‘Path to Career’
Gladstone Fellowship Program
Nov. 7, 2023—Applications are now open for the NOMIS–Gladstone Fellowship Program at the Gladstone Institute of Neurological Disease (GIND). This interdisciplinary training and research program offers exceptional postdoctoral scientists the freedom to address big unanswered questions at the intersection of two or more scientific disciplines. Gladstone provides an ideal environment for training in integrative neuroscience with dedicated...
ASPIRE Biomedical Scientists Tool Kit: Intro to Life Design
Jan. 19, 2023—Thursday, March 23, 2023 11:00am Location: Light Hall 214 Angela Zito, MEd Assistant Director, BRET Office of Career Development Designers love complex, “wicked” problems- those that may be hard to define and have a seemingly infinite number of solutions, things like life, education, love and vocational wayfinding. Join Angela Zito, Assistant Director, BRET Office of...
Explainer: hard vs. soft money
Feb. 4, 2022—You may hear academics throwing around terms like “hard money” and “soft money” when talking about salaries. What do these terms mean, anyway? This blog post explains the difference.
30 Behavioral Interview Questions from LinkedIn Talent Solutions
Mar. 17, 2020—Great businesses are built on people. People who not only have the right skills and experience, but who have the potential to do great things in the role, the team and in the company. However, screening candidates for potential is the toughest part of an interview. Oftentimes you assess someone’s potential by looking at their...
Courses to Help Graduate Students and Postdocs Transition to Biotech–Deadline March 31
Feb. 27, 2020—The American Society for Cell Biology (ASCB) is offering two week-long courses this summer to help in the transition to careers in biotech. Of 230 participants from 2014-2018, 66% now have nonacademic jobs in industry, regulatory affairs, or tech transfer; the remainder are still in training or in academia. In 2020 ASCB is offering two...
The Role of an Editor: A Career Path Talk Featuring Manuel Breuer, PhD
Sep. 26, 2019—Do any of the following apply to you? you have an interest in science communication/writing/editing you have always wondered what it was like to work for a science journal you career path is still undecided, but you would like to learn more about science communication you know what you want to do, it’s not related...
Teaching Statements: an expansive guide via the VU Center for Teaching
Jan. 2, 2018—If you are not sure where to begin or your current one needs some work, this Vanderbilt Center for Teaching website covers a lot of useful ground on Teaching Statement execution, evaluation, and exercises. Don't miss out on this excellent resource: https://cft.vanderbilt.edu/guides-sub-pages/teaching-statements/
2017-18 PhD Career Connections series start August 9th!
Jul. 7, 2017— Mark your calendars! The first seminar in or PhD Career Connections series will be on Wednesday, August 9th! If you are interested in participating as a moderator or assisting in any way with this year's seminars, please send an email to angela.zito@vanderbilt.edu indicating your career interests and desire to be a part of this program (in...
Perspective on ‘Communicating through teaching’ from VU Biological Sciences Ph.D. Alumnus, Edward van Opstal
Apr. 5, 2017—Edward van Opstal’s second blog post for the NIH BEST’s PhD/Postdoc blog series has posted! This month he discusses Communicating Through Teaching. Check it out at the link below: Communication through teaching – Edward van Opstal, Ph.D. (wordpress.com)
“Creativity in the Shadows: Working Beyond the Tenure Track” Wednesday, April 5th
Mar. 27, 2017—Kim Petrie, from the BRET Office of Career Development will be a featured panelist in the final event in the Women in the Academy Series. This program sponsored by thr Margaret Cuninggim Women's Center offers PhD students a chance to reflect on the ways gender affects their experience as they begin their professional journey in...
Science Careers 2017 Career Handbook available for download
Mar. 24, 2017— Science Careers has teamed up with some great organizations to bring you information about the latest career opportunities in many different fields. The profiles included in this booklet give you a sense of the types of organizations that are accepting resumes and the kinds of positions they offer. We've also included some articles with...
Perspective on ‘Finding my scientific voice’ from VU Biological Sciences Ph.D. Alumnus, Edward van Opstal
Mar. 3, 2017—NIH BEST’s PhD/Postdoc blog series features scientists at different stages of career development and includes BRET’s very own Edward van Opstal! He will be discussing training in science communication. Check out his first post at the link below: Finding my scientific voice – Edward van Opstal, Ph.D. (wordpress.com)
Vanderbilt is now an institutional member of the National Center for Faculty Development and Diversity
Mar. 11, 2016—As part of its commitment to supporting and expanding diversity, Vanderbilt University has become an institutional member of the National Center for Faculty Development and Diversity. The NCFDD is an independent organization dedicated to professional development, training and mentoring, helping faculty make successful transitions throughout their careers. It comprises more than 80,000 graduate students, postdocs and...
50 Most Common Interview Questions (great blog post from Glassdoor)
May. 1, 2015—Prepping for a job interview? Courtesy of Glassdoor, here's a list of 50 common interview questions you should be ready to answer in your interview.
Guest Blog Post: So you want to be a science writer?
Jan. 13, 2015—While moving away from the bench toward a science-writing career can feel daunting, it is possible (and as this collection of science writer origin stories shows, lots of folks have done it). When you’re interested in any career, whether it’s one at the bench or not, the best way to eventually get the job that...
PhD Jobs: How To Transition From Academia Into Business
Sep. 17, 2014—“I sent resumes to over 200 companies during my last year of graduate school and heard back from exactly zero of them. It was embarrassing. And confusing. I guess I just assumed that big corporations would fall all over themselves trying to hire me once I had a PhD. Not so much. Getting my PhD turned...
How do I tell my PI?
Apr. 21, 2014—Grad students and postdocs are often apprehensive about talking to their faculty adviser about their career interests, especially if their interests lie outside the “traditional” career path of becoming a tenure-track professor at a university. But did you know that only ~15% of biomedical sciences PhDs go on to become tenure-track professors? That’s right… 85%...
Is your job search out of control?
Feb. 11, 2014—“Career Mojo: Is your job search out of control?” by Dana Manciagli, The Business Journals What is your job search like? I’ll bet, like so many others, you’re applying to lots and lots of positions, you’re following up on just a few (and only once for those,) and you’re not doing “precision networking.” Read more…
Postdoctoral opportunities at the NIH
Dec. 4, 2013—The NIH Office of Intramurual Training & Education maintains a list of available NIH postdoctoral positions on their website. As in academia, however, not all NIH postdoctoral opportunities are advertised! If you are interested in a particular lab at the NIH, you should reach out directly to the potential postdoctoral mentor even if there is...
New Beyond the Lab video series interviews VU PhD alumni about their career path
Nov. 11, 2013—Check out our new Beyond the Lab video series showcasing the careers of our PhD and postdoctoral alumni! In Beyond the Lab, the BRET Office of Career Development interviews Vanderbilt PhD and postdoctoral alumni about their career path since leaving VU. Each 10-20 minute video features a different alumnus describing his or her job and providing advice...