For decades, top scientists in colleges and universities pursued a clear path to success: enroll in a prestigious graduate program, conduct research, publish papers, complete the PhD, pursue postdoctoral work. With perseverance and a bit of luck, a tenure-track professorship awaited at the end. In today’s academic job market, this scenario represents the exception. As the number of newly conferred science PhDs keeps rising, the number of tenured professorships remains stubbornly stagnant. “Next Gen PhD: A Guide to Career Paths in Science is a practical and thorough manual for the entire career transition process, from defining personal interests and deciding on a career path all the way to day one of a new job. Written by experienced career counselor Melanie Sinche, it is geared toward postdocs and graduate students who may not have access to effective career counseling or mentorship or are not satisfied with what they have received thus far.” —Teegan A. Dellibovi-Ragheb, Science “With its focus on PhD level scientists, this book fills a gap in job search and career information literature. It’s a must-read for those contemplating or actively pursuing studies in the subject area, as well as those who provide guidance to undergraduates, graduate students, and postdoctoral scholars.” —Alan Farber, Library Journal (starred review)
"Mastering Your PhD: Survival and Success in the Doctoral Years and Beyond" helps guide PhD students through their graduate student years. Filled with practical advice on getting started, communicating with your supervisor, staying the course, and planning for the future, this book is a handy guide for graduate students who need that extra bit of help getting started and making it through. While mainly directed at PhD students in the sciences, the book's scope is broad enough to encompass the obstacles and hurdles that almost all PhD students face during their doctoral training. Who should read this book? Students of the physical and life sciences, computer science, math, and medicine who are thinking about entering a PhD program; doctoral students at the beginning of their research; and any graduate student who is feeling frustrated and stuck. It's never too early -- or too late! This second edition contains a variety of new material, including additional chapters on how to communicate better with your supervisor, dealing with difficult people, how to find a mentor, and new chapters on your next career step, once you have your coveted doctoral degree in hand.
Everything you ever need to know about making it as a scientist. Despite your graduate education, brainpower, and technical prowess, your career in scientific research is far from assured. Permanent positions are scarce, science survival is rarely part of formal graduate training, and a good mentor is hard to find. In A Ph.D. Is Not Enough!, physicist Peter J. Feibelman lays out a rational path to a fulfilling long-term research career. He offers sound advice on selecting a thesis or postdoctoral adviser; choosing among research jobs in academia, government laboratories, and industry; preparing for an employment interview; and defining a research program. The guidance offered in A Ph.D. Is Not Enough! will help you make your oral presentations more effective, your journal articles more compelling, and your grant proposals more successful. A classic guide for recent and soon-to-be graduates, A Ph.D. Is Not Enough! remains required reading for anyone on the threshold of a career in science. This new edition includes two new chapters and is revised and updated throughout to reflect how the revolution in electronic communication has transformed the field.
"Thanks to your graduate training in psychology you have the skills to do great work in fields such as public policy, education, healthcare, and business. But to make a successful transition from academia into non academic employment, the right mindset is essential. Some of your skills are easy to 'package' and translate into various job contexts, others less so. In this guidebook, you'll explore common unspoken assumptions and attitudes in academia, and use them to prepare for different work cultures. You will also learn to ask questions that will help you build your network as you identify a career path that matches your interests. Each chapter in this book offers tips and key terms for navigating various kinds of employment, as well as simple action steps for communicating your scientific skills and demonstrating to employers how you can fill specific needs in their organizations. This guide will give you the confidence and the plan you need to take your doctoral degree anywhere you wish"--
This collection features former graduate students who speak frankly about the challenges and decisions they faced along the way to their doctorates. Peabody leaves no doubt that there are as many right ways to get through a PhD, and as many right career tracks on the other side, as there are students willing to forge their own paths.
The Realities of Completing a PhD gives a balanced and evidence-based view of the realities of PhD life. Full of practical tips and including a checklist to complete before sending an application, the book helps prospective PhD students prepare for the realities of taking on a PhD from an informed basis and offers guidance on submitting a well-planned application. This is the first book of its kind to bring together a range of international data that helps to paint a more balanced picture of the PhD process. The book outlines different types of PhD, how to select a topic for a PhD, how to write a robust research proposal and application, and the realities of PhD study in relation to student wellbeing, social commitments and employment prospects. By considering the issues raised in this book, students are less likely to be overwhelmed by the PhD process, and better equipped to complete their award. The book will be invaluable for potential doctoral students as well as those already embarking on a PhD. It will also enable university mentors and supervisors to consider how the application phase is key to managing student expectations, and how they can further promote a healthy and productive PhD experience.
The story of a neural impulse and what it reveals about how our brains work We see the last cookie in the box and think, can I take that? We reach a hand out. In the 2.1 seconds that this impulse travels through our brain, billions of neurons communicate with one another, sending blips of voltage through our sensory and motor regions. Neuroscientists call these blips “spikes.” Spikes enable us to do everything: talk, eat, run, see, plan, and decide. In The Spike, Mark Humphries takes readers on the epic journey of a spike through a single, brief reaction. In vivid language, Humphries tells the story of what happens in our brain, what we know about spikes, and what we still have left to understand about them. Drawing on decades of research in neuroscience, Humphries explores how spikes are born, how they are transmitted, and how they lead us to action. He dives into previously unanswered mysteries: Why are most neurons silent? What causes neurons to fire spikes spontaneously, without input from other neurons or the outside world? Why do most spikes fail to reach any destination? Humphries presents a new vision of the brain, one where fundamental computations are carried out by spontaneous spikes that predict what will happen in the world, helping us to perceive, decide, and react quickly enough for our survival. Traversing neuroscience’s expansive terrain, The Spike follows a single electrical response to illuminate how our extraordinary brains work.
How to Survive Your PhD is your insider's guide to avoiding mistakes, choosing the right program, working with professors, and just how a person actually writes a 200-page paper When you're getting your PhD, you never know what surprises to expect. But now, you can be prepared! How to Survive Your PhD is your step-by-step guide to the right way to tackle every part of the doctoral process. Getting your PhD is not an easy process, and the decisions you make before and during your doctoral work can mean the different between having a PhD in four years or eight, Jason Karp has been there – and made the mistakes – and he shows you just what to avoid, what you should be doing, and how to make the best use of your time and resources. Plus insider tips on: Choosing Your School Dealing with Finances Picking the Right Academic Advisor Researching the Dissertation Managing Your Time The Exams Tricks of the Trade The Defense And so much more
What if you had a guidebook that you could turn to at each stage of your academic journey to help you navigate through the process of getting a PhD in Biblical Studies and succeeding in the academic world? This book is precisely intended to fill that need. From theory to practice, you will find discussions and answers to the most pertinent and pressing questions that prospective and current doctoral students are faced with: How do I choose a program? How can I gain admission into an elite program? How do I choose a research topic? Alongside the "big" questions about the process, there are also a host of smaller matters: How do I publish an article? What conferences are out there in my field? Where do I start looking for a job? How do I get teaching experience? How do I write a syllabus? This guidebook tackles all of these questions and many more in three parts: Prepare focuses on getting into a PhD program; Succeed guides you through the doctoral program, especially the writing of the dissertation; and Advance treats issues that relate to success in the academic world such as conference participation, publishing, employment, and best practices in teaching. PRAISE FOR THE FIRST EDITION "Gupta has kindly provided me a book version of an academic mentor. In a time when many professors are busy, Gupta walks the extra mile and makes himself present not only in person to those near him, but also in writing for those like me. I can't thank him enough!" --Natan B. de Carvalho, College Student "Dr. Gupta's book offered indispensable advice for me as I applied for PhD programs, completed my thesis, and applied for (and secured) tenure-track jobs. I am grateful for his service to the guild!" --Madison N. Pierce, Assistant Professor in New Testament, TEDS "Having started seminary about a year after the first edition appeared, I was able to use Gupta's abundance of clear-headed advice to build a path to doctoral study. I can see, as a student in a first-tier PhD program, that this journey would not have been possible had I not been able to learn the many unspoken rules Gupta outlines in this invaluable book." --Jonathan Groce, New Testament PhD student at Emory University "This book should be required for anyone even slightly interested in biblical higher education. I've enjoyed it so much that I've bought it three times, having given it away to two students." --Ryan Lytton, Director of Academic Services and Adjunct Professor at Life Pacific University-Virginia "This book has proven immensely helpful as I navigated the PhD application process. Providing useful benchmarks and invaluable suggestions, Gupta's sage advice prepared me for success." --Benjamin Castaneda, PhD student at the University of St. Andrews "The world of academic biblical studies can be difficult to navigate, especially for ethnic minorities. This book has prepared me well by making an opaque process clear and straightforward. I recommend it to anyone considering this path." --Daniel K. Eng, PhD candidate, University of Cambridge "I wanted to thank you for the invaluable guidance your book provided as I made decisions concerning my academic future. I have just completed my M.A. in Classical Studies at Villanova and was accepted into graduate programs at both Edinburgh and Oxford. Every step of the way your text provided clear and specific recommendations. It was a true blessing." --Ken Tully, Adjunct Faculty at Villanova "Prepare, Succeed, Advance is a tremendously helpful reference tool. As an academic advisor, I will make this the first resource I recommend to colleagues who may not have the advantage of personal experience in a PhD program. As a student, I will regularly return to Gupta's work for counsel on the next stage of academic life. Doctoral students should rejoice at having such a sure guide to academic success and commend Gupta for his contribution." --Samuel Emadi, review in JETS 56/1 (2013) 139-141, (140-141) "This guide is indispensable to anyone thinking about a PhD." --Abram K-J, "Should I get a PhD?" Words on the Word blog, July 9 2012 "Nijay Gupta's Prepare, Succeed, Advance: A Guidebook for Getting a PhD in Biblical Studies and Beyond is just that, a guidebook. It does not claim to provide a formula on how the entire process works. At the same time, it is more than that in the sense that Gupta's honesty, attention to detail, and measured optimism throughout the entire book give his voice a level of credibility and warmth that prospective students will find invaluable as they begin their own individual paths toward academia." --Michael Suh, PhD, Emory, review in RBL: October 2014 "Prepare, Succeed, Advance has so many helpful points that my highlighter almost gave out. If you have even the tiniest desire to pursue a PhD in Biblical Studies, get a few pencils, two highlighters, and a copy of this book. You won't be sorry." --Andrew Kelley, PhD, Edinburgh "When I started to investigate what a PhD in Biblical Studies entailed I was lost. What do schools look for? What programs are better for what field? So many questions, and so little (quality) answers. When I found Dr. Gupta's book I found both a map and compass. His book laid out the road ahead--including avenues to avoid, and boulevards to explore in more detail. Following Dr. Gupta's candid advice I have received offers to study at a couple of UK PhD programs. I think I owe Dr. Gupta some money! Buy this book--you will not be disappointed!" --Joshua Morris
