Shows
PhD (in Progress) Podcast | Education, Career, LifePhD 022: PhDs No Longer In Progress! – The Dr. Nikhil and Dr. Kelly Show Click here to subscribe and rate us in iTunes | Or Subscribe on Stitcher This week, the hosts recount their final days as graduate students and their first days as doctors. How are the last steps of the PhD process? Finalizing thesis, defense talk, and job search simultaneously Stressful days leading up to the defense “No one cares about your thesis!”* – A PhD advisor Hosting family and friends for your defense Beware: You MAY get emotional during the final moments of your talk Kelly doesn’t let professionalism get in the way of her sailor’s mouth Review...
2015-10-291h 13PhD (in Progress) Podcast | Education, Career, LifePhD 021: Post-doctoral Life and the European Experience with Aleksandra Badurahttp://traffic.libsyn.com/phdinprogress/PhD_021.mp3 Click here to subscribe and rate us in iTunes | Or Subscribe on Stitcher This week we talk to Aleksandra Badura, a neuroscience post-doctoral researcher at Princeton University about the post-doc life and differences between the US and European PhD programs. (This episode was recorded a LONG time ago. We have all since defended and will catch up on the Coming to the US from Europe to be a post-doctoral researcher The “importance” of brand when accepting positions Choosing a post-doc laboratory Parallels between business world and acade...
2015-08-1946 minPhD (in Progress) Podcast | Education, Career, LifePhD 020: Dr. Ben McNeil on the Creativity Deficit in Science and Thinkable.orgPhD_020.mp3 Click here to subscribe and rate us in iTunes | Or Subscribe on Stitcher Dr. Benjamin McNeil is a Senior Lecturer at University of New South Wales and creator of Thinkable.org. He wrote this piece for Ars Technica titled “Is there a creativity deficit in science?” What are the hurdles to professors getting funding? How can we pursue projects that might not have an immediately apparent payoff? How did the coupling of scientific “failure” and personal “failure” develop? To what extent do corporations have a role in scientific research and endeavors? How...
2015-05-1556 minPhD (in Progress) Podcast | Education, Career, LifePhD 019: Starting an “Alternative” Career Symposium at Your Institution with Mark EspositoClick here to subscribe and rate us in iTunes | Or Subscribe on Stitcher A very special thank you to Mark Esposito who also runs the Breaking Bio blog found at breakingbio.org. Mark wrote a guide about creating the career symposium you heard in this show at http://www.breakingbio.org/resources/ Discussion points: Understanding your career path and constantly questioning your goals Problems with tenure track positions as the default How do we approach learning about “alternative careers” Steps in initiating a career symposium: 1) Raise money via internal and external gr...
2015-04-3039 minPhD (in Progress) Podcast | Education, Career, LifePhD 018: Engineering Management, Industry, and Informational Interviews with Kyle ImataniClick here to subscribe and rate us in iTunes | Or Subscribe on Stitcher Discussion points: What are informational interviews? Understanding what you’re interested in Keeping a casual conversation Learning about prospects of the company, the culture, how promotions work Overcoming being hesitant How did you jump into informational interviewing Strategies: Leveraging Alumni Network Being earnest What roles with companies do PhDs tend to have? It is a challenge for PhDs to get involed in industry Roles outside of the research If you have any comments or suggestions about the show, definit...
2014-11-1336 minPhD (in Progress) Podcast | Education, Career, LifePhD 017: “We’re NOT Morons!” – Facing Impostor SyndromeClick here to subscribe and rate us in iTunes | Or Subscribe on Stitcher [Episode card image adapted from a Flickr photo by Derek Mindler, used under the Creative Commons] If you would like to donate to help cover costs, please click here.This week we have a friendly dialogue about facing Impostor Syndrome and how it has appeared in our lives. Resources: “Banishing Impostor Syndrome” by Andrea Zellner at GradHacker The Impostor Syndrome by Caltech Counseling Center “9 Tips for Dealing With Impostor Syndrome” – a blog post containing numerous links and writings “How I...
2014-10-0341 minPhD (in Progress) Podcast | Education, Career, LifePhD 016: Mental Health Awareness and Treatment as a Grad StudentClick here to subscribe and rate us in iTunes | Or Subscribe on Stitcher [Episode card image adapted from a Flickr photo by Bhernandez, used under the Creative Commons] Questions asked: What is a “lifeguard”? How did you decide to seek help? What does help look like? How is mental illness perceived in graduate school? Am I alone if I seek out help? Mental Illness Awareness Week Oct. 5-11, 2014 Resources “Mental Health Issues Among Graduate Students” by Nash Turley The Illustrated Guide to a PhD (th...
2014-09-2345 minPhD (in Progress) Podcast | Education, Career, LifePhD 015: Financial Basics- Priorities, Budgets, and Credit with Patricia BerhauClick here to subscribe and rate us in iTunes | Or Subscribe on Stitcher Patricia Berhau is an ISLES Asset Building Coordinator who works primarily with moderate and low-income people. She encourages graduate students to remember that their income-level is only temporary as their income potential is much higher in the long-run. [Episode Card uses a Flickr image by epSos.de under Creative Commons licensing] Important reminders: It’s all the irregular things that are budget busters. Budget! Knowing where your money goes is crucial to being financially healthy. Mint.com for or...
2014-09-101h 09PhD (in Progress) Podcast | Education, Career, LifePhD 014: “12 Years A Graduate Student” with Parag Gupta Click here to subscribe and rate us in iTunes | Or Subscribe on Stitcher This week, Jason talks to Parag Gupta, 12th-year materials science and mechanical engineering PhD student at Northwestern University about his perspective on graduate school and learning from mistakes. Resources: Parag Gupta’s April 2014 TEDxNorthwesternU “So, Um…12 Years, Huh?!” can be found at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=32QCk1fRpfY.  Robert Fulghum’s Book Excerpt on problems versus inconveniences is attached Robert Fulghum — Uh-Oh  How To Win Friends and Influence People  by Dale Carnegie can be found at your local library, your frien...
2014-08-151h 03PhD (in Progress) Podcast | Education, Career, LifePhD 013: Parenting and Raising a Family as a Graduate Student with Jessica Rowland WilliamsClick here to subscribe and rate us in iTunes | Or Subscribe on Stitcher This week, Jason and Kelly talk to Princeton University graduate student Jessica Rowland Williams about starting graduate school with a child and deciding to raise a family. Resources Parenting in Grad School by Andrea Zellner at GradHacker.org Grad School and Parenting: If I Knew Then What I Know Now… Jennifer Bengtson at GradHacker.org What to Consider Before Mixing Graduate School with Raising a Family by Theresa Phillips at biotech.about.com Your graduate school’s student re...
2014-07-1747 minPhD (in Progress) Podcast | Education, Career, LifePhD 012: Tools, Tips, and Strategies to Increase Your Productivity (Part 1)Click here to subscribe and rate us in iTunes | Or Subscribe on Stitcher This week Jason, Nikhil, and Kelly discuss productivity resources that have worked for them in their graduate studies. For more information, visit our blog entry on Productivity Web Tools for Graduate Students. There is more information on Mendeley, Papers, Google Calendar, and Mint. Resources Mentioned and Recommended: Papers (€34 for students) http://www.papersapp.com Mendeley (free) http://www.mendeley.com/ Google Calendar (free) https://www.google.com/calendar/ Die Empty: Unleash Your Best Work Every Day by Todd H...
2014-07-1053 minPhD (in Progress) Podcast | Education, Career, LifePhD 011: 3 Topics in Dating and Maintaining Relationships in Grad SchoolClick here to subscribe and rate us in iTunes | Or Subscribe on Stitcher What dating challenges and mistakes do grad students face? How do you start dating as a graduate student? Should you using online dating services? How can you maintain a relationship while in grad school? This week we discuss having a love life as a grad student. After a long discussion, we only end up scratching the surface! We’ll be sure to return to this broad subject. Have you ever searched for love in the liquor store? Dati...
2014-06-2651 minPhD (in Progress) Podcast | Education, Career, LifePhD 010: “Drug and Substance Use Among Graduate Students” with Oren Gur, PhD Candidate in Criminology, Law & Justice at the University of Illinois at ChicagoClick here to subscribe and rate us in iTunes | Or Subscribe on Stitcher This week Nikhil interviews PhD candidate in Criminology, Law & Justice at the University of Illinois at Chicago, Oren Gur. They discuss Oren’s research on drug and substance use among graduate students and the challenges associated with his dissertation work. You can e-mail Oren Gur for more information at ogur2@uic.edu NOTE:While drug and substance use and/or abuse is a serious subject, the hosts and guest decided to keep true to the show’s unique voice. We integrate l...
2014-06-1945 minPhD (in Progress) Podcast | Education, Career, LifePhD 009: “Career Services, Networking, and Informational Interviews” with Amy PszczolkowskiClick here to subscribe and rate us in iTunes | Or Subscribe on Stitcher This week Jason, Nikhil, and Abigail sit down with Amy Pszczolkowski, Assistant Director of Princeton University’s Career Services office to discuss career search resources and networking strategies. We encourage you to reach out to your career service office and tell us about your experience! What can you expect to receive from your university’s career service officer? -Counseling/Advising: a thought partner and guide; broad exposure -Assessments: personality, fit, strength/weakness, professional skills, interviewing -Free valuable informat...
2014-06-1253 minPhD (in Progress) Podcast | Education, Career, LifePhD 008: “Should I Stay or Should I Go?” Deciding to Leave Grad School with Doug SwansonClick here to subscribe and rate us in iTunes | Or Subscribe on Stitcher This week, I talk to former PhD student Doug Swanson and current Chief Technology Officer of Malwarebytes about his decision to leave grad school and his advice to current grad students who might be considering an exit from academia. Thanks again to Doug for his time and insight! It was definitely a personal topic, so we appreciate his participation. Do you have more questions about possibly leaving grad school? Leave us a comment at phdinprogress.com/8 or email u...
2014-06-0537 minPhD (in Progress) Podcast | Education, Career, LifePhD 007: “The Dr. Abigail Show”- From Continuing Education to Finishing a PhD ProgramClick here to subscribe and rate us in iTunes | Or find us on Stitcher This week we talk to our co-host Dr. Abigail Sporer about what it’s like to continue education after a few years out of academia and how she felt while finishing her PhD dissertation defense. Thank you to Nick @diacritic for an important topic for our show. He reached out on Twitter, saying “Hey, I’m a listener starting grad school after about fifteen years of industry work. Know any resources for people like me?” If you have any more wisdom for him, pl...
2014-05-2843 minPhD (in Progress) Podcast | Education, Career, LifePhD 006: Volunteer Work, Public Outreach, and a Targeted Career Search with Kelly LaRueClick here to subscribe and rate us in iTunes | Or find us on Stitcher This week we have Kelly LaRue in studio to discuss public outreach, a targeted career search, and the importance of finding value outside of your main research. Kelly is the recipient of the Princeton Graduate Student Recognition Award for her work with Princeton University’s Graduate MolBio Outreach Program. While performing an amazing level of volunteer work, she has leveraged her experiences into taking action on her professional goals. She has taken an approach to her career search that m...
2014-05-2050 minPhD (in Progress) Podcast | Education, Career, LifePhD 005: 3 Important Points of Advice to New Graduate StudentsClick here to subscribe and rate us in iTunes Or find us on Stitcher This week Jason, Nikhil, and Abigail hope to help newer graduate students by discussing what they WISH they knew earlier in their studies. Self-management, the production mindset, and failure are the 3 broad topics we dive into for this discussion. We mention a couple of neuroscience studies- Chronic partial sleep deprivation: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK19961/ Sleep and memory – way too much literature, but the wiki is pretty comprehensive...
2014-05-1334 minPhD (in Progress) Podcast | Education, Career, LifePhD 004: “A Case Study” – Leave of Absence and Self-EducationClick here to subscribe and rate us in iTunes | Or find us on Stitcher This week we talk to Zach about taking a leave of absence, self-education, and preparation for consulting job interviews. Abigail gets ready to defend, Nikhil finishes up experiments, and Jason is a subpar caterer. Nikhil interviews Zach. They discuss the reasons Zach took a leave of absence, what he did during that time, and how it prepared him for his next career. During the interview, Zach mentions two books (“the classics”) he has read during his prepar...
2014-05-0649 minPhD (in Progress) Podcast | Education, Career, LifePhD 003: Using Grad School Experience In Your Career SearchClick here to subscribe and rate us in iTunes | Or find us in Stitcher This week Jason, Nikhil, and Abigail continue the discussion initiated in Episode 2 by Fatimah Williams Castro, PhD on how we should approach our career searches. We then make public some “anecdata” while briefly summarizing the steps we are taking to 1) obtain skills inside/outside the lab and 2) initiate our career exploration. How can you “manage up”? Where do you find contacts to pursue job leads? Why would you want a treadmill desk? All this and more in Episode 3! Thanks to ev...
2014-04-2938 minPhD (in Progress) Podcast | Education, Career, LifePhD 002: Beyond the Tenure Track with Fatimah Williams Castro, Ph.D.Click here to subscribe in iTunes | Or find us in Stitcher Thank you for supporting our brand new podcast! We’re constantly trying to improve the quality and content. In this week’s episode, Jason, Nikhil, and Abigail briefly discuss the 61% of PhDs who pursue nonacademic careers as they review the American Institutes for Research article titled “The Nonacademic Careers of STEM PhD Holders” released in April 2014. Then they interview Dr. Fatimah Williams Castro, the PhD career coach behind BeyondTheTenureTrack.com about starting your career search outside of the academy. She will be participating...
2014-04-1439 minPhD (in Progress) Podcast | Education, Career, LifePhD 001: An Introduction to the PhD (in Progress) Podcast In this episode, Jason, Nikhil, and Abigail introduce themselves and their goals for PhDinProgress.com. We kept this episode light but expect great interviews, discussions, and resource highlights to come. Thanks for listening to our first episode! We’d love your feedback and suggestions. Let this show reflect the questions and ideas you have to improving your graduate education. Leave comments below, e-mail us at feedback@PhDinProgress.com Or follow us on Twitter: @PhDPodcast UPDATE: iTunes feed is here! [more…] [contact-form][contact-field label=’Name’ type=’name’ required=’1’/][contact-field label...
2014-04-0821 min