A fifth-year PhD student asks—
I did an informational interview and part-way through the person asked me what I’m interested in doing. I used to be really interested in infectious disease research, but after a rough time finishing my PhD, I don’t think I want to do that anymore. I froze and didn’t…
A mid-stage postdoc asks—
I came to UCSF focused on finding a faculty job (and that is still my main plan), but I am realistic enough to know that finding a tenure-track position isn’t a sure thing. Job security is very important to me, so I had been considering working at a federal agency as…
A 5th year student asks—
When I’m looking at job descriptions, the ones that are most interesting to me often have some key responsibilities that are things I haven’t done before. I think I probably could learn, but I don’t have any direct experience to show. How do I know if it is even worth my…
A PhD student asks -
I’m planning to be done December 2026. I know I’ll need to apply for jobs, but I don’t want to apply too soon. When is a good time to start?
A late-stage PhD student asks -
I’m getting towards the end of my PhD and was planning to start looking for jobs soonish. I know people who are applying for jobs right now and they’re not hearing back from anything even though they’re well-qualified. It seems like the market is bad, so what can I…