Hello Phd

As a graduate student, Joel Schwartz developed an immunofluorescence assay for neurotransmitter transport. To quantify his results, he needed to circle the cells in each image so the computer could measure the intensity. By the time he graduated, Joel had circled over 10 million individual cells. Over the years, Joel discovered a better way: he […] The post 081: Data Science Will Accelerate Your Research – with Joel Schwartz, PhD appeared first on Hello PhD.

Uncertainty is a defining feature of postdoctoral training: Q: Is a postdoc a student or an employee? (A: Neither. Both?) Q: Should you continue in your PhD research field, or try something new?  (A: Yes) Q: How are you supposed to find a job while you’re ALSO doing research and writing papers? (A: Pray that […] The post 080: Postdoc Straight Talk – Where Are They Now? appeared first on Hello PhD.

If you’re an academic scientist, applying for an industry job is a bit like traveling to a foreign country. First, there is paperwork. Will they accept your Curriculum Vitae as is, or do you need to crunch it down into a résumé? And how on earth do you get through the screening software that filters […] The post 079: The Insider’s Guide to Industry – with Randall Ribaudo, PhD appeared first on Hello PhD.

Maybe you’re in love with science, but you just can’t imagine your life as a PI.  And maybe you’ve had a string of experiments fail and you’re just ready to put the entire ‘lab thing’ behind you. You have a choice – you could leave academia and try to find your way in industry, publishing […] The post 078: Knowing When to Leave Academia – Feat. The Recovering Academic Podcast appeared first on Hello PhD.

Google is data-obsessed, so it should come as no surprise that the company sought to apply its analytical expertise inside the organization. In an endeavor dubbed “Project Aristotle,” Google sought to answer a vexing question: What factors are important for a successful, productive team? Their findings may have profound impacts not just at Google, but […] The post 077: Google Discovers Five Keys to a Productive Lab appeared first on Hello PhD.

Applying to grad school means making a series of difficult decisions: university location, reputation, lifestyle, and program. But do you need to pick out a specific research topic before filing an application? Is it better to nail down a project and lab before you apply, or is it okay to keep your options open? Listener […] The post 076: Should I choose a research focus BEFORE I apply? appeared first on Hello PhD.

It’s inevitable.  At some point in your research career, you’re going to get that sinking feeling. Your experiments will all fail, your PI will get on your case about finishing that paper, and your graduation date will drift maddeningly out of reach. So what can you do when your research starts to drag you down? […] The post 075: When Research Sucks appeared first on Hello PhD.

On May 2nd, NIH Director Francis Collins announced a plan to limit the total amount of grant funding awarded to an individual investigator or lab. According to Collins, “the distribution of NIH grant funding is highly skewed, with 10 percent of NIH-funded investigators receiving over 40 percent of NIH funding.” The funding proposal would limit an […] The post 074: Does Science Have an Income Inequality Problem? appeared first on Hello PhD.

Is your lab is filled with compassionate, positive individuals who offer nurturing support and gentle guidance to help you achieve your full potential as a scientist? We didn’t think so. While you may encounter a handful of Positive Pollyannas throughout your career, you’re also likely to run into a few Negative Nancys. Rather than encouraging you to keep trying […] The post 073: Stop Telling Me My Project is Going to Fail! appeared first on Hello PhD.

We weren’t sure what to expect when scientists planned a protest march on Washington, D.C. and other world capitals. Would this politicize the scientific process? Would enough scientists show up to make an impact? And what should happen after the march to continue the momentum? Ms. Frizzle Supports Science To answer these questions and others, Josh took […] The post 072: Voices from the Front Line of the Science March appeared first on Hello PhD.

Imposter 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 imposter feelings and the practical steps you can take to work through them. By every […] The post 071: Practical Advice for Overcoming Imposter Syndrome with Dr. Maureen Gannon appeared first on Hello PhD.

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 the people […] The post 070: Imposter Syndrome appeared first on Hello PhD.

Traditionally, spending time on social media was a great way to make your PI angry. Your job is to finish experiments, read papers, and present your work at conferences, not to upvote and share the latest blue-dress illusion. But there are some unexpected benefits to the Twitter network that could help your science and your career. #JustAScienceThing This […] The post 069: Five Ways Scientists SHOULD Be Using Twitter appeared first on Hello PhD.

If the idea of saving money while in graduate school sounds laughable to you, you’re not alone. Many grad students live month to month on a stipend that places them near the poverty line. After rent, food, and clothing, there’s nothing left to save. But food, clothing and shelter don’t cover all the expenses you’ll face […] The post 068: Use Targeted Savings Accounts for Irregular Expenses appeared first on Hello PhD.

If you read the following headline this week, you might have experienced a small thrill: AAAS Forms Partnership to Expand Access to High-Quality Scientific Publishing AAAS, or the American Association for the Advancement of Science, is the organization that publishes the flagship journal Science Magazine and related titles.  You might believe from that headline that you could […] The post 067: Science Magazine Takes a Teeny, Tiny Step Toward Open Access appeared first on Hello PhD.

Though techniques and terminology vary from one scientific discipline to another, all scientists are bound together by a set of core principles. We call this the “scientific method,” and the approach is sacrosanct. Observe the world around you, state a hypothesis to explain what you’ve seen, devise an experiment to prove yourself wrong, and report your […] The post 066: Should Scientists March on Washington? appeared first on Hello PhD.

Though most of us have never served on a graduate program admissions committee, we can still appreciate the difficulty of their task: Given a stack qualified applicants, choose the few that you believe will succeed. Where do you start?  Perhaps you check on each applicant’s GPA, or focus just on the GPA in their science […] The post 065: Does the GRE Predict Which Students Will Succeed? appeared first on Hello PhD.

You might think internships are the domain of business students and undergrads.  You’re training every day in a lab – why would you need more experiential learning? The short answer is that your laboratory training is a great internship if you want to go on to a faculty position at a major research university. But what […] The post 064: A PhD Internship Will Help You Get a Job appeared first on Hello PhD.

Statistically speaking, Teresa Ramirez didn’t stand a chance. She was raised in Compton, California, a city south of Los Angeles and the eponymous setting of the N.W.A. album “Straight Outta Compton.” Teresa loved books. She asked questions during class. She put in extra time to help out after school.  In a high school where gang violence […] The post 063: PhD Biography – Compton to the Ivy League appeared first on Hello PhD.

The 2016 presidential election was divisive, dramatic, and distracting.  That’s why you probably missed a series of rulings and regulations that could have a profound impact on your research. But fear not, Daniel and Josh are back with news on the recent legislation and how it affects your funding and focus. Fair Labor for Postdocs […] The post 062: FLSA and 21st Century Cures are laws that impact the lab appeared first on Hello PhD.