After having so many conversations with people at the recent national postdoctoral association conference in Boston, Jim and Lauren thought it would be helpful to put together a tailored podcast episode to highlight important information for international scientists specifically to help them navigate their careers. International scientists are a critical part of the US research environment.  In the US, more than 50% of graduate students are international and >60% of postdoctoral fellows are international.

We have covered many of these details in previous episodes including resume episodes (episodes 9, 12, 13, 14), networking episodes (episodes 33 and 34), informational interviewing episodes (episodes  16, 17) how to engage with postdoc offices in episode 25, postdoc super powers in episode 10) but we thought having a tailored episode for the international scientists to reference would be really valuable for them.  In this episode we highlight key points for international scientists from our previous episodes while also talking about a few other points relevant to international scientists.  We hope that our listeners find this helpful.   

Before we dive in, we want to mention a disclaimer, that we are not immigration experts or immigration lawyers, we are sharing our experiences, resources, and insights 

The first piece of advice we suggest is to know what resources are available to you. if you are a graduate student or postdoctoral fellow, you may have resources at your university / institution 

The second piece of advice is to ensure you are evaluating all options. 

The third piece of advice is to have your application documents together and to ensure that you use the right format for your resume and/or CV

We discuss a few countries that are creating funds to hire US scientists impacted by the current administration to bolstertheir research activities and ensure access to top talent  

We talk about the importance of engaging your Network so that you are not navigating your career choices alone

When applying for industry roles in the US, you need to have alignment in your educational experiences and the role you apply for (get hired for) if you are on a Visa.

We cover details about a few types of Visa that International scientists may be on

We mention advice if you are terminated while on a visa

Lauren Celano, CEO of Propel Careers and Jim Gould, the Director for Postdoctoral Affairs at Harvard Medical School, launched this podcast as a way for us to share our advice, insights, and reflections to help others navigate their careers.

As we develop new episodes, this podcast will provide insights regarding career advice to help listeners navigate career choices and become more confident in their decisions. We look forward to busting myths and providing real life, timely, and accurate advice. Jim and Lauren work heavily with Ph.D. trained scientists, but the advice we provide can be applicable to other audiences. We hope you enjoy listening!