication of our research in research journals. The higher the impact of the journal, the more prestigious the work is considered, and we don’t mind spending a year or more trying to publish in a higher impact journal! But we often fail to think about...


Andrea
Habura

Where do you fit?

“Cursed is the man who has found some other man's work and cannot lose it.” – Mark Twain What is your work, anyway? Not your research project, but your work. The sort of job you’re really suited for. If you got a traditional biologist’s education, you may not be sure. Academia is a r...


Sandlin
Seguin

What goes in a writing portfolio?

Chances are good that if you have considered moving into a communication heavy career, someone has at some point suggested you keep a writing portfolio. If you are like me, you nodded sagely and left confused. What is a writing portfolio? And what do I put in mine, if I am working as a scientist?