iJOBS Blog

By Jennifer Casiano A year ago, I started my journey to a PhD. Full of excitement and memories, this year was filled with challenging experiences and self-growth. Since the beginning of the summer to now, I’ve been constantly reflecting on what I would have done differently, problems that I heard from friends, and the variety of experiences of this year. Starting a doctoral degree is a life-changing decision with more personal compensation and fulfillment than pitfalls. The majority of people who pursue a research career do so because we love what we do.

Last week we briefly overviewed the Interdisciplinary Job Opportunities for Biomedical Scientists (iJOBS) program in its first two years of training biomedical graduate students and postdocs to be successful in a variety of non-academic careers. The NIH BEST grant funds five years of the development for the iJOBS program and expects the program to be self-sustainable after the grant period.

  My name is Eileen Oni, and I’m a sixth year PhD candidate in the Cell and Developmental Biology program at Rutgers University. I am a Central Jersey native (Yes, it does exist!), residing in South Brunswick Township. I began my academic journey under the simple notion of better understanding the development of living organisms, which drove me to pursue a higher degree in the sciences; more specifically within cell biology research.

In September 2014, the NIH Broadening Experiences in Scientific Training (BEST) Initiative awarded Rutgers University with a grant to initialize and establish the Rutgers Interdisciplinary Job Opportunities for Biomedical Scientists (iJOBS) program, which aims to better prepare biomedical students and postdocs for nonacademic careers. As we reach the two year mark, let’s take a brief review of the successes and challenges so far, and then follow up with a sneak preview of what is coming ahead.

Hi there! My name is Paulina Krzyszczyk and I am a 5th year PhD student in Biomedical Engineering. My project is based on a collaboration between my advisors at Rutgers, Dr. François Berthiaume and Dr. Martin Yarmush, as well as Dr. Andre Palmer from Ohio State University. Dr.

There have been many discussions within the research community on how to best ‘rescue’ the research enterprise from itself; from dissatisfied students, to limited academic positions, to endless post-doc appointments, to abysmal financial prospects for academics (both grants and pay). The problem is that PhD training hasn’t changed all that much.  At its essence, a PhD is like a medieval apprenticeship where you are the trainee of your mentor.

By: Chris Lowe

The advice to keep unprofessional or embarrassing pictures from Facebook and Instagram has long been impressed on all of us. But why not take it one step further?

For better or for worse, in America, talking about how much money you make is taboo.  If you find the subject distasteful, look away now!

By Jennifer Casiano-Matos It is very common in the Ph.D. and post-doc community to call ourselves specialists. Moving beyond the “specialist” or “graduate student” label is something that we ought to do if we are interested in a job outside academia. We often commit the mistake of not realizing the qualifications and skills that can make us stand out from others.

Hello All! My name is Jennifer. I am a first year Ph.D. student in the Microbiology and Molecular Genetics program at Rutgers University.  I am from Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico: a town on the west coast with beautiful beaches and sun every day. I have a bachelor’s degree in Industrial Microbiology and a master’s degree in Biology from the University of Puerto Rico at Mayaguez (UPRM).