Aiding Career Development

Einstein’s Career & Professional Development (CPD) program for graduate students and postdocs serves more than 700 individuals. The goal of the program is to help young researchers to explore career opportunities while refining their professional skill set, including scientific writing, public speaking and presentation skills.

A recent survey indicated that just 65% of 250 participating Einstein graduate students and postdoctoral researchers are interested in becoming a professor at a university. And realistically, according to a recent article, “The Ph.D. Factory,” published in Nature, less than half of them will be able to secure a tenure track faculty position.

To address this issue, the CPD program hosts a “Ph.D. Career Chat” series featuring Einstein Ph.D. alumni and employees who work in a variety of fields, ranging from medical writing and academia to technology transfer, administration and science policy. Typically, these events employ a fireside chat format in which the special guest chats with Dr. Joerg Schlatterer, manager of the CPD program, about their current profession, the rewarding and challenging aspects of their job, the career decision-making process and career transition.

On April 18, Dr. Cara Chrisman was the special Ph.D. Career Chat guest. She described her career path, from receiving her Ph.D. in Einstein’s department of microbiology & immunology in April 2010, to her current position as science policy fellow at United States Agency for International Development (USAID). And, she shared how her scientific accomplishments in the laboratory of Dr. Arturo Casadevall, coupled with volunteering in numerous Einstein organizations – including the Einstein Journal of Biology and Medicine, Graduate Student Council and faculty senate – helped her to attain the AAAS science policy fellowship.

To learn more about CPD offerings, visit the Graduate Programs in the Biomedical Sciences website.