Hello Phd

Spoiler Alert: Working in a lab is tough. Yes, there’s the academic challenge, but it can also be an emotional roller-coaster when experiments fail, colleagues conflict, and you push yourself past the normal limits. When someone in your lab has a bad day, does it sound like this? Grad Student: (despondent sigh) “I can’t believe […] The post 041: Make a Difference in Your Lab with Peer Support appeared first on Hello PhD.

Kenny Gibbs is a scientist who studies other scientists. After earning his PhD in Immunology from Stanford, he turned his attention to the broader topic of scientific careers and how PhDs choose and evolve in their work.  Through surveys and interviews with postdocs and research scientists, Dr. Gibbs explores issues like career-interest formation and postdoc development. […] The post 040: Three Keys to Success in Grad School appeared first on Hello PhD.

Sometimes, we use the words ‘research advisor’ and ‘research mentor’ interchangeably, but be careful – they’re not the same thing. When you join the lab of a research faculty member in your second year of grad school, you’ve chosen a research advisor.  Whether that person turns out to be a ‘mentor’ remains to be seen. […] The post 039: Two simple steps to better research mentors appeared first on Hello PhD.

You’ve either heard the stories, or worse, you’ve lived them. They’re stories of the research advisors who scream at their students in front of the whole department. The PIs who put two or three postdocs on the same project, expecting only one to succeed. The ‘mentor’ who makes you feel like you’re not even qualified […] The post 038: Why aren’t bad research advisors held accountable? appeared first on Hello PhD.

Management consulting is an exciting field, but actually getting a consulting job at one of the top firms can be extremely difficult.  Some people argue that you’ll have an easier time getting into Harvard than landing a spot at McKinsey… We talked to a postdoc-turned-consultant about how she left the bench and got a job in […] The post 037: Consulting Jobs for PhDs appeared first on Hello PhD.

If you’ve worked at the bench for awhile, your only reference to the world of consulting is probably the two Bobs in the movie “Office Space.”  They’re the hatchet men who swoop into a company, fire a bunch of people, and fly back home.  But is that an accurate picture of consulting work, or a just bit […] The post 036: What Do Consultants DO, Exactly? appeared first on Hello PhD.

Do you like to share your passion for science with others? Do you mentor undergrads or visit your local middle school to do scientific demonstrations? If so, stop it.  Your PI is going to hate you. Is It Safe to Go Outside? Okay, so that’s not exactly true, but it can feel risky to explore […] The post 035: Making Time for Outreach appeared first on Hello PhD.

Research budgets are tight, and many universities are canceling subscriptions to costly online science journals and publications.  But papers are the currency of science, and it’s impossible to stay at the top of your field when you can’t find out what your field is doing. One solution sails between the rock and the hard-place, as scientists and trainees […] The post 034: Sci-Hub and the Publication Pirates appeared first on Hello PhD.

You might believe that because you’re in grad school and receiving a research stipend, you don’t really need to worry about paying an income tax.  You don’t have a ‘real job’ and no one asked you to fill out any paperwork so you’re off the hook, right? Wrong.  Utterly, expensively, illegally wrong. The Tax Man Cometh […] The post 033: It’s Tax Season – Here’s What You Need to Know appeared first on Hello PhD.

Reading papers is part of the job, but keeping up with the literature can feel overwhelming sometimes.  If you’re developing a sense of dread for that stack of papers on your desk, it’s time to learn some shortcuts that will get you up to speed. Paper Pushers This week, we answer a listener question about keeping up […] The post 032: Help! I Hate Reading Papers! appeared first on Hello PhD.

Great science speaks for itself, right? So the next time you need to give a lab meeting or seminar, just drop a couple of figures into the prettiest PowerPoint template you can find. Make sure to take detailed bulleted notes so you won’t forget anything! And if you’re feeling cheeky, add one of those cool boomerang animations […] The post 031: Making PowerPoint Presentations That Don’t Suck appeared first on Hello PhD.

If you are a scientist, then I know a little something about your personality.  Almost by definition, you are curious about the world.  And I’ll bet that extends beyond your particular laboratory or field of research.  If there’s something intriguing and knowable, you want to know it. Well, we are scientists too, and sometimes we […] The post 030: Baby carrots, prime numbers, and invisible planets appeared first on Hello PhD.

Choosing a lab for your graduate or postdoc research is one of the most important decisions you’ll make. Most people read papers and abstracts to find the coolest science.  Or they favor the big labs with lots of people and solid funding. But those features can distract you from the real secret of scientific success.   Your Mentor Matters […] The post 029: Tenure Tracker – Choose a Mentor, Not a Lab appeared first on Hello PhD.

If you have kids, you’ve experienced “the time shift.” Where you used to have hobbies, you now have a drive to soccer practice.  Where you used to have dinner out, you now have dinner, dishes, bath-time, stories, and bedtime, IN. And where you used to stay late in the lab to finish an experiment, you now […] The post 028: Making Time for Kids When Everyone Else Stays Late appeared first on Hello PhD.

In 2011, a whopping 36,000 science and technology grad students earned their PhDs.  That same year, about 3,000 faculty positions were created.  So why did you feel like a failure when you decided to step off the tenure track? Taking the high road Scientists aren’t always as rational as we seem.  A rational person would […] The post 027. The Road More Traveled: Stepping Off of the Tenure Track appeared first on Hello PhD.

When you’re worried about today’s experiments and tomorrow’s time points, it’s easy to lose sight of what’s really important for your career and your life.  Why not start the New Year with a new perspective? Looking Back and Moving Forward In this episode, we consider the advice of Robert J. Sternberg, PhD,  a self-described geezer and […] The post 026: Career Advice from A Successful Scientist appeared first on Hello PhD.

You’re busy.  Experiments, lab meeting, journal club, classes – you barely have time to sleep, let alone make it to the gym to exercise.  We’ll tell you about 10 creative ways other grad students and postdocs stay physically fit, and how it’s boosting their productivity and self-confidence. You don’t have time NOT to exercise The […] The post 025: Experiments and Exercise: 10 Creative Ways Scientists Stay Fit appeared first on Hello PhD.

Stephanie dreamed of becoming a scientist when she was a girl. She managed to maintain excellent grades while working in research labs throughout her college career. With her flawless CV, it came as no surprise when she was accepted into a top-tier pharmacology PhD program. Four years later, Stephanie walked into her PI’s office to tell him […] The post 024: Leave with a Master’s, and your sanity appeared first on Hello PhD.

A driving test shows that you’re ready for your license.  A pregnancy test shows that you’ve got a baby on the way.  So what does the GRE show? More often than not, it shows whether you’re a man or a woman, and the color of your skin. You can’t spell “regret” without GRE Identifying which students are ready for graduate […] The post 023: Seriously, can we ditch the GRE already? appeared first on Hello PhD.

Think about your first few months of graduate school. You moved into a new apartment in a new town, you met hundreds of other students and scientists, and you had to pick a rotation lab and classes for your first semester.  It’s an unbelievably stressful time for most students. Now imagine doing all of that […] The post 022: Science Overseas: Life as an International Student appeared first on Hello PhD.