Hello Phd

You’ve studied hard, gotten good grades, and spent the last two years working in research labs on campus.  You’re feeling ready for that next, inevitable step: applying to graduate school. In a perfect world, the next step would be easy.  You’d simply fill out an application, and submit it to every Genetics or Microbiology department […] The post 101: HelloPhD Guide to Grad School Applications – Knowing When, and Where, to Apply with Dr. Beth Bowman appeared first on Hello PhD.

It's important to recognize each major milestone in grad school and beyond. That's why we've invited a few friends to help us celebrate our 100th episode! The post 100: The One Where We Celebrate appeared first on Hello PhD.

“I was observing that there was this growing mistrust in science, and I couldn’t really understand why. I think that people just don’t trust scientists anymore, or at least not as much as they used to.” As a graduate student at the University of Connecticut, Sarah McAnulty was struck by the anti-science and pseudoscience she […] The post 099: Skype a Scientist with Sarah McAnulty appeared first on Hello PhD.

It’s no secret that graduate school and postdoctoral training are some of the most intellectually and emotionally challenging periods you will face in your career. Experiments fail, grant deadlines loom, and PIs push you to work long hours to publish or perish. That’s why many trainees wait to start a family.  Time is precious, and […] The post 098: I’m in Grad School and I’m Pregnant! How to Have Kids AND a Career in Science appeared first on Hello PhD.

Sure, scientific conferences are not a competitive sport, but the sheer volume of information, introductions, and events can leave you feeling like you just lost a round of rugby. This week, we share some sage advice for making your next conference the best one yet. Listener Matthew writes: I have a topic that I think […] The post 097: Conference Like the Pros – How to Plan, Network, and Win appeared first on Hello PhD.

The best thing about the Hello PhD podcast is our amazing audience of grad students, postdocs, and career scientists. We get emails, tweets, and website comments full of thoughtful questions and insightful observations. And though we try to read and respond to each message, not every question makes it into the show. Sometimes, we can […] The post 096: Listener Mailbag – Program Prestige, Changing Careers, and More! appeared first on Hello PhD.

A PhD takes years to complete, so it’s no surprise that your situation may change during that time.  Your PI may move to a different University, your spouse may take a job in another town, or you may need to move back home to care for ailing parents. In these situations, you’re forced to make […] The post 095: Should I Finish My PhD Remotely? appeared first on Hello PhD.

We got an email from a first-year student who seems to love everything about grad school… except the tests.  He’s wondering: Do grades matter? Dear Josh and Daniel, I am a first year chemical engineering PhD student and am currently working through a class-filled semester. For two of my classes, my midterm grades were much less […] The post 094: Do Grades Matter in Grad School? appeared first on Hello PhD.

Susanna was experiencing insomnia that began to interfere with her work and life.  She visited the campus health clinic, and they referred her to mental health resources on campus. There, the doctor recommended medication for depression and anxiety, and therapy to work through the issues that were interfering with her sleep. “We’re actually really worried […] The post 093: The Grad School Mental Health Crisis, and What You Can Do About It appeared first on Hello PhD.

“Things are not progressing as they should. You’re having a hard time focusing on the research, and we know that you don’t want to be in academia anyway.  Do you want to quit?” The question landed like a punch, and Mónica’s committee meeting took a turn she hadn’t expected. She was in the fourth year […] The post 092: Making Time for Science Communication with Mónica Feliú-Mójer appeared first on Hello PhD.

Think about your training as a grad student and postdoc – you spend countless hours at the bench, running experiments and reading papers to finish your personal research project. Now think about your PI or faculty advisor. Does she spend time at the bench?  Or are you more likely to find her in her office, […] The post 091: Cross-Train for the Faculty Track with the Academic Pathways Postdoctoral Fellowship appeared first on Hello PhD.

Have you ever submitted a grant, only to have it rejected?  You respond to the reviewers’ comments, addressing weaknesses and tweaking the protocol to honor their suggestions. Then, when you resubmit, the proposal is rejected again.  This new group of reviewers suggest changes to the protocol. And guess what, their suggestions sound a lot like […] The post 090: Maybe Grant Funding Feels Random and Subjective Because It Is appeared first on Hello PhD.

On a graduate student’s stipend, it’s hard to imagine having enough money left over to afford a dinner out, let alone enough to invest for retirement. But if you can scrape together a few dollars each month, you have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to grow that investment. As a grad student, time is on your side. Compound Interest […] The post 089: The Grad Student’s Guide to Investing for Retirement appeared first on Hello PhD.

But I have no skills! At least no skills employers would be interested in! As a career counselor, Melanie Sinche heard grad students and postdocs voice this concern nearly every day.  She looked at these talented scholars and saw the ability to think critically, analyze data, and solve problems. To her eye, these were transferable […] The post 088: 15 Transferable Skills PhDs Can Use In Any Career appeared first on Hello PhD.

Some decisions in life are simple (“Yes, I want cheese on that burger!”) and some are difficult (“Do I want to spend the rest of my life with this person?”). On that spectrum, choosing a University graduate program sits closer to marriage than it does to your lunch options. First, grad school takes a long […] The post 087: How Do I Choose a PhD Program? appeared first on Hello PhD.

Turning over the last page of the calendar seems to naturally invite some reflection on the previous 365 days. When you look back at 2017, what went well? And what do you wish you could change in the coming year? This week, we take the opportunity to reflect back much farther – to our days […] The post 086: Five Resolutions for Happier, Healthier Scientists appeared first on Hello PhD.

Pick up any newspaper and you’ll find an article summarizing the ‘latest research’ on the health benefits of chocolate, a new treatment for Alzheimers, or the long-term risks of screen time for your toddler. As a scientist, you probably groan before you reach the end of the title: the claims are extreme, the statistics are […] The post 085: Scientists in the Newsroom – The AAAS Mass Media Fellowship feat. Rebekah Corlew appeared first on Hello PhD.

In every episode of Hello PhD, we explore science training and life in the lab.  But for every scientist, that saga begins with a grad school application. Whether you’re ready to apply today, or would like to apply to a graduate program ‘some day,’ we share a few tips and tricks that will make the […] The post 084: The 4 Keys to an Effective Grad School Application appeared first on Hello PhD.

Publishing your research in a peer-reviewed academic journal is an exercise in patience. You write and edit, wait for feedback from your PI, wrangle the figures into some esoteric format, and then submit.  That’s when the real patience begins. From submission to publication, the peer review process can take more than a year.  Meanwhile, you’re […] The post 083: Preprint First, Peer-Review Later appeared first on Hello PhD.

Two scientists walk into a bar. One steps on stage and delivers ten minutes of raucously funny stand-up comedy.  The other enjoys an evening of laughter as enterprising STEM professionals share their science. Scientists doing stand-up may sound like a joke, but it’s actually the latest innovation in science communication. Weird Al Einstein Begun in […] The post 082: The Science of Comedy with The Peer Revue’s Niki Spahich appeared first on Hello PhD.