BGS Career Development

Making It Count!

Career: Research (industry)

iBiology, “Let’s Experiment” is now available self-paced

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Let's Experiment: A Guide for Scientists Working at the Bench (Self-Paced)

“Let’s Experiment” is now available self-paced, anytime!

“Let’s Experiment: A Guide for Scientists Working at the Bench” is a free online course from iBiology that is now available self-paced, anytime. In the course,

  • Hear inspiring speakers share new perspectives about important, but sometimes lost, aspects of experimental design.
  • Learn how biological research really happens from real-world examples, and gain tips on how to navigate it.
  • Apply what you’re learning to your own research, and walk away with a solid plan for how to start and carry out your own experiments.

More info at: http://bit.ly/2PYqmBW

Read what students are saying about “Let’s Experiment:”


“I feel more secure in my ability to assess how much effort and time experiments need…I really appreciate a systematic way of preparing and thinking about experiments and their results.”

“I found the videos, where different extraordinary scientists tell their own story, truly inspiring and very encouraging.”

“I really like that this course took the lessons that people learn through experience and directly taught the concepts in a way that is easy to apply to everyday life in the lab.”

To find this and other iBiology courses, visit us at https://courses.ibiology.org

(Via iBiology)

Symposium in Honor of P. Leslie Dutton

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faculty photo

One of the PSOM’s most distinguished faculty members, P. Leslie Dutton, FRS, Eldridge Reeves Johnson Professor of Biophysics and Biochemistry, is retiring. Leslie is a former chair of the B&B department, and a former chair of the Biophysics Graduate Group (before BC and BP merged). There will be a scientific symposium in his honor, Friday, May 31st – Saturday, June 1st.

More than 25 PhD students graduated from Leslie’s lab, from 1978 onwards, and almost ALL of them will be at the symposium! About 10 of them will be speaking. These alumni have gone on to successful careers in academia, industry, gov. research. consulting etc., so this would be a unique opportunity for BGS students to see and meet them. The symposium is open to everyone, and there are also two breakfasts which would provide opportunities for students to meet and talk informally with these alumni.

To see the full itinerary for ‘Les Fest,’ click here.

NEW! Career Path Alumni Videos

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As a reminder, the BGS Career Development Site extends beyond this Career Blog and features a wide variety of resources, from a description of the Core Competencies developed through predoctoral training to websites for career exploration. Noteworthy among the site’s resources is the ‘Career Paths’ section, which provides a description of the profession, advantages of an advanced degree, key competencies, on-campus student organizations, first steps, alumni videos, and resources.

Two new alumni videos have been uploaded to the site. Aaron Gitler, Professor at Stanford University, and Josh Friedman, Director and Lead at Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc., share insights on their respective fields of academic and industry research. The BGS alumni describe their typical day, the things they like most and least about their chosen career, the typical traits and skills required, and much more.

New iBioSeminar: Visual Communication in Biology

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“Scientists commonly use visual representation of data to show their results and ideas. In this seminar, Dr. Janet Iwasa provides an introduction to the field of molecular animation, and walks us through the process of using visualization tools to communicate scientific information. In her first video, Iwasa summarizes the common types of visualizations used in biology, explains the steps you should take to create a model figure, and summarizes key elements you should consider when creating your figures and models.

In her second and third videos, Iwasa provides an overview of the animation process. She shows different software that can be used to create molecular models (e.g. UCSF chimera), and illustrates the process of creating an animation and finalizing the video using software like Maya and Adobe After Effects. These videos will familiarize you with the process of creating an animation and show best practice techniques when using visual communication in biology.” (Via iBiology)

Watch Janet Iwasa’s iBioSeminar: Visual Communication in Biology

“SfN: A Look at One Neuroscientist’s Career in Pharma and Biotech”

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The Society for Neuroscience published a two-part interview with Khan Ozol, a neuroscientist and global head of talent scouting at Novartis. In part one of the interview, Ozol shares the career path that led him to his current position. He focuses specifically on the influences that helped him realize his passion for entrepreneurship, with a focus on science.

In part two, he describes the types of positions available in industry and some of the typical career trajectories. Though Ozol frequently mentions neuroscientists, his insights on how to be a competitive candidate in industry are widely applicable.

iBiology: “Let’s Experiment: A Guide for Scientists Working at the Bench”

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iBiology is offering a free, 6-week online course that teaches how to think through the design and execution of experiments.

Scientists from a variety of backgrounds give concrete steps and advice to help you build a framework for how to design experiments in biological research. Case studies make the abstract more tangible. In science, there is often no simple right answer. However, with this course, you can develop a general approach to experimental design and understand what you are getting into before you begin.

By the end of this course, you will have:

  • A detailed plan for your experiment(s) that you can discuss with a mentor.
  • A flowchart for how to prioritize experiments.
  • Tips and best practices for how to get started with an experiment.
  • A lab notebook template that is so impressively organized, it will make your colleagues envious.
  • A framework to do rigorous, reproducible research.

The course is built with a busy schedule in mind and is designed to take 1.5 to 3 hours per week. It begins Tuesday, February 19, 2019. Content will be released week-by-week each Tuesday.

For more details and to register, click here.