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 career options in the workforce.
MIND is designed with the busy schedules of students and postdocs in mind. Our structured program is intentionally built with flexible options for participation to help trainees make consistent progress toward learning about career(s) of interest, while minimizing the time spent away from research responsibilities.
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 receive instruction in career exploration, learning a variety of approaches to discover what works best for each individual. In a community of peers, they will participate in training workshops, perform informational interviews, practice job simulations, and expand their professional networks.
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.