For those interested in a career in government, the National Institutes of Health’s Office of Intramural Training & Education (OITE) has provided a useful update, detailing which federal agencies hire scientists. They also provide a list of common contracting firms used by government offices to fill positions, another potential pathway into a federal position.
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Inside Higher Ed: A Road Map for Successful Career Exploration
A program funded by an NIH Broadening Experiences in Scientific Training (BEST) award at the University of California, San Francisco has developed a useful career development tool – the Career Exploration Road Map. This Inside Higher Ed article highlights some of its features.
The map is intended to be revisited throughout career exploration, in recognition that the processes of practicing self-assessment, investigating careers, and implementing change are each highly iterative. The map is complemented by a YouTube video titled, “The Fantasy, The Ideal, and The Reality of Career Exploration.”
Video Series: Internships for Graduate Students and Postdocs
iBiology carries two videos by Alexandra Schnoes, formerly of UCSF, about using internships to explore careers and make career decisions. Dr. Schnoes provides much in the way of useful details. UCSF, moreover, has been at the forefront of obtaining quantitative information regarding outcomes, some of which she shares in the videos (see as well Schnoes, A.M. et al., Internship Experiences Contribute to Confident Career Decision Making for Doctoral Students in the Life Sciences, CBE – Life Sciences Education, 17:ar16, 1–14, Spring 2018.)
iBiology Courses Help Trainees Plan for Their Careers
iBiology has two free, self-paced courses designed for trainees. The objective of “Planning your Scientific Journey” is to teach students “how to choose a good scientific problem and plan their journey ahead.” “Business Concepts for Life Scientists,” created in collaboration with the UCSF Office of Career and Professional Development and the WUSTL Graduate School, helps graduate students, postdocs and junior faculty who wish to gain a basic understanding of business fundamentals for both academic and industry career sectors. iBiology also has a new course coming out later this year, called “Designing Killer Experiments.” (Via the AAMC)
NCI Updates Team Science Field Guide
The NIH’s National Cancer Institute (NCI) recently released an updated version of its Collaboration and Team Science: A Field Guide. This guide is used by institutional leaders to “help guide change at an organizational level, shifting research culture from a primary investigator-initiated focus to one that embraces collaborative and cross-cutting efforts across disciplinary dedicated departments.” It also includes resources for graduate courses and programs to integrate team science and interdisciplinary research into their learning. (Via the AAMC)
JAMA: Supporting the Next Generation of Biomedical Researchers
Ron Daniels, JD, LLM, president of Johns Hopkins, and Victor Dzau, MD, president of the National Academy of Medicine, published a JAMA article on the “Next Generation of Biomedical Researchers.” After a summary of the issues that biomedical trainees and early-career researchers face, the article discusses the recently-released NASEM report on the Next Generation of Biomedical Researchers. The report committee was chaired by Ron Daniels. (Via the AAMC)