Get Involved

We understand that earning the most advanced university degree is an amazing accomplishment. To reach this milestone, you have had to master complex scientific concepts and can proclaim yourself to be a subject matter expert in your particular area of study.
As you begin to ponder next steps, you may realize that securing a job whether it be in academia or outside of academia requires "nonscientific" skills; skills that have not been a focus of your academic journey. These skills, (such as communication, project management, team building, leadership and career/industry-specific skills), are critical to round out your scientific know-how and enable you to compete successfully for both non-academic and academic positions.

The Rutgers iJOBS program’s core mission is to empower our PhD students and post-doctorate fellows to take action toward career development and to build the knowledge, professional network, and experience needed to reach their career objectives. Implemented for your benefit, the program takes you on a phased journey from career awareness to career selection to career placement.  Offered is a diversity of events, workshops and seminars, open to all pre-doctorate students and post-doctorate researchers focused in biomedical and life sciences at Rutgers, Princeton, Rowan, NJIT and Stevens Institute of Technology.   Please contact Janet Alder, PhD to get on the email list to learn about upcoming events. 

Faculty members play an important role in serving as teachers and mentors to their students and postdoctoral researchers. We understand that it is a monumental task to keep up with the demands of teaching, the dedication to research, and, at the same time, stay informed of the latest research advances. We understand that the priorities you place on your students’ and fellows’ time is heavily weighted toward time in the laboratory advancing your shared research project(s). We also know that you are ultimately committed to their career success.

Our program goal is to enable these PhDs to achieve career success; to explore both academic and non-academic career choices and be appropriately trained to succeed in such professional environments. This training is accomplished through a mix of training workshops, program events, interaction with successful professionals in the chosen fields and professional mentoring. Much of our programming is beneficial to trainees interested in academic jobs as well since the skills obtained in workshops such as leadership, communications, teamwork, project management are critical to running a lab.  Moreover, an awareness of how the pharmaceutical sphere operates is important in today’s scientific universe.  

The government recognizes the need for preparing trainees for their future and the U.S. Office of Management and Budget recently officially proclaimed that career training is one of the dual roles of grad students and postdocs.

Although program participation is important in terms of individual development, we understand that it represents time away from the lab. Our publication shows that graduate students who participate in iJOBS have shorter time to defense AND more publications than those that do not participate in iJOBS. We believe that career and professional development help with goals and motivation that make trainees more productive. We, therefore, request your cooperation in this endeavor to help our trainees.

Although the program is directed toward PhD students and postdocs, faculty are invited to participate and may benefit as well. By attending events, will learn about the evolving trends of the job market and how the non-academic world including startups and pharmaceutical companies operate.  We also welcome to be connected to any of your contacts in the professional world including your former trainees or colleagues who will expand our network and benefit our current trainees.  Finally, we would love to have you lead any workshop or session that you think you could contribute to directly.  We encourage your involvement and look forward to discussing the ways in which we can enhance the program and better involve faculty members such as yourself.

A vital and unique aspect of the iJOBS program is the participation of professionals within the biomedical and life sciences sectors. Although our trainees will learn career basics from our Rutgers iJOBS training and workshops, the wisdom and perspective offered by our industrial partners will complete the experience and ready them for success. 

As an industrial partner, you will have the opportunity to participate in various ways:

• Send a listing for a job opening that will be share at no cost to the company in the iJOBS weekly email that reaches over 1000 PhD level researchers all over New Jersey.
• Serve on a career panel to share your career trajectory, explain what your job entails and provide advice to trainees who might be interested in that path.  These panels are very interactive and require no preparation plus you get to network with other professionals in similar areas to yourself.  Many of these events are being held virtually which makes it even easier.
• Host a site visit at your company for a group of trainees either virtual or in person.  These typically half-day events usually consist of an introduction by Human Resources to your company profile followed by a panel of PhD level employees who have different job functions at the company.  These professionals share their career path and a description of what their current job entails plus offer advice to trainees interested in getting into that area.  The group then usually divides in half to go on a tour of the facility while the other half networks with the panelists and then the groups switch.  Past site visits have included trips to Merck, Janssen, Bristol Myers Squibb, Novartis, Celgene, Eli Lilly, Genewiz, Sanofi, Envigo, ILSE, NJ Department of Health, Enterprise Development Center, Commercialization Center for Innovative Technologies. 
• Serve as a mentor to a trainee. Rutgers iJOBS professional mentors are volunteers from outside of academia matched to current program participants (PhD students and postdocs); the matching is based on the mentors’ experience in the trainee’s chosen track, professional association, technical discipline, and other potential factors such as shared (mentor/trainee) outside interests. Professional mentors will provide advice toward the realization of individual development plans. 
• Serve as a shadow host.  Phase 2 of our programming brings with it industrial shadowing whereby trainees are matched to shadowing opportunities at companies and institutions involved in work relevant to their chosen career track. During these shadowing sessions, trainees have the opportunity to observe successful practitioners in their area(s) of interest and learn the practical aspects of such a career.  Since the trainees observe for a total of 72 hours over the course of several months participation has a minimal impact on operations and does not require the industry professional to create a project for the trainee.  The trainee will also sign an Non-Disclosure Agreement to help with any intellectual property concerns. 
• If you are interested in any of these opportunities or want to learn more please contact Janet Alder, PhD.

Invited to participate in Rutgers iJOBS programming are recently (5 years or fewer), graduated Rutgers PhD fellows that have received their doctorate degree in biomedical and life sciences. Train alongside our current postdocs and PhD trainees and gain from the experience! Interested in participating? Refer to the section entitled, PhD Students and Fellows.

In addition to your participation as a trainee, why not donate your time and serve as an industrial mentor to trainees focused within your professional area? We are not asking for your money, but rather for your time as a professional mentor to a few trainees, or offer of professional shadowing opportunities in your current workplace. If you are interested in this option, refer to the section entitled, Industrial Mentors and Advisors.