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Choosing a lab for your graduate or postdoc research is one of the most important decisions you’ll make. Most people read papers and abstracts to find the coolest science. Or they favor the big labs with lots of people and solid funding.
But those features can distract you from the real secret of scientific success.
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Dr. Jimena Giudice has all the traits of a promising new faculty member.
Through her training and early career, she has earned more than a dozen grants and awards. She’s co-authored two dozen papers. And she has trained students and postdocs, gaining a reputation as a highly effective mentor.
You’d expect that Dr. Giudice’s undeniable success was the natural result of an early immersion in science and a dogged adherence to the well-worn path through college, grad school, and postdoc.
But of course, you’d be wrong. Before discovering a love for scientific research, Dr. Giudice spent ten years answering a different calling.
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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, writing grants, attending departmental meetings, and managing people, projects, and money?
If you’re noticing a mismatch between academic training and the actual work of a faculty member, you’re not alone. The skills and traits that make us successful students may not translate into making us successful professors and PIs.
That’s where a unique postdoctoral fellowship steps in to bridge the gap: it’s the Academic Pathways program at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee. Their goal is to prepare postdocs for entry-level faculty jobs, with a special focus on increasing diversity at the highest levels of academia.
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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 skills very much in demand outside the research lab. Why couldn’t the students see it?
“I felt frustrated by that comment, and motivated to conduct a research study around skill development. I would argue that scientific training, by its very nature, lends itself to the development of LOTS of skills.”
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You might think internships are the domain of business students and undergrads. You’re training every day in a lab – why would you need more experiential learning?
The short answer is that your laboratory training is a great internship if you want to go on to a faculty position at a major research university.
But what if you want to use your scientific training to craft policy and legislation in your state government?
Or what if you want to work with a Contract Research Organization and help shepherd new drugs through clinical trials?