A few generations ago, you could probably graduate from a PhD program and immediately land yourself a junior faculty position at a nearby university. But as grad school enrollment grew, a new quasi-professional job-description emerged in the nebulous middle ground between student and professor. Lacking a better name, we just called them ‘postdocs’.…

Josh and Dan traveled to Washington DC for the Society for Neuroscience Conference 2023. We chatted with students, postdocs, and faculty about everything from grad school applications to industry jobs to work-life-balance. And we recorded this special update from the hall of posters and vendors. Here are a few photos from our vantage point at […] T…

Karla already has a successful career. After completing her training, she’s worked as a pelvic-floor physical therapist for over ten years! Her patients love her, and she loves serving them. But no matter how skilled she becomes at her craft, there’s still a limit to how many people she can help. A PT, working in […] The post 200. Want a Degree Wit…

Graduate training has many milestones, but a few stand stronger in memory due to their importance. You may remember the day you passed your comprehensive exams, officially becoming a ‘PhD Candidate.’ Or maybe you’ll remember the day you saw a paper you co-authored published in your favorite journal. And of course, every PhD remembers their […] The …

This week, we answer a listener’s question about whether he should pursue schooling beyond a Master’s degree. Plus – once your formal education is complete, how can you continue to focus on learning? What steps should we take to become life-long learners? Adam writes: I have been given an exciting opportunity to continue my education […] The post 1…

Just The Abstract is a new series where we explore a topic in a short, focused episode that’s easy to share. This week, we find out why most science PhD programs stopped requiring the GRE, and whether they’ll demote your application if you fail to provide a score. We take our inspiration this week from […] The post 198. Just The Abstract: Is the GR…

Here’s a controversial idea: what if graduate school finished on a predictable schedule the way (checks notes) every other academic training program does! Since kindergarten, your education has had fixed milestones. You knew it would take 12 years to graduate from high school, 4 for college, and 2 for a Master’s or an Associate’s Degree. […] The po…

This week, we’re opening the mailbag once again to answer YOUR burning questions! Change of Plans We start with Allen, who was awarded a grant based on a research proposal he submitted BEFORE joining the lab. When he finished the summer rotation, it didn’t turn out the way he expected. I have now been asked […] The post 197. Mailbag: What If I Have…

Wherever scientists gather, there is sure to be a poster session. You may see them at major scientific symposia, as well as your university’s departmental retreat. To keep things interesting, a lot of conference organizers will host a poster competition. Entrants will have a chance to present their poster to a judge, who will score […] The post 196…

The scientific poster is an academic oddity. Where else do thousands of people gather around hundreds of large-format printouts to talk about esoteric subjects!? Posters might be the most common form of scientific communication on the planet. In your career, you will probably present more posters than talks or journal articles. And nearly anyone ca…

It’s no secret that biomedical research relies heavily on animal models. Our mammalian cousins share so many common genes and pathways that we can often make breakthrough advances in human medicine through the use of animal proxies. But animal research is neither easy nor fun. Experiments are expensive, time consuming, and it’s often dirty, smelly …

Dr. Jimena Giudice has all the traits of a promising new faculty member. Through her training and early career, she has earned more than a dozen grants and awards. She’s co-authored two dozen papers. And she has trained students and postdocs, gaining a reputation as a highly effective mentor. You’d expect that Dr. Giudice’s undeniable […] The post …

This week, we open the mailbag to answer listener questions about getting extra research experience as an undergrad, and making a difficult choice between Master’s programs. Stay with us! Could Great be Perfect? Our first letter comes from Owen. He’s a freshman who found a research lab he loves, and is doing some amazing work. […] The post 193. Lis…

When you think about your day, which events and activities feel the most fulfilling? Which tasks do you tolerate, but would rather avoid? Maybe your experiments feel like a drag, but you get a lot of satisfaction out of crafting an abstract for your latest research article. Or perhaps you love training new students in […] The post 192. Careers In F…

A few months ago, Emma Hinkle was organizing her lab notebooks as she prepared to start a career. She had completed her graduate training, earned a PhD, and had a job lined up that started on Monday. In those few moments of quiet between her years of graduate school and the career to come, she […] The post 191. The Tough Times are Worth It w/ Dr. E…

It’s time to open the listener mailbag to answer your question about the human side of science, and life in the lab! This week: the importance of lunch, blending art with science, and the dream of a lab-based sitcom. We didn’t have to dig very deep into to the mailbag this week because we heard […] The post 190. Mailbag: Can I blend art with scienc…

I feel a little disheartened because I’ve been rejected from many of the places I applied to and haven’t heard back from a number of others. Is it worth it to hold out hope for the ones that haven’t sent out updates? I have been rejected from 5 schools and am expecting 3 more rejections […] The post 129. Grad School Rejection: Why it Happens and Ho…

Think about your favorite action movie that kept you on the edge your seat. Did it look certain that the hero would fall, only to emerge at the very last moment to save the day? Now picture a great movie trilogy or TV series. Did each episode introduce a dangerous cliffhanger at the end, enticing […] The post 189. Crafting an Unforgettable Job Talk…

We get asked all the time about strategies for more effective time management during graduate school. Not surprisingly, some of our most popular past episodes deal with time management. While we have covered a lot of ground over the years on this evergreen topic, there’s a new expert on the scene who seems to know […] The post 188. Grad School Time…

Scientific conferences are a great way to meet other scientists and share your research. Perhaps your advisor got lucky and was invited to give a talk. If your research doesn’t get time on stage, how can you make connections and tell others about your project? The poster session is your ticket to fame and glory. […] The post 187. Pro-Tips For Creat…

Since the pandemic, we can honestly say that Josh and Dan “don’t get out much.” But we broke out of that rut to attend the annual conference for the American Society for Cell Biology – Cell Bio 2022 meeting in Washington, DC. A scientific conference is a unique experience AND opportunity. Thousands of academics, researchers, […] The post 186. Scien…

Impostor syndrome might make you feel all alone in the world, but ironically, many graduate students, postdocs, and faculty members experience the same feelings of inadequacy. This week on the show, we interview Dr. Maureen Gannon, PhD, about the sources of impostor feelings and the practical steps you can take to work through them. By […] The post…

Meeting a new cohort of graduate students on your first day of class can be intimidating. These are the brightest students from their undergraduate programs. Some of them have years of research experience, first-author publications, and a depth of knowledge that seems encyclopedic. Feeling intimidated by your new colleagues is normal, but some of t…

We often talk about the myriad factors you should consider when choosing a PhD program. Location. Research. Stipend. Work culture. Livability. Peers. Prestige. The list of things to remember seems endless. But way back in pre-history, we were just humble undergrads ourselves, feeling our way around and trying to make life-changing decisions with ve…

The COVID-19 pandemic changed nearly every aspect of our lives. Schools and businesses shut down. Hospitals filled up. And many of us spent months alone or in familial ‘pods.’ But this dark period of global history had some bright spots, and many of them appeared in the scientific community. Rapid at-home testing became ubiquitous. mRNA […] The pos…