Double Shelix

How can you use the first year of your postdoctoral research position to set yourself up for long-term success? How do you decide if a postdoc is even right for you? In this episode, Sally and Kayla dive into reasons to do (or not to do) a postdoc, how to find a position, and how to get started. Kayla shares her personal experience and what she wishes all new postdocs would know.

If you or someone you're mentoring is new to writing peer reviewed papers, this episode is for you! Kayla and Sally break down the logistics to get you from blank page to final proofs. We discuss planning out your figures, managing your references, crafting an intro, choosing a journal, navigating coauthor drama, and more. What should you do if your PI is (really) slow to read your drafts? What ac...

After completing her undergraduate degree, Dr. Moore found herself burdened by substantial student debt, prompting her to address the critical issue of financial sustainability in academia. Through her own journey, she has developed an educational program aimed at empowering students with essential financial literacy skills. Dr. Moore candidly shares her personal experiences while discussing the b...

It’s all of our tips for applying to the NSF graduate research fellowship! The National Science Foundation GRFP can fund 3 years of your PhD, and there’s a hidden curriculum for crafting a winning application. Sally and Kayla share their tips for how to prep your application to frame your Broader Impacts and Intellectual Merit in the best possible light.

A well-crafted personal statement can make the difference between aspiration and reality. But what information should you include? What does "personal" really mean? In this episode Kayla and Sally dive into the hidden curriculum of personal statements to empower you when drafting your applications to graduate school, medical school, PhD programs, fellowships, and other exciting opportunities.  Wri...

You won’t get everything you apply for - and that’s ok! In this episode Kayla and Sally dive into some of their biggest fails, rejections, and misses. We go through what we learned and how you can learn from our failures. Kayla shares hard-earned lessons from her (innumerable) application journeys as well as how to create a Rejection Ritual to quickly move on to the next opportunity. If LinkedIn i...

Join Sally and Kayla as they explore the role of patient advocacy in biomedical research with Kevin Fowler, consultant and owner of "The Voice of the Patient."  Kevin shares insights on what patients want to know and how you can get involved in patient advocacy to drive meaningful change in healthcare related research.  Kevin Fowler on Twitter: @gratefull080504 Celeste Castillo Lee (with internal...

Renowned public servant Dr. Shirley Malcom joins Kayla and Sally to discuss the challenges facing graduate students and postdocs during traineeship. We discuss structural barriers keeping trainees in underpaid roles and keeping out those who cannot afford to stay in such roles. Importantly, we consider how universities and funding agencies can perpetuate (or can act to stop!) toxic training enviro...

When Dr. Chrissy Stachl realized that her department's culture needed  an overhaul,  she turned the challenge into her thesis and a consulting career.  Using an evidenced-based approach,  Chrissy now helps universities and businesses find and implement pragmatic solutions to improve equity and inclusion.  Chrissy shares her experiences in developing survey and analysis methods, publishing her find...

Preparing to apply for industry jobs but have no idea what to expect? In this episode, Sally shares her personal experience and practical advice about finding a job in industry such as how to ace a phone screen and what even is a “hiring manager.” She spent 8 pandemic months looking for her first post-PhD role so you don’t have to! In addition to going deep into her biggest job hunt heartbreaks, S...

Plenty of PhDs go into consulting after graduation, but what do consultants actually do? Dr. Jessica Vargas from Exponent joins Kayla and Sally to discuss her journey from chemistry PhD to technical consultant. We chat about her grad school exit strategy and her transition from individual contributor to manager. We also address the most pressing questions such as... how many hours do consultants r...

Sally and Kayla welcome Dr. Serah Kang to discuss her experience applying for academic postdoc positions and industry roles. After completing her PhD, Serah spent two years as a postdoctoral fellow at the Gladstone Institute and now is a senior scientist at Genetech. Serah also discusses how her applications and job decisions were impacted by transhood and how employers can attract and support tra...

Caring for a new baby is a full-time job - and then some! In this episode, Sally and Kayla share their experience with parental leave and returning to work after the birth of their kiddos. This is a followup to our “Pregnancy in Graduate School” episode and is a must-listen for anyone thinking about becoming a parent or anyone wanting to be a better colleague or supervisor to (potential) new paren...

Is grad school the “right time” to have a baby? What is it like to be pregnant while working in a lab? How should you interact with your pregnant colleagues? In this episode, Sally and Kayla share their experiences and discuss what institutions can do to support pregnant students and student parents.

Ah, the slump - that mid-PhD abyss when goals are ambiguous, motivation is waning, and stress is overwhelming. Dr. Emily Lingeman joins Sally and Kayla to discuss her own PhD slump and how she got back on track. Dr. Lingerman also shares strategies to destress and know when "just exercise!" won't be enough. Don’t fear - the slump is normal and you can get through it!

Are you considering a PhD, but not sure if it's right for you? Or, are you deep into a PhD and trying to remember why you started in the first place? In this episode, Sally and Kayla interview Dr. Raj Kumar about the ins and outs of graduate school with a focus on PhDs in STEM. Topics include the differences between PhD and Masters degrees, how much graduate school costs, and reasons to (or not to...

How many women are working in STEM careers? What are the major hurdles to achieving gender equality? Claudine Schmuck founded Gender Scan to find out. While the project originates in France, Gender Scan is expanding to collect data from across the globe. In today’s episode, Kayla and Sally discuss the launch of the 2021 Gender Scan survey and how data collection is critical to supporting women in...

Sally and Kayla GRADUATED! What were some highs and lows of graduate school? What did they wish they had known sooner? In this episode, Sally and Kayla reflect on their experiences while pursuing a PhD as well as share exciting updates for the next season of Double Shelix.

Are you a recent or soon-to-be graduate stressed about recruiting and how you will find your first "real" job? ​ In this episode, Kayla and Sally talk to Entrepreneur, Career Agent, and Advocate - Fatoumata Fall (Fatu) - about how graduating PhDs can optimize their job search experience. Fatu is a co-founder of Ralph, a company specializing in tech industry negotiations. They have supported over 1...

What do you study? Whether it's to a leading faculty in your field or to your aunt's best friend, you have probably been asked to explain your research many, many times. How can you make your answer count without reciting an entire review paper? Sally and Kayla discuss how to craft an effective research “pitch" and then test their skills in real time. Spoiler alert: practice matters.

Sometimes bad projects happen to good people. Kayla and Sally discuss how to identify if your project may be in trouble, talk about these challenges with team members, and say good riddance to a bad project. We also talk about letting go of a good projects that come to an untimely conclusion due to circumstances outside your control - lost funding, changing priorities, or, you know, a global pande...

Requesting, writing, and stressing about letters of recommendation? Been there! Kayla and Sally cover all these letter of rec worries and more! We get into the weeds like what to do when a recommender asks you to "write the first draft for me" and how many "friendly reminder" emails are too many. Finally, we walk you through writing your first letter of rec about a trainee. It's the first of our S...

How involved should graduate students be in activities outside of lab? Sally and Kayla discuss how to strategically choose personally- and professionally-fulfilling extracurriculars while still budgeting time for life.

Science policy panelists Andrew Bremer, Stephanie Mack, and Kathy Shield join Sally and Kayla again to discuss how scientific research is funded with a focus on the process of allocating and distributing government funding. The panelists also share how graduate students can be involved in this process and impact research funding for years to come. Links: Journal Science Policy and Governance http:...

When her first career dreams were absolutely dashed, Dr. Maria Artunduaga reinvented herself, founded a company, and learned to thrive. Trained as a physician in her home country, Colombia, Maria dreamed of coming to the US to become a pediatric plastic surgeon and hustled to make it happen. When blatant discrimination and subsequent litigation forced her out of medicine forever, she felt stuck. E...