How can you use the first year of your postdoctoral research position to set yourself up for long-term success? How do you decide if a postdoc is even right for you? In this episode, Sally and Kayla dive into reasons to do (or not to do) a postdoc, how to find a position, and how to get started. Kayla shares her personal experience and what she wis…

If you or someone you're mentoring is new to writing peer reviewed papers, this episode is for you! Kayla and Sally break down the logistics to get you from blank page to final proofs. We discuss planning out your figures, managing your references, crafting an intro, choosing a journal, navigating coauthor drama, and more. What should you do if you…

After completing her undergraduate degree, Dr. Moore found herself burdened by substantial student debt, prompting her to address the critical issue of financial sustainability in academia. Through her own journey, she has developed an educational program aimed at empowering students with essential financial literacy skills. Dr. Moore candidly shar…

It’s all of our tips for applying to the NSF graduate research fellowship! The National Science Foundation GRFP can fund 3 years of your PhD, and there’s a hidden curriculum for crafting a winning application. Sally and Kayla share their tips for how to prep your application to frame your Broader Impacts and Intellectual Merit in the best possible …

A well-crafted personal statement can make the difference between aspiration and reality. But what information should you include? What does "personal" really mean? In this episode Kayla and Sally dive into the hidden curriculum of personal statements to empower you when drafting your applications to graduate school, medical school, PhD programs, f…

You won’t get everything you apply for - and that’s ok! In this episode Kayla and Sally dive into some of their biggest fails, rejections, and misses. We go through what we learned and how you can learn from our failures. Kayla shares hard-earned lessons from her (innumerable) application journeys as well as how to create a Rejection Ritual to quic…

Join Sally and Kayla as they explore the role of patient advocacy in biomedical research with Kevin Fowler, consultant and owner of "The Voice of the Patient." Kevin shares insights on what patients want to know and how you can get involved in patient advocacy to drive meaningful change in healthcare related research. Kevin Fowler on Twitter: @grat…

Renowned public servant Dr. Shirley Malcom joins Kayla and Sally to discuss the challenges facing graduate students and postdocs during traineeship. We discuss structural barriers keeping trainees in underpaid roles and keeping out those who cannot afford to stay in such roles. Importantly, we consider how universities and funding agencies can perp…

When Dr. Chrissy Stachl realized that her department's culture needed an overhaul, she turned the challenge into her thesis and a consulting career. Using an evidenced-based approach, Chrissy now helps universities and businesses find and implement pragmatic solutions to improve equity and inclusion. Chrissy shares her experiences in developing sur…

Preparing to apply for industry jobs but have no idea what to expect? In this episode, Sally shares her personal experience and practical advice about finding a job in industry such as how to ace a phone screen and what even is a “hiring manager.” She spent 8 pandemic months looking for her first post-PhD role so you don’t have to! In addition to g…

Plenty of PhDs go into consulting after graduation, but what do consultants actually do? Dr. Jessica Vargas from Exponent joins Kayla and Sally to discuss her journey from chemistry PhD to technical consultant. We chat about her grad school exit strategy and her transition from individual contributor to manager. We also address the most pressing qu…

Sally and Kayla welcome Dr. Serah Kang to discuss her experience applying for academic postdoc positions and industry roles. After completing her PhD, Serah spent two years as a postdoctoral fellow at the Gladstone Institute and now is a senior scientist at Genetech. Serah also discusses how her applications and job decisions were impacted by trans…

Caring for a new baby is a full-time job - and then some! In this episode, Sally and Kayla share their experience with parental leave and returning to work after the birth of their kiddos. This is a followup to our “Pregnancy in Graduate School” episode and is a must-listen for anyone thinking about becoming a parent or anyone wanting to be a bette…

Is grad school the “right time” to have a baby? What is it like to be pregnant while working in a lab? How should you interact with your pregnant colleagues? In this episode, Sally and Kayla share their experiences and discuss what institutions can do to support pregnant students and student parents.…

Ah, the slump - that mid-PhD abyss when goals are ambiguous, motivation is waning, and stress is overwhelming. Dr. Emily Lingeman joins Sally and Kayla to discuss her own PhD slump and how she got back on track. Dr. Lingerman also shares strategies to destress and know when "just exercise!" won't be enough. Don’t fear - the slump is normal and you …

Are you considering a PhD, but not sure if it's right for you? Or, are you deep into a PhD and trying to remember why you started in the first place? In this episode, Sally and Kayla interview Dr. Raj Kumar about the ins and outs of graduate school with a focus on PhDs in STEM. Topics include the differences between PhD and Masters degrees, how muc…

How many women are working in STEM careers? What are the major hurdles to achieving gender equality? Claudine Schmuck founded Gender Scan to find out. While the project originates in France, Gender Scan is expanding to collect data from across the globe. In today’s episode, Kayla and Sally discuss the launch of the 2021 Gender Scan survey and how d…

Sally and Kayla GRADUATED! What were some highs and lows of graduate school? What did they wish they had known sooner? In this episode, Sally and Kayla reflect on their experiences while pursuing a PhD as well as share exciting updates for the next season of Double Shelix.

Are you a recent or soon-to-be graduate stressed about recruiting and how you will find your first "real" job? ​ In this episode, Kayla and Sally talk to Entrepreneur, Career Agent, and Advocate - Fatoumata Fall (Fatu) - about how graduating PhDs can optimize their job search experience. Fatu is a co-founder of Ralph, a company specializing in tech…

What do you study? Whether it's to a leading faculty in your field or to your aunt's best friend, you have probably been asked to explain your research many, many times. How can you make your answer count without reciting an entire review paper? Sally and Kayla discuss how to craft an effective research “pitch" and then test their skills in real ti…

Sometimes bad projects happen to good people. Kayla and Sally discuss how to identify if your project may be in trouble, talk about these challenges with team members, and say good riddance to a bad project. We also talk about letting go of a good projects that come to an untimely conclusion due to circumstances outside your control - lost funding,…

Requesting, writing, and stressing about letters of recommendation? Been there! Kayla and Sally cover all these letter of rec worries and more! We get into the weeds like what to do when a recommender asks you to "write the first draft for me" and how many "friendly reminder" emails are too many. Finally, we walk you through writing your first lett…

Science policy panelists Andrew Bremer, Stephanie Mack, and Kathy Shield join Sally and Kayla again to discuss how scientific research is funded with a focus on the process of allocating and distributing government funding. The panelists also share how graduate students can be involved in this process and impact research funding for years to come. …

When her first career dreams were absolutely dashed, Dr. Maria Artunduaga reinvented herself, founded a company, and learned to thrive.Trained as a physician in her home country, Colombia, Maria dreamed of coming to the US to become a pediatric plastic surgeon and hustled to make it happen. When blatant discrimination and subsequent litigation forc…

Skydeck, UC Berkeley’s startup accelerator program, has created a new model for funding education. They provide resources and funding to help university-affiliated founders go from idea to startup, and profits from Skydeck’s venture fund go directly back to the University. Double Shelix is delighted to welcome Caroline Winnett, Skydeck’s Executive …

Science policy has created some of the biggest research initiatives of our lifetimes, like the Human Genome Project, the Cancer Moonshot, and even the Original Moonshot. It also dictates more mundane (but vital) aspects of scientists' lives like grant funding, and how graduate students' tuition stipends are taxed. Science policy panelists Andrew Br…

You’ve secured a coveted faculty position - now what? Double Shelix welcomes Helen Zha, Assistant Professor of Chemical Engineering at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, NY. Helen started as a faculty in January 2018, and on this episode, we discuss her experiences on the faculty job market and how we can learn from her mistakes - and her su…

Heidi Norton joins Double Shelix to discuss her transition from graduate school to living her best life as a senior molecular biologist at Biomeme, a biotech startup in Philadelphia. She shares her tips for using enthusiasm as a networking tool, and how students and early career professionals can identify their strengths and demonstrate them to pot…

How can you make the most of a short research or work experience? Sally and Kayla give their tips for how to succeed in a summer internship or research rotation, including how to manage day-to-day responsibilities, demonstrate your curiosity and eagerness, and finish strong to leave a great impression. We give the inside scoop on asking for letters…

We wrap up the You do Belong in Science series with listener stories and lessons learned from this series. Listeners write in with stories about the importance of professors' LGBTQ allyship and dealing with chronic illness in graduate school. We reveal who does not belong in science (spoiler alert/content advisory, it's sexual harassers). We also w…

Professor Suhair Sunoqrot joins Sally and Kayla to discuss her experiences running her research lab at Al Zaytoonah University of Jordan and what she wishes international colleagues understood about the research climate in Jordan. Also on this episode, a listener is having a hard time fitting in while researching in another country, and we discuss …

A STEM graduate degree can be a gateway to an amazing career, but many undergraduate students are unaware that these opportunities exist or how to navigate the grad school admission process. Guests Christina Fuentes and Shaheen Jeeawoody join Sally and Kayla to discuss strategies for enabling students to learn about and successfully apply to gradua…

Many students arrive in college under-prepared for success, and professors have the responsibility - and opportunity - to help them gain skills to enable their success and find belonging in STEM. However, few professors are trained to help students develop these skills, so our guest, Sherri Messersmith, incorporates them into her series of developm…

The real value of STEM outreach is the positive youth development and mentorship that students receive. Being inspired to pursue a STEM career? That's just a welcome bonus, says our guest, math graduate student and data scientist Noni Williams. Noni joins Kayla and Sally to discuss effective strategies for STEM and professional development outreach…

We kick off our You do Belong in Science series with Dr. Tamara Alliston, PhD, Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at UCSF. Tamara discusses her journey into science and academia, and how she found belonging through peer mentorship, despite imposter syndrome. As a mentor, Tamara works to help mentees "stay connected to what gives them joy," and we als…

Going in, graduate students expect they'll have to work hard, but most students are unprepared for the mental anguish that grad school can induce - especially when experiments aren't going well, or when we compare to themselves to others' successes. Penn Bioengineering PhD students Meagan Ita and Michael Magaraci join Sally and Kayla to discuss wel…

Zoe Leavitt, senior consumer product and retail analyst at CB Insights, joins Sally and Kayla to discuss what's hot at the intersection of tech and retail. She truly has her finger on the pulse of the latest trends - and the data to back that up! We also talk about her experiences working for Bank of China in Shanghai, and communicating technical c…

Dr. Kathleen Norton, obstetrician/gynecologist extraordinaire, joins Kayla and Sally to tell us what grad students need to know about women's health! She dispels contraceptive myths and gets real about HPV vaccines, Pap smears, and mammograms. Dr. Norton (Sally's mom, y'all) also discusses her work in hospitals in Kenya, early-career struggles, tim…

Julea Vlassakis, mentorship expert and Bioengineering PhD Candidate, joins Kayla and Sally to talk mentoring in academia and beyond. Lean how to establish productive mentor/mentee relationships and cultivate the next generation of scientists - yourself included! Beginning mentees and seasoned mentors alike will learn something new from Julea's wisd…

Award-winning engineering lecturer Dr. LeAnn Dourte joins Kayla and Sally to discuss active learning in engineering classrooms. LeAnn is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Bioengineering at the University of Pennsylvania, and has pioneered their biomechanics curricula - students build robo-arms to move PlayDough? Yes please! She shares her tips…

We're back for Season 2, and this episode is inspired by what our listeners want to hear! Kayla and Sally are huge fans of listener-recommended science crush, the late MIT Prof. Millie Dresselhaus: Queen of Carbon Science, tireless advocate for women in STEM, and winner of the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the National Medal of Science in Engin…

Megan interviews Molly Sheehan, a bioengineering post-doc who is running for US Congress in 2018. Molly grew up in Pennsylvania, studied biology at Haverford College, and received her PhD in biochemistry and molecular biophysics from the University of Pennsylvania. She is now a post-doc in bioengineering developing new molecular imaging techniques.…

How do you balance the fact that your happiness shouldn't be totally dependent on the outcome of your research with the fact that of course it is? Kayla and Sally tackle this listener question, and things get real. Conclusion: getting great results feels great, but if this is your only source of warm fuzzies, you're in trouble. But good friends and…

Qualifying exams: who doesn't love months of preparation for a 3 hour oral exam that (potentially) covers everything you've ever learned? Sally and Kayla try to find the bright side, and are moderately successful, but quals are still rough you guys. They also argue that departments where passing quals is defined as being in the top X percentile rea…

Imposter syndrome sucks, especially when it keeps you from doing your best work. In this episode, Kayla and Sally discuss their own experiences overcoming three types of imposter syndrome: feeling like you were invited by mistake, comparing yourself to a superstar, and realizing that everyone else's research is WAY cooler than yours. In Better Talk…

Megan interviews scientist and entrepreneur, Katy Lassahn. Katy is a co-founder of BioIgnite, a non-profit focused on bringing STEM research and discovery to young students. Megan and Katy chat about BioIgnite's experience with the NSF Innovation Corps for Learning grant, building a business, and STEM education in the US. And, listen for a sneak pe…

What was your first job? The first thing you were paid to do? Your first position in your field? Kayla and Sally discuss first jobs and how to find your next first job. We argue that it’s silly that in academia your “first job” isn’t until you’re a tenure-track faculty, and that this undermines the hard work of students and trainees. Also on this e…