"My PhD prepared me for the science. It didn't prepare me for the system."

Getting your PhD might be the end of grad school, but it's only the beginning of your career. The transition from the structured world of academia to the fast-paced reality of industry can leave even the most accomplished PhDs feeling lost.

In this episode, I interview with Sherine Cheung, bioengineering PhD scientist and founder of Elevate PhD, about:

• understanding the core differences and values between academia and industries
• learning how to navigate the operational and strategic demands of a corporate environment
• the importance of self-advocacy and advancing career development

Connect with Sherine:

Website: https://elevatephd.com/

Instagram: @elevatephd

1:1 Career Coaching for Women STEM PhDs: https://elevatephd.com/

Connect with Brittany on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brittanytrinh

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brttnytrnh

Website: https://brittanytrinh.com

Intro/Outro Background Music Credit: Op. 10 No. 1, composed by Frederic Chopin, performed by Chiara Bertoglio, piano (Creative Commons Attribution 3.0)

In this episode, I share an old blog post that I wrote in Fall 2021 after going through the process of rotating through research groups and choosing my research group. Then I share some reflections now 4 years later, as a 5th year student and what I'd consider more, knowing what I know now.

Connect with me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brittanytrinh

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brttnytrnh

Website: https://brittanytrinh.com

Listen to Brittany's Music Box: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/76wGgr7qaDP9ssGRVqdAK5?si=1653e13131e14030

Intro/Outro Background Music Credit: Op. 10 No. 1, composed by Frederic Chopin, performed by Chiara Bertoglio, piano (Creative Commons Attribution 3.0)

In this episode, I reflect on some lessons I've learned from being a website designer for grad students and early career researchers to experiencing the same challenges after becoming a graduate student myself. I share some tips on what I'd focus on to get started on building my online presence.

Enter the Best Personal Academic Websites Contest: https://theacademicdesigner.com/2025/best-personal-academic-websites-contest-2025/ (Entries are open through August 15, 2025 at 11:59pm Pacific Time.) Build your personal academic website with Owlstown: https://www.owlstown.com/ Read the Website Design Guide: https://brittanytrinh.com/website-design-guide/

Connect with me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brittanytrinh Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brttnytrnh Website: https://brittanytrinh.com

Listen to Brittany's Music Box: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/76wGgr7qaDP9ssGRVqdAK5?si=1653e13131e14030

Intro/Outro Background Music Credit: Op. 10 No. 1, composed by Frederic Chopin, performed by Chiara Bertoglio, piano (Creative Commons Attribution 3.0)

In this episode, we'll chat about how I started my science communication journey and what I've learned. I will also read my most recent article that was published in The Dish Wisconsin, a food literary magazine at UW-Madison.

My Science Communication Articles:

1. How Non-sugar Sweetners Affect Gut Health: https://magazine.scienceconnected.org/2019/08/how-nonsugar-sweeteners-affect-gut-health/
2. Mmm, Chemicals: Food Cannot Be Chemical Free: https://issuu.com/wisconsinunion/docs/the_dish_-_the_education_edition_2025/20?ff

Connect with me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brittanytrinh Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brttnytrnh Website: https://brittanytrinh.com

Listen to Brittany's Music Box: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/76wGgr7qaDP9ssGRVqdAK5?si=1653e13131e14030

Intro/Outro Background Music Credit: Op. 10 No. 1, composed by Frederic Chopin, performed by Chiara Bertoglio, piano (Creative Commons Attribution 3.0)

Arabesque No. 1 by Claude Debussy Performed by Brittany Trinh

Connect with me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brittanytrinh Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brttnytrnh Website: https://brittanytrinh.com

In this episode, I share about how and why I deferred grad school and what I wish I did instead. I also share some tips based on my experience for graduate school applicants who want to defer.

Connect with me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brittanytrinh Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brttnytrnh Website: https://brittanytrinh.com

Listen to Brittany's Music Box: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/76wGgr7qaDP9ssGRVqdAK5?si=1653e13131e14030

Intro/Outro Background Music Credit: Op. 10 No. 1, composed by Frederic Chopin, performed by Chiara Bertoglio, piano (Creative Commons Attribution 3.0)

Sound Effect Credits: Turn a Page by CreatorsHome from Pixabay Wind up music box by freesound_community from Pixabay

In this episode, I talk about how Chopin's Op. 10 No. 1 changed my attitude at two different times in my life: learning piano during my middle school years and completing this last year(ish) of my chemistry PhD.

01:33: The story behind choosing Chopin's Etude Opus 10 No. 1.

07:06: Connecting the music and my current challenges in my last (ish) year of my PhD

08:02: My renewed intention to document my journey through the podcast.

09:49: Introducing "Brittany's Music Box" segment.

Connect with me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brittanytrinh Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brttnytrnh Website: https://brittanytrinh.com

Listen to Nobuyuki Tsuji's 2009 Van Cliburn performance: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vshKjti_lTU

Listen to Brittany's Music Box: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/76wGgr7qaDP9ssGRVqdAK5?si=1653e13131e14030

Intro/Outro Background Music Credit: Op. 10 No. 1, composed by Frederic Chopin, performed by Chiara Bertoglio, piano (Creative Commons Attribution 3.0)

Connect with me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brittanytrinh Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brttnytrnh Website: https://brittanytrinh.com

Background Music Credit: Op. 10 No. 1, composed by Frederic Chopin, performed by Chiara Bertoglio, piano (Creative Commons Attribution 3.0)

In this episode, I share my experience of coping with homesickness as a graduate student over the years.

Credits:

• Intro excerpt, read from Breaking Through: My Life in Science by Katalin Kariko
• Piano excerpts: La vallée des cloches from Miroirs by Maurice Ravel, performed by Thérèse Dussaut (piano), from a recital at the Salle de Pleyel, Paris, March 1975; Publisher: Pandora Records/Al Goldstein Archive
• Orchestra excerpt: Symphony No. 8, 1st mvt by Antonin Dvorak, performed by the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health Medical Sciences Orchestra (Fall 2023)
• Ending song: Songs My Mother Taught Me from Gypsy Songs, Op. 55 by Antonin Dvorak, performed by Jennifer Johnson Cano (mezzo-soprano), Christopher Cano (piano); Publisher: Boston, Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum

Connect with me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brittanytrinh Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brttnytrnh Website: https://brittanytrinh.com

In this episode, I share some of my tips for fueling your brain and body by maintaining a healthy diet and exercise as a graduate student (from someone who is learning how to be healthier slowly).

Connect with me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brittanytrinh Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brttnytrnh Website: https://brittanytrinh.com

Music Credit: String Quartet No. 12, 1st mvt composed by Antonin Dvorak, performed by Borromeo String Quartet