Hello PhD

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?. It was [?]

The post 202. Academia Has a Postdoc Problem appeared first on Hello PhD.

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 [?]

The post 201. Society for Neuroscience 2023 ? LIVE! appeared first on Hello PhD.

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 Without Quitting Your Job? An Online PhD Might Be the Solution. appeared first on Hello PhD.

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 post 100. The One Where We Celebrate (R) appeared first on Hello PhD.

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 199. Mailbag: Is a Master?s enough, or do I need a PhD? appeared first on Hello PhD.

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 GRE Really Optional? appeared first on Hello PhD.

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 post 114. Grad School Should Have a Time Limit (R) appeared first on Hello PhD.

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 ?Bad Lab Hands?? appeared first on Hello PhD.

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. YOU Can Win A Poster Competition w/ Dr. Zen Faulkes appeared first on Hello PhD.

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 can [?]

The post 195. Five Myths of Scientific Poster Design w/ Dr. Zen Faulkes appeared first on Hello PhD.

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 [?]

The post 194. Mailbag: Do I Have to Do Animal Research? appeared first on Hello PhD.

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 122. Tenure Tracker ? The Life Non-Linear with Dr. Jimena Giudice (R) appeared first on Hello PhD.

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. Listener Mailbag ? Undergrad Research and Choosing a Master?s Program appeared first on Hello PhD.

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 Focus: Medical Writer appeared first on Hello PhD.

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. Emma Hinkle appeared first on Hello PhD.

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 science? appeared first on Hello PhD.

 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 How to Get Accepted (R) appeared first on Hello PhD.

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 w/ Dr. Andres De Los Reyes appeared first on Hello PhD.

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 Management According to ChatGPT appeared first on Hello PhD.

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 Creating a Scientific Poster appeared first on Hello PhD.

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. Scientists Share Their Goals and Strategies for Attending a Scientific Conference appeared first on Hello PhD.

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 071. Practical Advice for Overcoming Impostor Syndrome w/ Dr. Maureen Gannon (R) 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. Impostor Syndrome (R) appeared first on Hello PhD.

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 very little [?]

The post 185. I got accepted! Now how do I choose a PhD program? appeared first on Hello PhD.

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 post 184. White House Rules for Open Access w/ Heather Joseph appeared first on Hello PhD.

?Hey, I won?t be able to make it over for movies tonight.  I?ve got to finish these timepoints?  Yeah, I know it?s the third time this week, but I promise I?ll leave a early tomorrow?  Okay, sorry.  Goodnight.? Gary ends the phone call and sighs.  This is not the first time he?s had to cancel [?]

The post 103. Laboratory of Horrors! (R) appeared first on Hello PhD.

This week, we open the mailbag to answer your questions! We hear from a new grad student who has some old responsibilities, and learn about how to earn your Master?s degree while enrolled in a PhD program! Under My Umbrella (ella ella) Our first email comes from Cindy, who wants some clarification on a previous [?]

The post 183. Mailbag: Finding Balance, Master?s En Route, et al! appeared first on Hello PhD.

Lab rotations are a pretty sweet deal ? you get the chance to work in a lab for a few weeks to see how it fits. Do you like the people? The project? The advisor? If not, try another lab and see if that one is a better fit. But at the end of 3-4 [?]

The post 182. How to Choose A Rotation Lab and Advisor appeared first on Hello PhD.

A lot of aspiring trainees are ?taking a gap year? before applying to graduate school. Typically, they use that time to build skills and make connections that will bolster their applications. This postbaccalaureate, or ?postbac?, experience can vary pretty widely ? from a course-heavy Master?s degree to a research-focused industry internship. There are also a [?]

The post 181. Build Skills Before Grad School with a Postbac appeared first on Hello PhD.

You?re in graduate school, so you?re probably pretty smart. You?ve learned a lot of material over the years, and managed to apply that knowledge in tests, papers, and projects. But ?knowing a lot? doesn?t mean you?re ready to teach others. Becoming an educator takes time, dedication and attention. This week, we talk with Dr. Alaina [?]

The post 180. Becoming an Educator w/ Dr. Alaina Talboy appeared first on Hello PhD.

It?s that time of year again ? summer days are growing shorter, your friends are trying to fit in one last trip to the beach, and the backpack aisle at Target is about to be cleared out to make way for the Halloween costumes. Yes, it?s back-to-school time. From toddlers to teenagers, this time of [?]

The post 119. Ten Tips to Crush Your First Semester (R) appeared first on Hello PhD.

We?ve all met them ? the unsung heroes of your Intro To (Biology, Psychology, History, etc.) class. Sure, they don?t give the lectures, but that?s about the only responsibility they dodge. Instead, they?re leading lab sessions, holding office hours, proctoring exams, and grading papers. They?re the Teaching Assistants, or TAs, and they?re a critical part [?]

The post 179. Teaching Opportunities for Grad Students w/ Dr. Alaina Talboy appeared first on Hello PhD.

For some students, graduate schools is a foregone conclusion. Perhaps they?ve wanted to ?be a scientist? since they were nine, and along the way, they learned that a PhD is a stepping stone on that path. Or perhaps they knew their career prospects with a Bachelor?s degree were thin, so they new an advanced degree [?]

The post 178. I Didn?t Even Know ?Research? Was a Thing! appeared first on Hello PhD.

You send questions to [email protected], and we answer them on the show! Is research always this lonely? This week, we hear from ?Foobar?, a computer science PhD student in Germany, who is wondering whether academia is always as lonely as she is feeling right now. She writes: Just like every other student, I had to [?]

The post 177. Mailbag: Is Academia Lonely? And, Lab Tech vs. Med Tech appeared first on Hello PhD.

Titles are a part of our identity. If you meet a school teacher, computer programmer, or rocket scientist, you will instantly form an impression of what kind of person they are without any additional information. The bias we impose upon hearing a title can be good or bad, of course. But we all invariably take [?]

The post 176. Stop Calling Yourself a ?Grad Student? w/ Dr. Alaina Talboy appeared first on Hello PhD.

The day-to-day reality of many graduate programs is that you?ll spend most of your time doing research. Even if you don?t end up working in a lab or doing experiments forever in your career (and most people don?t!), being able complete experiments is going to help you efficiently progress through your program and eventually GRADUATE. [?]

The post 175. Four Research Traps (And How to Avoid Them) appeared first on Hello PhD.

Ten weeks is not a long time. It feels even shorter when you?re tossed into the deep-end of a top-tier research lab. If you?re spending your summer as a Research Assistant between semesters, or you?ve graduated and want to get some summer experience before grad school, we have ideas to help you hit the ground [?]

The post 116. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Summer Students (R) appeared first on Hello PhD.

Andrew felt like he was on top of the world when he finished his Master?s degree in History. He had excellent grades, experience teaching, and a willingness to explore new fields. But as he submitted resumes and job applications, he noticed a pattern. Either he didn?t hear back from the employer, or they turned him [?]

The post 174. I Have a Degree ? Why Can?t I Find a Job? appeared first on Hello PhD.

There are many paths to a PhD. In the humanities, it?s common to earn a Master?s degree first (or so we?re told?) In the biomedical sciences, students regularly skip the Master?s degree entirely, enrolling in a PhD program that includes coursework. This week, we hear from two aspiring scientists who used the Master?s degree as [?]

The post 173. Mailbag: I Have a Master?s Degree ? Now I Want a PhD appeared first on Hello PhD.

If you work in a lab, you?re collecting data. And as the volume of data increases, many researchers find they can?t process or analyze that data in a spreadsheet or stats program anymore. Instead, they?re writing code in Python, R, or C++ to do that processing for them. But this creates a new challenge: what [?]

The post 172. Research Software Engineer appeared first on Hello PhD.

Sometimes, your humble HelloPhD hosts forget how narrow our experience has been in graduate education. We?re both biomedical PhDs, and while we trained in different departments, there was a significant amount of overlap. For us, a PhD meant classes, comprehensive exams, rotations, lab meetings, experiments, seminars, and so on. While those experiences were common across [?]

The post 171. The Life and Times of a Humanities PhD Candidate appeared first on Hello PhD.

Sarah had achieved her dream. With a PhD in Physics, she had accepted a new position as a Theoretical Physicist. But as the months wore on, she started to feel overwhelmed and depressed. She?d done well in school and enjoyed her classes ? why couldn?t she focus on her work? Sean graduated with honors from [?]

The post 144. Finding a Career that Fits with Marlys Hanson (R) appeared first on Hello PhD.

If you?re a grad student who hasn?t thought about leaving your PhD program at least once, you might not have a pulse. When experiments fail, grants are rejected, or you get reprimanded by the PI, it?s often comforting to remember that all of this suffering is self-imposed and you could simply leave the University and [?]

The post 170. Mailbag: Should I Quit Grad School? appeared first on Hello PhD.

Even as a child, Alexandra wanted to study space. She had a Bachelor?s degree in physics from Cambridge University, so she seemed like the perfect candidate to for a PhD program. But after graduation, she didn?t feel ready. She?d need a Master?s degree first, but money was tight and her student visa had run out. [?]

The post 169. Change Your Plans, Not Your Goals appeared first on Hello PhD.

It?s no secret that a lot of scientific conversation happens on Twitter. It?s a great place to share your research, keep up with trends, and connect with collaborators. But many grad students and postdocs have questions. Is it okay to promote my own work? Can I just retweet other scientists, or do I have to [?]

The post 168. Academic Twitter: Step-By-Step appeared first on Hello PhD.

Turning over the last page of the calendar seems to naturally invite some reflection on the previous 365 days. When you look back at 2021, what went well? And what do you wish you could change in the coming year? This week, we take the opportunity to reflect back much farther ? to our days [?]

The post 086. Five Resolutions for Happier, Healthier Scientists (R) appeared first on Hello PhD.

This week, we dive head-first into the mailbag to answer listener questions about grad school readiness, teaching experience, and more! Just Finished! Our first missive comes from Kaylee, who recently graduated! I just wanted to send an email to thank you for all of the hard work you have put into creating Hello PhD over [?]

The post 167. Mailbag ? Am I Ready For Grad School? 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 (R) appeared first on Hello PhD.

The CACTUS Global Mental Health Survey asked valuable questions about stress, performance, and career goals for scientists. The data revealed plenty of room for improvement, as researchers struggle with harassment, work-life balance, and limited pay. But the study?s authors also asked more open-ended questions: Do you have any suggestions for organizations within academia or other [?]

The post 166. Want to Improve Research Careers? Scientists Have 5,434 Suggestions. appeared first on Hello PhD.

Most academics are overwhelmed, even the ones who are successful in terms of being productive researchers, busy teachers and efficient administrators. But, they seem like the norm and everyone who struggles is not, and this needs to be disrupted and changed. Research fellow/post-doctoral researcher, Africa. I?m worried about sexism in academia in general and this [?]

The post 165: A Survey Asked Researchers About Their Mental Health. Here?s What They Said. appeared first on Hello PhD.