Hello PhD

Hello PhD episodes:

• 12.01.2023

  202. Academia Has a Postdoc Problem

  A few generations ago, you could probably graduate from a PhD program and immediately land yourself a junior faculty position at a nearby university. But as grad school enrollment grew, a new quasi-professional job-description emerged in the nebulous middle ground...

  
• 11.15.2023

  201. Society for Neuroscience 2023 – LIVE!

  Josh and Dan traveled to Washington DC for the Society for Neuroscience Conference 2023. We chatted with students, postdocs, and faculty about everything from grad school applications to industry jobs to work-life-balance. And we recorded this special update from the hall...

  
• 10.31.2023

  200. Want a Degree Without Quitting Your Job? An Online PhD Might Be the Solution.

  Karla already has a successful career. After completing her training, she’s worked as a pelvic-floor physical therapist for over ten years! Her patients love her, and she loves serving them. But no matter how skilled she becomes at her craft, there’s...

  
• 10.11.2023

  100. The One Where We Celebrate (R)

  Graduate training has many milestones, but a few stand stronger in memory due to their importance. You may remember the day you passed your comprehensive exams, officially becoming a ‘PhD Candidate.’ Or maybe you’ll remember the day you saw a paper...

  
• 09.25.2023

  199. Mailbag: Is a Master’s enough, or do I need a PhD?

  This week, we answer a listener’s question about whether he should pursue schooling beyond a Master’s degree. Plus – once your formal education is complete, how can you continue to focus on learning? What steps should we take to become life-long...

  
• 09.06.2023

  198. Just The Abstract: Is the GRE Really Optional?

  Just The Abstract is a new series where we explore a topic in a short, focused episode that’s easy to share. This week, we find out why most science PhD programs stopped requiring the GRE, and whether they’ll demote your...

  
• 08.17.2023

  114. Grad School Should Have a Time Limit (R)

  Here’s a controversial idea: what if graduate school finished on a predictable schedule the way (checks notes) every other academic training program does! Since kindergarten, your education has had fixed milestones. You knew it would take 12 years to...

  
• 08.03.2023

  197. Mailbag: What If I Have “Bad Lab Hands?”

  This week, we’re opening the mailbag once again to answer YOUR burning questions! Change of Plans We start with Allen, who was awarded a grant based on a research proposal he submitted BEFORE joining the lab. When he finished the summer rotation,...

  
• 07.18.2023

  196. YOU Can Win A Poster Competition w/ Dr. Zen Faulkes

  Wherever scientists gather, there is sure to be a poster session. You may see them at major scientific symposia, as well as your university’s departmental retreat. To keep things interesting, a lot of conference organizers will host a poster competition. Entrants...

  
• 07.03.2023

  195. Five Myths of Scientific Poster Design w/ Dr. Zen Faulkes

  The scientific poster is an academic oddity. Where else do thousands of people gather around hundreds of large-format printouts to talk about esoteric subjects!? Posters might be the most common form of scientific communication on the planet. In your career, you...

  
• 06.16.2023

  194. Mailbag: Do I Have to Do Animal Research?

  It’s no secret that biomedical research relies heavily on animal models. Our mammalian cousins share so many common genes and pathways that we can often make breakthrough advances in human medicine through the use of animal proxies. But animal research is...

  
• 06.01.2023

  122. Tenure Tracker – The Life Non-Linear with Dr. Jimena Giudice (R)

  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...

  
• 05.18.2023

  193. Listener Mailbag – Undergrad Research and Choosing a Master’s Program

  This week, we open the mailbag to answer listener questions about getting extra research experience as an undergrad, and making a difficult choice between Master’s programs. Stay with us! Could Great be Perfect? Our first letter comes from Owen. He’s a freshman who...

  
• 05.02.2023

  192. Careers In Focus: Medical Writer

  When you think about your day, which events and activities feel the most fulfilling? Which tasks do you tolerate, but would rather avoid? Maybe your experiments feel like a drag, but you get a lot of satisfaction out of crafting an...

  
• 04.19.2023

  191. The Tough Times are Worth It w/ Dr. Emma Hinkle

  A few months ago, Emma Hinkle was organizing her lab notebooks as she prepared to start a career. She had completed her graduate training, earned a PhD, and had a job lined up that started on Monday. In those few...

  
• 03.31.2023

  190. Mailbag: Can I blend art with science?

  It’s time to open the listener mailbag to answer your question about the human side of science, and life in the lab! This week: the importance of lunch, blending art with science, and the dream of a lab-based sitcom. We didn’t...

  
• 03.19.2023

  129. Grad School Rejection: Why it Happens and How to Get Accepted (R)

   I feel a little disheartened because I’ve been rejected from many of the places I applied to and haven’t heard back from a number of others. Is it worth it to hold out hope for the ones that haven’t sent...

  
• 03.01.2023

  189. Crafting an Unforgettable Job Talk w/ Dr. Andres De Los Reyes

  Think about your favorite action movie that kept you on the edge your seat. Did it look certain that the hero would fall, only to emerge at the very last moment to save the day? Now picture a great movie...

  
• 02.16.2023

  188. Grad School Time Management According to ChatGPT

  We get asked all the time about strategies for more effective time management during graduate school. Not surprisingly, some of our most popular past episodes deal with time management. While we have covered a lot of ground over the years...

  
• 02.01.2023

  187. Pro-Tips For Creating a Scientific Poster

  Scientific conferences are a great way to meet other scientists and share your research. Perhaps your advisor got lucky and was invited to give a talk. If your research doesn’t get time on stage, how can you make connections and...

  
• 01.18.2023

  186. Scientists Share Their Goals and Strategies for Attending a Scientific Conference

  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...

  
• 01.01.2023

  071. Practical Advice for Overcoming Impostor Syndrome w/ Dr. Maureen Gannon (R)

  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...

  
• 12.23.2022

  070. Impostor Syndrome (R)

  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...

  
• 11.30.2022

  185. I got accepted! Now how do I choose a PhD program?

  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...

  
• 11.17.2022

  184. White House Rules for Open Access w/ Heather Joseph

  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...

  
• 11.01.2022

  103. Laboratory of Horrors! (R)

  “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...

  
• 10.19.2022

  183. Mailbag: Finding Balance, Master’s En Route, et al!

  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...

  
• 09.30.2022

  182. How to Choose A Rotation Lab and Advisor

  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...

  
• 09.19.2022

  181. Build Skills Before Grad School with a Postbac

  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 –...

  
• 09.01.2022

  180. Becoming an Educator w/ Dr. Alaina Talboy

  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...

  
• 08.20.2022

  119. Ten Tips to Crush Your First Semester (R)

  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...

  
• 08.01.2022

  179. Teaching Opportunities for Grad Students w/ Dr. Alaina Talboy

  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,...

  
• 07.18.2022

  178. I Didn’t Even Know “Research” Was a Thing!

  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...

  
• 07.02.2022

  177. Mailbag: Is Academia Lonely? And, Lab Tech vs. Med Tech

  You send questions to [email protected], 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...

  
• 06.17.2022

  176. Stop Calling Yourself a ‘Grad Student’ w/ Dr. Alaina Talboy

  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...

  
• 06.01.2022

  175. Four Research Traps (And How to Avoid Them)

  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...

  
• 05.19.2022

  116. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Summer Students (R)

  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...

  
• 05.01.2022

  174. I Have a Degree – Why Can’t I Find a Job?

  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...

  
• 04.20.2022

  173. Mailbag: I Have a Master’s Degree – Now I Want a 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...

  
• 04.01.2022

  172. Research Software Engineer

  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,...

  
• 03.16.2022

  171. The Life and Times of a Humanities PhD Candidate

  Sometimes, your humble HelloPhD hosts forget how narrow our experience has been in graduate education. We’re both biomedical PhDs, and while we trained in different departments, there was a significant amount of overlap. For us, a PhD meant classes, comprehensive exams,...

  
• 03.01.2022

  144. Finding a Career that Fits with Marlys Hanson (R)

  Sarah had achieved her dream. With a PhD in Physics, she had accepted a new position as a Theoretical Physicist. But as the months wore on, she started to feel overwhelmed and depressed. She’d done well in school and enjoyed her...

  
• 02.16.2022

  170. Mailbag: Should I Quit Grad School?

  If you’re a grad student who hasn’t thought about leaving your PhD program at least once, you might not have a pulse. When experiments fail, grants are rejected, or you get reprimanded by the PI, it’s often comforting to remember...

  
• 02.01.2022

  169. Change Your Plans, Not Your Goals

  Even as a child, Alexandra wanted to study space. She had a Bachelor’s degree in physics from Cambridge University, so she seemed like the perfect candidate to for a PhD program. But after graduation, she didn’t feel ready. She’d need...

  
• 01.17.2022

  168. Academic Twitter: Step-By-Step

  It’s no secret that a lot of scientific conversation happens on Twitter. It’s a great place to share your research, keep up with trends, and connect with collaborators. But many grad students and postdocs have questions. Is it okay to promote my...

  
• 01.01.2022

  086. Five Resolutions for Happier, Healthier Scientists (R)

  Turning over the last page of the calendar seems to naturally invite some reflection on the previous 365 days. When you look back at 2021, what went well? And what do you wish you could change in the coming year? This...

  
• 12.16.2021

  167. Mailbag – Am I Ready For Grad School?

  This week, we dive head-first into the mailbag to answer listener questions about grad school readiness, teaching experience, and more! Just Finished! Our first missive comes from Kaylee, who recently graduated! I just wanted to send an email to thank you for all...

  
• 12.01.2021

  075. When Research Sucks (R)

  It’s inevitable.  At some point in your research career, you’re going to get that sinking feeling. Your experiments will all fail, your PI will get on your case about finishing that paper, and your graduation date will drift maddeningly out of...

  
• 11.18.2021

  166. Want to Improve Research Careers? Scientists Have 5,434 Suggestions.

  The CACTUS Global Mental Health Survey asked valuable questions about stress, performance, and career goals for scientists. The data revealed plenty of room for improvement, as researchers struggle with harassment, work-life balance, and limited pay. But the study’s authors also asked...

  
• 11.01.2021

  165: A Survey Asked Researchers About Their Mental Health. Here’s What They Said.

  Most academics are overwhelmed, even the ones who are successful in terms of being productive researchers, busy teachers and efficient administrators. But, they seem like the norm and everyone who struggles is not, and this needs to be disrupted and...