Career exploration can be a mysterious and sometimes isolating process. The mission of the MIND program is to provide structure, community, and guidance for students and postdocs exploring the broad range of careers.
MIND is designed to accommodate the busy schedules of students and postdocs. Our structured program is intentionally built with flexible options to help participants make consistent progress learning about one or more careers of interest, while minimizing time spent away from research and the many responsibilities of life.
The Making Informed Decisions (MIND) Program
In recognition of shifting demands on student, postdoc, and staff time, the 2026 MIND program has been redesigned to maximize flexibility to make participation available to as many as possible.
Starting in early March and running through the end of Spring Quarter (16 weeks), MIND program participants will be supported in their career exploration. They will learn a variety of approaches to discover what works best for them as an individual. In a community of peers, they will have access to:
- Structured formal workshops on different aspects of career exploration,
- Support arranging informational interviews with professionals from different fields,
- Guidance in using job simulations, and
- An expanded professional network built through interactions with other participants.
Who is eligible for MIND?
MIND is open to all current UCSF PhD students and postdoctoral scholars in the five UCSF postdoctoral title codes. We also accept Master’s students in the following programs:
- Artificial Intelligence and Computational Drug Discovery and Development,
- Biomedical Imaging,
- Clinical and Epidemiological Research,
- Health Data Science,
- History of Health Sciences, and
- Translational Medicine.
What is the time commitment?
The MIND program consists of 9 hours of scheduled workshops and events (mostly held in-person at Mission Bay, with an online option for each piece), 12 hours of MIND meetups held at Mission Bay and online, and a rough expectation of 1 hour per week of independent work. Because the program offers flexible options, the total time commitment varies depending on each participant’s schedule and needs.
Do I need to participate in everything?
Yes and no! Participants are expected to complete the scheduled training workshops and MIND Meetups, but they can do so by either attending the session or doing a make-up option.
Because participants rely on learning from each other, missing 2 sessions (i.e. not attending or completing the make-up options) without communicating in advance with the Career and Professional Development team will lead to removal from the program.
What Alumni Say
Our alumni tell us that...
- MIND helped them rule out at least one career path (79%)
- MIND was a valuable use of their time (82%)
- MIND had no effect or a positive effect on their research productivity (92%)
- MIND increased overall satisfaction in their training at UCSF (87%)
Read more in these articles written by MIND participants:
- Plan your future by Lindsey Jones (MIND 2015-2016 alum)
- Is there life outside of academia? by Mayya Shveygert (MIND 2014-2015 alum)
History of the MIND Program
In 2012, the NIH Biomedical Workforce Working Group issued their official report of the analysis of career outcomes for biomedical PhDs. The data they presented reflected what many already knew: that there are more PhDs for fewer academic research positions, and that students in the biomedical sciences are finding careers in a variety of fields. It was the recommendation of the working group that biomedical research training should prepare trainees for the range of careers that are available to them.
One of the initiatives they announced was the Broadening Experiences in Scientific Training (BEST) award: a $1.7m grant supported by the Common Fund, awarded to institutions that proposed a program that would provide bold and innovative approaches designed to broaden graduate and postdoctoral training. UCSF was one of only 17 recipients across the country, and with this award we created the MIND program.
Bill Lindstaedt, MA and Drs. Jennie Dorman, Terri O'Brien, and Keith Yamamoto served as co-Principal Investigators on the BEST grant. Other key staff contributors included Drs. Gabriela Monsalve, Liz Silva, Stephen Filios, Alexandra Schnoes, and Athena Lin.
MIND Materials from previous years
The MIND program was previously funded by an NIH Broadening Experiences in Scientific Training (BEST) award. "The Fantasy, The Ideal, and The Reality of Career Exploration" was originally developed and presented as an interactive chalk talk by Bill Lindstaedt, Liz Silva, and Gabriela Monsalve for MIND Catalytic Course participants.