Career Readings for Biomedical Graduate Students
General Resources:
NEXT GEN PhD, A Guide to Career Paths in Science by Melanie V. Sinche. ebook from the NYU library
Career Paths - General:
Sutter PM. Universities are failing the next generation of scientists (2022) Undark
Bodewits K. Why you should craft multiple plans for your future career. (2020) Science Careers
Benderly BL. What do we know about Ph.D. scientists’ career paths? (2019) Science Careers
Wanchisen BA. Four lessons about transitioning from academia to the ‘real world’ (2019) Science
Martin K. Tips for young scientists on the junior faculty/independent investigator job search. (2017) Neuron
Levine AG. Scientists, avoid workplaces that don’t value you (2022) Science Careers
Forrester N. How lab leaders can students’ non-academic career plans (2022) Nature
Bennett et al., Beware survivorship bias in advice on science careers (2022) Nature
Bodewits K. Scientists , let’s talk about cash - and the financial realities of career choices (2021) Science Careers
Bodewits K. Scientists, get out of lab for career exploration. (2021) Science Careers
Toolkit: How to get a great internship (2019) Nature
Listserv for those interested in leaving academia https://www.docjobs.com/jobs/list/
Industry and Start-ups:
Gould J. Beyond academia: how to select your scientific role in industry. (2022) Nature Careers Podcast
Gould J. Beyond academia: debunking the industry-academia barrier myth (2022) Nature Careers Podcast
Woolston C. Start-ups create career opportunities for scientists (2022) Nature
Bodewits K. To get a nonacademic job, you need to learn the jargon (2021) Science Careers
Torregrosa T. Why I paused my PhD research to work as an industry intern. (2021) Science Careers
Bodewits K. Scientists, look beyond ‘academia versus industry’ when considering careers (2022) Science Careers
Banono NS. I wish I hadn’t waited to tell my PhD supervisor about my industry internship (2021) Science Careers
Toolkit: How to transition from academia to industry. (2019) Nature
Science Communications:
Reuben A. How to experiment with a career in science communication. (2021) Science Careers
Toolkit: How to work in science communication (2019) Nature
Requarth. 5 tips for scientists who want to become science writers: https://medium.com/@timrequarth/5-tips-for-scientists-who-want-to-become-science-writers-c616954b176
Consulting and Venture Capitals:
Vekatraman V. The Science Careers guide to consulting careers for PhD scientists. (2014) Science Careers
Torres E. Alternative Careers for STEM PhDs: Life Science Consulting (2018) BenchSci
Hankel I. The one big advantage PhDs have that make them the best management consultants. Cheeky Scientist
Science Policy:
Pain E. A day in the life of a science policy adviser. (2021) Science Careers
AAAS policy career resources: https://www.aaas.org/resources/science-policy-resources
Mental Health:
Woolston C. How burnout and imposter syndrome blight scientific careers (2021) Nature
Still K. How I got through my grad school slump. (2020) Science
Woolston C. A better future for graduate school mental health (2019) Nature
Nolte J. Why comparing yourself to other graduate students is counter-productive (2020) Nature
Satinsky et al., Systematic review and meta-analysis of depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation among PhD Students (2021) Scientific Reports
Levin AG. Dealing with bullies and jerks in science (2021) Science Careers
Langin K. This lab asked depressed PhD students what’s the hardest - and what parts of grad school help them cope (2021) Science Careers
PhD Skills:
Many junior scientists need to take a hard look at their job prospects. (2017) Nature
Bodewits K. When applying for nonacademic jobs, think creatively about your transferable skills (2021) Science
Sinche et al., An evidence-based evaluation of transferrable skills and job satisfaction for science PhDs (2017) Plos One
Anderson S. Making science PhDs more than just a training path for academia (2019) Nature
Bodewits K. You’ve accomplished more than you think (2019) Science
McGuire & Baggott. ‘Hard’ skills from our PhDs remain relevant beyond academia (2021) Nature
MD-PhDs:
Gallagher et al., Pearls of wisdom for aspiring physician-scientist residency applicants and program directors (2022) JCI Insight
Brass & Akabas. The national MD-PhD program outcomes study: Relationships between medical specialty, training duration, research effort and career paths. (2019) JCI Insight
Sarma et al., The physician-scientist, 75 years after Vannevar Bush - rethinking the ‘bench’ and ‘bedside’ dichotomy (2020) Nature Medicine
Salata et al., U.S. Physician-Scientist Workforce in the 21st Century Recommendations to Attract and Sustain the Pipeline (2018) Acad. Med.
Williams et al., Training the physician-scientist: views from program directors and aspiring young investigators. (2018) JCI Insight
Dzirasa et al., Incubating the Research Independence for a Medical Scientist Training Program Graduate: A Case Study (2016) Acad. Med
Networking:
Bodewits K. To establish new professional connections at conferences, avoid these pitfalls. (2021) Science Careers
Levine AG. How to network during challenging times. (2020) Science Careers
Gotian R. Networking for introverted scientists (2019) Nature
Postdocs:
Van Bavel et al., How to find a postdoc position that’s right for you (2021) Science Careers
Lai AG. I made time to follow my curiosity as a postdoc and it changed my career (2022) Science Careers
Powell D. The price of doing a postdoc (2017) Science Careers
Bodewits K. Three bad reasons to do a postdoc (2019) Science Careers
Woolston C.Postdoc survey reveals disenchantment with working life (2020) Nature
CV, Resumes and Negotiation:
VanBavel JJ et al., How to write a clear, compelling CV (2020) Science Careers
Bodewits K. Be proud of your resume, wobbles and all (2019) Science Careers
Levine AG. Why science job seekers need to market themselves - and how to do it (2021) Science Careers
Toolkit: How to write a great academic CV (2019) Nature
Toolkit: How to write a great non-academic CV (2019) Nature
Sharma A. Negotiate a higher starting salary with these 5 email templates. Cheeky Scientist
VanBavel JJ et al., Ten tips for negotiating job offers (2019) Science Careers
Mentoring:
Langin K. Worried your PhD advisor won’t support your career development activities? Show them this. (2021) Science Careers
Levine AG. A ‘personal board of directors’ can help you navigate challenges in your career (2020) Science
Van Bavel et al., How to navigate conflict with your research advisor. (2020) Science Careers
Dance A. What the best mentors do. (2020) Nature
Levine AG. How to tell your adviser you’re pursuing a nonacademic career (2019) Science Careers
Salo-Salago et al., Managing up: how to communicate effectively with your PhD advisor (2021) Nature
Gould J. The many mentoring types explained (2021) Nature Careers Podcast
Gould J. How COVID-19 changed scientific mentoring (2021) Nature Careers Podcast
Moore E. One mentor isn’t enough. Here’s how I built a network of mentors (2021) Science Careers
Diversity:
Somerville LH. Three trouble spots facing women in science - and how we can tackle them. (2021) Science Careers
Lewis NA. What I’ve learned about being a black scientist. (2021) Science Careers
Ortega RP. Science’s English dominance hinders diversity - but the community can work toward change. (2021) Science Careers
Roldan B. Why I came out as nonbinary to my PhD lab. (2021) Science Careers
Neubecker R. For LGBQ scientists, being out can mean more publications (2022) Science Careers
Ibrahim M. Women feel like imposters in disciplines that value ‘brilliance’ (2021) Science Careers
Other resources:
NYC policy group run by students at Cornell/Rockefeller/MSK: http://www.sepanyc.org/
Escape from the Ivory Tower: A guide to making your science matter: https://islandpress.org/books/escape-ivory-tower