On January 17^th and 18^th Rutgers iJOBS hosted a two-day Genomics Workshop designed by Data Carpentry; this is the 3^rd time Rutgers has held this workshop, alternating between Newark and New Brunswick. There were two instructors, Niel Infante and Amanda Charbonneau, along with three assistants from Rutgers, Katarzyna Tyc, Zhenru Zhou, and Roman Wernyj.

Science, like many other professions, requires strict tracking of money and assets and often needs large inputs of capital to function. When these inputs disappear or finances fall short of their expectations, science faces the same setbacks and cuts as any other project might. An article from NPR addresses the issues that arise when scientists have to deal with budgetary issues and spending cuts.

by Helena Mello On November 30, the Eagleton Institute of Politics, along with iJOBS, hosted the Eagleton Science and Politics Workshop: Scientists in Politics. As introduced by Eagleton’s Director Ruth B. Mandel, PhD, this workshop is part of a series of events that aim to (1) encourage political engagement in the scientific community, and (2) explore how science, technology, and politics intersect. I had the opportunity to attend the workshop and will share some highlights of it with you.

In the last decade, several reports have been published indicating that there has been a shift in the mindset of students graduating with a degree in biomedical sciences. Now, more than 50 percent of biomedical PhD scientists are seeking non-traditional or non-academic careers (Zimmerman AM 2018; American institute of research 2014).

By: Jennifer Casiano-Matos A couple of weeks ago, I participated in a career development talk conducted by Lori Conlan, Ph.D.; Director of the Office of Postdoctoral Studies at NIH. In this panel, we discussed how graduate students should focus on the next steps after graduate school or the completion of a postdoc position. In fact, career exploration and the job search is not an easy task—it can almost take the time of a full-time job! First, you have to figure out what you want.

By: Shekerah Primus In life and career-planning, there is no shortage of advice.

Written by Vinam Puri Vishal Soni, Ph.D., is the Principal and CEO of Viridbio Solutions, a service-providing company focused on medical writing, med­ical communications and information technology.

by Helena Mello If you could sum up the time you spend per day doing the following: commuting, eating, working on tissue culture, pipetting… how many minutes would that be? How about using that seemingly wasted time to further your scientific knowledge? This article will (hopefully) convince you to listen to podcasts while performing all those activities. From quick tasks such as cell splitting to hour-long microscope analyses, you will find episodes that fit your interest and your available time!

Written by Vinam Puri Dr. Navneet Puri is the Founder and CEO of Nevakar, Inc. in Bridgewater, NJ. He started this company in 2015, with a vision of creating a fully integrated specialty pharmaceutical company focusing on hospital injectables and ophthalmic products. As Chief Executive Officer, he sets the strategic and operational direction of the organization. Prior to this, he was the Founder and CEO of Innopharma, LLC (now a Pfizer company). A Rutgers Alumnus, he received his Ph.D.

Written by Vinam Puri Are you studying for (or already are) a Ph.D. in Life Science/Pharma/Biotech? Are you of a creative mind interested in the communication space but not sure if there is a career for you in it? Are you interested in going on an adventure and exploring an area you may not have known? Read right ahead and be just as amazed as I was when I learned about this. The help of a workshop introduced me to a world of opportunities that immediately felt like my niche. Let me introduce this world to you.