The newsletter is back from our 2023 Summer Break!
This newsletter is typically distributed the last Thursday of the month and contains a variety of resources, links, and reflections on graduate-level career & professional development, higher education, and an occasional detour into neuroscience topics, the area I formally trained in as a graduate student and postdoc.
Missed the inaugural newsletter from January 2021?
While competition over scare resources may be seen as good for economic growth in a purely capitalistic sense, a balance must be struck that ensures zero-sum thinking doesn't reign. Collaboration and cooperation is essential for us to thrive now and in a more complex and challenging future. In this piece, I highlight how increases in the United States' social safety net and skilled immigration can help grow entrepreneurship, innovation, and our economy.
A new report from Lumina Foundation and Gallup reveals a host of positive outcomes associated with going to college. Specifically, they found that additional years of education beyond high school make for a healthier, more civic-minded individual who is more likely to interact with neighbors and family members, and to do work that aligns with their natural talents and interests.
To summarize the report's main findings: higher education is good for the individual, the communities they live in, and our society.
In this two-part series, I and co-author and colleague Eric Vaughn, discuss how to take a active and structured approach to career exploration. Part 1 focuses on engaging with yourself and others while Part 2 has tips and personal stories from current and past Ph.D. students on the value of having a career exploration plan and executing on it.
Programs Worth Promoting
National Institutes of Health Office of Intramural Training and Education's Becoming a Resilient Scientist Series
This series, targeted to graduate students and postdoctoral scholars, was developed to help attendees build the confidence and resilience needed to navigate challenging situations in school, work, and life.
The Fall 2023 series begins September 14th and consists of five online workshop sessions + related group discussions centered around the following topics:
• An Introduction to Resilience and Wellness • Exploring Our Self-talk: Cognitive Distortions and Imposter Fears • Self-advocacy and Assertiveness • Feedback Resilience • Managing Up to Maximize Mentoring Relationships
See this preprint publication that discusses the effectiveness of the Becoming a Resilient Scientist programming.
Explore the online, nation-wide programming that will be taking place during this week including career panels and a keynote from Julie Stufft, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Visa Services in the Bureau of Consular Affairs at the U.S. State Department.
The NPA's SmartSkills program returns in 2023 featuring webinars on a variety of topics related to postdocs' career and professional development and well-being.
And check out the NPA's Resource Library for more guides and resources including a guide to the postdoc timeline, mentoring, and more.
As the calendar turns toward the start of a new academic year, job postings for assistant professor positions are being posted. What should you consider if you are a Ph.D. thinking of pursuing one of these positions.
I have collated resources and advice to help you craft your faculty application materials, consider what factors are associated with receiving a faculty job offer, and ultimately decide if this career path is right for you.
Should you pursue a postdoc position post-Ph.D.? What are the pros and cons? Have you considered postdoc positions beyond the typical academic, research-based ones? I cover those topics in a series of presentations and resources linked in this piece.
