mentee – Post-doc Experience

Wax On, Wax Off

November 16, 2012November 13, 2012 by postdocexperience

Melissasan — We make sacred pact. I promise teach (science) to you, you promise learn. I say, you do, no questions.

Much like Daniel-san, I had a thesis mentor whose practices were less than traditional. We didn’t have many conversations regarding science, career ambitions, or research strategies. It was a much more “Here’s some rope, don’t hang yourself” kind of deal.

Not getting anywhere with the project handed to me? It was up to me to find a new one (learned how to search current literature, find an open question, figure out how to answer it and write a proposal).

Bad experience presenting data at department forum? I learned from my mistakes, modified my presentation style and cues, and sought out ways to practice presenting.

Selecting a Mentor

November 16, 2012November 12, 2012 by postdocexperience

Plan B, in case grad school didn't work out

When I started graduate school, I had been working for 6 years in the biotech industry. Having had a handful of bosses during that time, I thought I knew how to choose a mentor. In fact, I put much more weight on choosing the project than on the mentor itself. I had it all wrong.

I’ve mentioned how my thesis mentor was less than traditional. When I joined his lab, I hadn’t even rotated with him previously. But I was infatuated with the project and the science and thought that would carry me through.