BGS Career Development

Making It Count!

Career: Research (government)

Science: “Explore the skills that can open career doors after your doctoral training”

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This Science article discusses a survey of 3,803 science and engineering Ph.D.s working in various industries. Survey respondents revealed that while many believe they began developing important professional skills while in grad school, there are a number of skills that they have found very important at work that were not a central focus of their Ph.D. training (for example, personnel management.)

The article’s authors developed an interactive graphic based on the survey’s data. It compares the extent a skill is developed in grad school with its importance in 12 career sectors, including research, consulting, teaching, and more. It is intended to give doctoral students an overview of the day-to-day duties and responsibilities of jobs in a variety of sectors and to shed light on which skills should be prioritized, either within their Ph.D. training or through extracurricular activities.

ASBMB Webinar: “Image is Everything: Preparing your figures for publication”

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Ready to write up your paper? Worried about potential pitfalls in image acquisition and figure preparation?

Come join us for a webinar as Kaoru Sakabe, Data Integrity Manager for ASBMB, discusses best practices in figure assembly. You’ll learn tips and tricks on how to put together unassailable figures and showcase your hard-earned data. (Via ASBMB)

Speakers

Organizer: Jenna Hendershot, Ph.D. Cayman Chemical

Speaker: Kaoru Sakabe, Ph.D., ASBMB

Moderator: Danielle Snowflack, Ph.D., ASBMB

When: Thursday, September 20, 2018 from 1:00 – 2:00 PM

To register, click here.

Video Series: Career Exploration Videos

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In this iBiology career exploration series, scientists share their backgrounds and experiences in a variety of fields, including education, industry, and government. If you are thinking of a career in science education, you may enjoy this video featuring Drs. Alvarez, Eckdahl and Fowlks. They have each found opportunities to pass on their passion for biology by teaching at the undergraduate level. In this video, they share stories about the events that sparked their interest in biology and speak about their respective career paths.

Alternatively, those that enjoy engaging with different audiences and find themselves talking non-stop about their scientific passions may relate to Dr. Debra Cooper’s story of her transition to a career in science policy. A policy consultant in the California State Senate Office of Research, Cooper advocates for the application of scientific research in society. In her feature, she shares her own career path and provides an overview of other potential roles in the field. iBiology also features Jon Lorsch, Director of the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) in this video about careers in scientific public service. Lorsch provides an overview of the type of investigator-initiated research funded by NIGM and describes the fulfillment he has found working in administration and leadership. The BGS Career Development blog will be updated regularly as new videos are added to the series.

Video Series: “Background to Breakthrough”

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iBiology’s Science Communication Lab (SLC) has produced a three-part video series titled, “Background to Breakthrough,” featuring Dr. Esteban Burchard of the University of California, San Francisco. The series details Dr. Burchard’s own research and the influential role his own ethnic and cultural background has held in his career path. The series explores the consequences of underrepresentation in research and medicine and ultimately questions, “How can we ensure that the future of biomedical and clinical research is inclusive?”

Nature: “Why a new lab can be a valuable destination for postdocs and graduate students”

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In considering where to pursue postdoctoral research, an important factor is work culture and environment. Chris Woolston’s article in Nature explores the merits of newer laboratories compared to those that are more established. Woolston also acknowledges that new labs can be perceived as high-risk and provides tips for students and researchers to ensure that they will have a productive experience, such as checking the principal investigator’s publication history.

NASEM: Christine Mirzayan Science and Technology Policy Graduate Fellowship Program

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Students interested in policy may consider applying for this exciting opportunity to spend 12 weeks at the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine in Washington, DC. Alumni of the Christine Mirzayan Science and Technology Policy Graduate Fellowship Program have gone on to hold positions in Congressional committees, federal agencies, foreign governments, international institutions, universities, and the private sector.

The application deadline is September 7, 2018. For more information on the program and application process, see the following overview.