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 podcast@hellophd.com, 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.