by Talia M. Planas-Fontánez

During the week of March 18th, the Myelin Gordon Research Conference (GRC) took place in Ventura, CA. This year, the Myelin GRC was focused on human biology throughout various ages of development, while also offering perspectives on age-related myelin dysfunction that lead to debilitating diseases, such as multiple sclerosis and leukodystrophies, which currently have no cure.

By: Huri Mücahit   The following blog post is a summary of, “Break or burn out” by Kendall Powell and “Burnout syndrome: five ways to keep it together” by Gaia Cantelli   PhD students and postdocs work in some of the most rewarding positions, with the potential to truly be at the very cusp of the newest discovery - but all of this can come at a high personal cost.

This past Thursday, March 22, 2018, I attended a seminar about Medical Affairs held at the Medical Science Building in Newark, NJ.

[caption id="attachment_2307" align="alignleft" width="133"] Dr. Ahlbrand, Medical Writer[/caption] Twitter can be a great platform for learning about careers outside of academia as a graduate student. I have been fortunate to follow the journey of several professionals in the tri-state area as they completed their graduate degrees and opted for careers that took them outside of the lab.

By: Tomas Kasza On March 16^th iJOBS hosted a career panel of four Rutgers PhD alumni, all of whom have secured impressive positions following completion of their graduate school education. If you have not had a chance to attend one of these Alumni career panels I would highly recommend it because these alumni may be able to direct you toward opportunities available at Rutgers for your desired post-graduate career. One of the panel members was Dr. Abigail Harris, an Assistant Professor at Bloomsburg University located in Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania, and graduated in 2013.

By: Shekerah Primus On Tuesday March 13^th, iJOBS visited Kashiv Pharma, a small company located on the former Sanofi campus in Bridgewater, NJ. From its humble beginnings 6 years ago with only 8 employees, Kashiv has grown exponentially, becoming a very successful company with ~130 employees.  The founders named Kashiv after two of their children, emerging with a unique name that not only has deep personal roots, but also invokes the Indian God Shiv: a powerful God who lives at the top of a mountain.

By Jennifer Casiano-Matos On February 21^st, I had the opportunity to participate in a talk about managing conflict and feedback by Dr. Lori Conlan from the Office of Intramural Training and Education (OITE) at NIH. This talk was part of a training series on developing the tools for a successful training or career experience, and more specifically, improving workplace dynamics. In her talk, we discussed several aspects on how to identify a conflict, solve it and most importantly give and manage feedback to other colleagues.

By: Aminat Saliu Musah You’ve landed the job of your choice and you’re finally moving up in your career path. You were hired because you stood out; you showcased your passion and ability to get the job done and you’ve aptly justified your presence in the company. So, what’s next? How do you stay relevant? While you might be an expert in your field, many people tend to get too comfortable at work. Staying relevant goes beyond observing your daily duties, it also requires a set of soft skills.

  The following is an article review of “Research your career options well before graduation” by Beryl Lieff Benderly.

This post was written following the iJOBs Workshop: From Bedside to Bench and Back: regulatory requirements for collaborations between pharma industry and academia, on February 27 by Damir Hamamdzic, PhD. Throughout the past decades, expansion of academic-industry partnerships has become a more prominent feature in the broader landscape of partnerships within biomedical innovation.