Harvard University Press
Next Gen PhD: A Guide to Career Paths in Science
Key Metrics
- Melanie V Sinche
- Harvard University Press
- Hardcover
- 9780674504653
- 8.4 X 5.8 X 1 inches
- 1.05 pounds
- Business & Economics > Careers - General
- English
Secure TransactionBook Description
For decades, top scientists in colleges and universities pursued a clear path to success: enroll in a prestigious graduate program, conduct research, publish papers, complete the PhD, pursue postdoctoral work. With perseverance and a bit of luck, a tenure-track professorship awaited at the end. In today's academic job market, this scenario represents the exception. As the number of newly conferred science PhDs keeps rising, the number of tenured professorships remains stubbornly stagnant. Only 14 percent of those with PhDs in science occupy tenure-track positions five years after completing their degree.
Next Gen PhD provides a frank and up-to-date assessment of the current career landscape facing science PhDs. Nonfaculty careers once considered Plan B are now preferred by the majority of degree holders, says Melanie Sinche. An upper-level science degree is a prized asset in the eyes of many employers, and a majority of science PhDs build rewarding careers both inside and outside the university. A certified career counselor with extensive experience working with graduate students and postdocs, Sinche offers step-by-step guidance through the career development process: identifying personal strengths and interests, building work experience and effective networks, assembling job applications, and learning tactics for interviewing and negotiating--all the essentials for making a successful career transition.
Sinche profiles science PhDs across a wide range of disciplines who share proven strategies for landing the right occupation. Current graduate students, postdoctoral scholars, mentors, and students considering doctoral and postdoctoral training in the sciences will find Next Gen PhD an empowering resource.
Author Bio
Melanie Sinche is currently the Director of Education at The Jackson Laboratory for Genomic Medicine in Farmington, Conn., developing programs for undergraduates, graduate students, and postdoctoral scholars in genomic education.
Prior to this position, she served as a Senior Research Associate in the Labor and Worklife Program at the Harvard Law School, where she conducted survey research on careers for PhDs in science. She was also the Founding Director of the FAS Office of Postdoctoral Affairs at Harvard University, held the same position at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and served as a consultant to the National Institutes of Health in building the first NIH Career Services Center for over 9,000 intramural trainees.
Her current research explores employment patterns of recent science and engineering PhDs. Her work also addresses skills and experiences required to enter different scientific occupations, and illustrates whether these were developed in the educational/training period of the PhD or on the job, thus contributing to the national discussion of efficacious training of PhD-level scientists and engineers.
Melanie received her Bachelor's degree from Colgate University, and graduate degrees from the University of Michigan and North Carolina State University. She is also a National Certified Counselor with a career development focus. She currently holds a contract for a book on careers for PhDs in science with Harvard University Press, to be released in the fall of 2016.
Source: The Jackson Laboratory for Genomic Medicine
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