Ivan struggled with focusing on a research area but found his research at the intersection of his two areas of passion biology and astronomy and landed an amazing postdoc at NASA.Ivan is a postdoctoral fellow at the NASA Ames Research Center.

027: Richard was persistent in finishing his PhD and obtaining a tenure track research professor position!

Feb 2nd, 2016 39m 54s

Richard was persistent in finishing his PhD and obtaining a tenure track research professor position!Dr. Richard Prather is an assistant professor at the University of Maryland in the Departmet of Human Development and Quantitative Methodology

026: Denise struggled with self confidence but landed her perfect job as a researcher at the US Geological Survey.

Jan 26th, 2016 38m 3s

Denise struggled with self confidence but landed her perfect job as a researcher at the US Geological Survey. Denise is a geomicrobiologist at the USGS! Her research focuses on how microorganisms impact their environment and biogeochemical cyc

025: Leah overcame failing her first oral proposal defense to find work she loves at NEON

Jan 19th, 2016 47m 31s

Leah is the supervising scientist of education and public engagement at NEON. Her research involves remote sensing and data informatics. To learn more about Leah take a look at her profile on the neon websiteBiggest StruggleShe struggled wi

024: Jennifer overcame her nervous voice during presentation to land an amazing job co-managing multiple programs at the National Science Foundation.

Jan 12th, 2016 41m 13s

Jennifer overcame her nervous voice during presentation to land an amazing job co-managing multiple programs at the National Science Foundation.Jennifer is the co-manager of the National Science Foundation's Petrology and Geochemistry Program

023: Vivian overcame her struggles with work life balance to choose a career that brought her closer to her family and the lifestyle she wanted to live while still pursuing her passion for science.

Jan 5th, 2016 48m 30s

Vivian overcame her struggles with work life balance to choose a career that brought her closer to her family and the lifestyle she wanted to live while still pursuing her passion for science.Vivian is a freelance writer and contractor for the

022: Justin struggles with perfectionism but doesn't let that stop him from doing work he loves and that matters.

Dec 29th, 2015 40m 36s

Justin struggles with perfectionism but doesn't let that stop him from doing work he loves and that matters. He made connections that helped him land the position he wanted in the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).Justin is a research geophysicist

021: Valerie overcame her struggles with imposter syndrome and procrastination to go on to become an international speaker and author.

Dec 22nd, 2015 45m 21s

Valerie is internationally known speaker and expert on imposter syndrome. She has written multiple books on impostor syndrome and finding work you love. She is also the founder of changingcourse.com an online resource for people who want to mak

020: Ed realized that his research didn't lend itself to large grants that are required to be hired at an R1 university. He used this to his advantage to learn what it took to become a consultant for higher education.

Dec 15th, 2015 44m 23s

Ed realized that his research didn't lend itself to large grants that are required to be hired at an R1 university. He used this to his advantage to learn what it took to become a consultant for higher education.Ed is a senior director with th

019: Emily overcame doubts about her ability to be a scientist to ultimately be an amazing science communicator using her skills and passion to the fullest.

Dec 8th, 2015 59m 49s

Emily overcame doubts about her ability to be a scientist to ultimately be an amazing science communicator using her skills and passion to the fullest. Listen to her talk about her grad school experience and life as a freelance science communic

018: Juan overcame isolation as a graduate student to ultimately build a fantastic network of friends and become the chair of his department at the University of Florida

Dec 1st, 2015 34m 16s

Juan struggled with being the only African American PhD student but used this to build a network and expand his way of thinking by interacting with people from many other backgrounds. He credits this with improving the way that he thinks and wo

017: David overcame a difficult candidacy exam to land an amazing position as an assistant research professor

Nov 24th, 2015 33m 28s

David overcame a sub-par performance during his candidacy exam to go on to not only overcome the weakness seen during the exam but to land an amazing assistant research professor position. David is an Assistant Research Professor at Auburn Uni

016: Jia overcame losing a field seasons worth of data to finish her dissertation and ultimately land her dream job

Nov 17th, 2015 47m 8s

Jia is an assistant professor in the Ecology department and Montana State University. Her research focuses on plant ecophysiology. To learn more about her and her research check out her lab website, which is amazing and well worth checking out

015: Sydney overcame lack of motivation and follow through to become the arctic policy lead for the US Department of State

Nov 10th, 2015 37m 48s

Sydney overcame lack of motivation and follow through to become the arctic policy lead for the US Department of State. Listen to her describe methods that helped her finish her PhD and land a career she loves.Sydney is a foreign affairs office

014: Raul Pacheco-Vega combined his passion for education and research to land a job that allowed him to live close to his family and friends

Nov 3rd, 2015 45m 12s

Raul Pacheco-Vega combined his passion for education and research to land a job that allowed him to live close to his family and friends. He shares his experience and advice for students on how to find work that you enjoy.Raul is an assistant

013: Jessica Ball defeated her imposter syndrome to land the prestigious postdoc she wanted.

Oct 27th, 2015 33m 25s

Jessica struggled with overcame imposter syndrom to get land a prestigious postdoc at the USGS. Listen to how she did it and her method for managing work life balance.Jessica is a Mendenhall Postdoctoral Fellow at the U.S. Geological Survey, r

012: Kaitlyn Bunker landed her dream NGO position at Rocky Mountain Institute immediately after graduate school.

Oct 20th, 2015 26m 15s

Kaitlyn landed her dream NGO job at RMI immediately after graduate school. She made connections within the Association of Women Engineers and made herself a more well rounded candidate by getting involved in Science Communication.Kaityln is

011: Katie Mack pursues her academic career and a passion for science communication.

Oct 13th, 2015 41m 56s

In addition to being a stellar (pun intended) astrophysicist, Katie Mack is a popular science communicator and writer. Listen to Katie's worst and best moments as a graduate student, and her advice for current graduate students.Katie is a pos

010: From Ecology to Silicon Valley--Ted Hart found work he loved in industry

Oct 6th, 2015 42m 16s

Ted leveraged his knowledge of computer programming and data management, gained while an ecology grad student, to become a data scientist. Listen to Ted's journey from ecology to Silicon Valley!Ted is a data scientist at a large company in Si

009: Hannah Gaines Day overcomes lack of motivation to finish her PhD

Sep 29th, 2015 31m 9s

Hannah struggled with motivation while finishing her dissertation, but she developed techniques to complete her PhD. Listen to her share her grad school story and how she became a postdoc.Hannah is currently a postdoctoral fellow at the Univer

008: Amanda Grusz shares her transition from grad school to the Smithsonian Museum

Sep 22nd, 2015 40m 31s

This interview is full of great advice! Amanda attributes her success to the positive relationships she developed during graduate school and outreach experiences. Listen to her share her graduate school experiences and how she became a postdoc

007: Impostor syndrome didn't stop Kevin Gannon from landing a tenure track position after grad school

Sep 15th, 2015 39m 2s

A self proclaimed geek for history, pedagogy and technology, Kevin (a.k.a. "The Tattooed Professor") thrives on experimentation and breaking free from convention. Listen to Kevin share his struggles with impostor syndrome, how his first tenure

006: Nick Wigginton, editor at Science, shares his tips for publishing in top journals

Sep 8th, 2015 27m 13s

Nick struggled with the challenges of doing an interdisciplinary PhD, but it ultimately made him well prepared to be a journal editor. Listen to Nick discuss his experiences as a graduate student, how he landed his position as a senior editor a

005: Oliver Meyers rocked a job, his family, AND his PhD as a graduate student

Sep 1st, 2015 28m 11s

With young children and a job during graduate school, work life balance was a challenge, to say the least. But Oliver managed to not only finish his dissertation, but to feel like a peer to his professors during his defense. Listen to Oliver s

004: PhD Life Coach? Jen Polk helps grad students launch meaningful careers.

Aug 25th, 2015 35m 58s

A PhD Life Coach? Jen never imagined a career as a life coach. But after her own challenges in graduate school, she realized that her passions and talents would best be used as an academic, life, and career coach for graduate students and PhDs.