Dr. Peter Fiske explains how a PhD is useful not just for companies looking to recruit scientists, but for those looking to fill other business-oriented roles in the private sector. That doctorate could cover you even further than you thought.
Guest contributor Andy Tay
Congratulations! After investing so much effort to write your personal statement and research proposal, you’ve been accepted into a PhD programme. It’s now time to decide which lab to commit to.
Like most other PhD students, you may be eager to perform and steer your PhD in your direction. However, as your salary, tuition and research expenses are likely to come from the grants of your professor, this financial need might trap you in a research project that you’re not interested in. While PhD students in countries like Singapore and Australia are paid generous scholarships, their counterparts in the U.S. and European institutions typically rely on their professors for income. In all cases, PhD students still require their research expenditure to be covered by grants.
Is there no way out?
After hearing – along with many other topics – about the role of micro-organisms in cancer, and the use of light for quantum computing, students present in the Global Young Scientist Summit 2016 voiced their concerns on PhD education during group sessions and panel discussions with 13 Nobel laureates.
A common worry was the lack of autonomy on research projects and the impact that has on scientific curiosity. The Nobel laureates, fortunately, had experienced advice to give. Continue reading
We’re thrilled to announce this year’s Naturejobs journalism competition, taking place in both San Francisco and Boston. This is a great opportunity for new and upcoming science journalists to work with a Nature editor, attend the Naturejobs Career Expo, and have their voice published on the Naturejobs blog. Winners will also be provided with a $100 Amazon voucher and a year’s personal subscription to Nature.
We’re looking for 10 new science writers, based in – or able to travel to – San Francisco and Boston, to cover our ever-popular career expos. The conferences will explore careers in academia and industry, the career paths of prominent scientists, and how to develop the all-important practical and soft skills you need to progress in your career.
Winners of the journalism competition will have the opportunity to visit and report on at least two sessions at the career expo, will be able to work with Springer Nature editors on their pieces, and have their winning entries and reports published on the Naturejobs blog.
All you need to do to be considered for the Naturejobs Career Expo Journalism Competition is to send us:
1) A cover letter explaining why you want to be considered and what would make you a good journalist.
2) Your CV.
3) A 600 word answer to one of the following topics:
The prizes are:
1) The five winning and five runner-up entries will be posted on the Naturejobs blog before the event.
2) The reports of the Expo will be published on the Naturejobs blog after the event.
3) Winners will work with, and meet, Springer Nature editors.
4) The five winners will receive a one year personal subscription to Nature .
5) The five winners will also get a $100 Amazon voucher.
The things you need to know BEFORE entering the competition:
1) We cannot offer travel grants or cover travel expenses to the event of any kind. Instead we offer some great prizes, along with the opportunity of having your pieces published on the Naturejobs blog.
2) The competition entries and content created will be used on the Naturejobs blog and in marketing materials for the Naturejobs Career Expo.
3) The deadline for sending in your competition entries is 7th April 2016 at 9pm GMT.
4) You can send your competition entries to the Naturejobs editor at naturejobseditor [at] nature.com.
Good luck, and we’re looking forward to seeing your entries!
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In certain circles, ‘sales’ has become taboo; the word summons memories of double glazing, cleaning supplies, or accidents that weren’t your fault. Despite this, a great salesperson simply believes in their product, and knows how to portray its finer points in an effective way.
Similar knowledge could give you the edge in applying for your next job or promotion. Sure; having the requisite qualifications and soft skills (being personable, confident, organised) is essential, but understanding your own value, and knowing some of the finer skills that salespeople use in their pitch, may help you to better present yourself to an employer.
Guest contributor Virginia Schutte
I’m transitioning from a traditional academic career to one in science communication. There are many challenges that come with this shift, but I didn’t expect the process to be so emotionally difficult.
I left my academic career path in the best possible situation. I have a great relationship with my PhD advisor and everyone I talk to is encouraging when it comes to my new direction. But in my academic experience, changing position meant moving up, or at least adding something to my CV. Graduating and then immediately starting at the bottom of the ladder in a new career felt like I was moving backwards; I was convinced that I had disappointed the people who invested in me because I was “wasting” my PhD.
Guest contributor Simon Peyda.
Science is all about trial-and-error, and job interviews were no different for me. My job hunt began in the spring of 2014. With graduation rapidly approaching, and without any curricular preparation, I had to learn along the way. I would inevitably make mistakes but, as it turns out, failure is a great teacher.
Networking as a jobhunter – in a conference, careers fair, or anywhere else – can be really challenging. You’re under pressure to be pleasant and interesting company, and to sell yourself without seeming like that’s your only motive to talk to someone. If you manage that, how do you even know if you’re talking to the right person?
Of course, asking the questions is only half of the job – you have to listen carefully to the answers, encourage a two-way conversation (you’re not interviewing anyone) and give your own perspective. But the questions are a good start. So, here’s 6 questions that will help you network as a jobhunter, without sacrificing a good conversation.
“What do you do?”
It’s timeless – a classic – the Citizen Kane of networking questions. This is fairly self-explanatory, but generally finding out what someone does, who they work for, and how that can apply to you will the basis of the rest of your conversation. You have to start somewhere, and this is your best bet.
Guest contributors Zhiyong Jason Ren and Defeng Xing
Once upon a time, we worked in the same lab. Ten years later, we both lead big research labs – in Boulder, USA, and Harbin, China. We have similar backgrounds and research interests, but our journeys were very different. After reading Turning Point: Chinese Science in Transition and Nature’s How to build a better Ph.D, we want to share our stories with young researchers in the hope it might help them navigate their own science adventure.
How did we start?
It was 2006 when we first met at Penn State and became lab mates and close friends. When it became time to decide on a career path, Ren chose to become an assistant professor in the U.S., while Xing returned to his Alma Mater in China. In an “ever-lasting” U.S. tenure track system, Ren was handed a well-structured guideline for new principal investigators (PIs), while Xing got a pile of applications on his desk, so he could recruit from various young talent programs.
Ren (L) and Xing (R) in 2006
For Ren, winning the position meant he started the job as decision-making group leader, though he didn’t receive much training. For Xing, it meant joining a big group with an established platform and shifting gradually from a team player to team lead. Continue reading
Guest contributor David Rubenson
The slide presentation has become the most ubiquitous form of scientific communication and it is causing havoc. Scientists spend enormous amounts of time preparing presentations, travelling to conferences to deliver them, and listening to them almost every day. But most scientists simply aren’t very good at them – we should change that.
David Rubenson
I previously argued that this problem underlies a significant communication crisis in research. As I’ve learnt as a scientific presentation coach at Stanford, there’s a broad understanding of this problem, but insufficient incentive for the time-intensive training many scientists need. Still, following simple lists of “dos” and “don’ts” is a great way to improve presentation skills.
In that spirit, and to supplement an earlier list of eight positive suggestions, here’s a David Letterman-like countdown of the 10 biggest pitfalls in creating and delivering a scientific presentation:
Since our podcast introducing the faculty series in May, we’ve published 13 more pieces designed to help new and aspiring faculty members flourish in their positions. From applying to the job all the way to mentoring new members of staff, we’ve seen it all, and we hope you’ve enjoyed the ride. Here’s a brief summary of all of the posts we’ve published so far. Make sure to catch the ones you’ve missed, and let us know what you think! Continue reading