Seasons
In the inaugural season of Vitamin PhD hosted by BU postdoc Rachel Stumpf, we discussed navigating conferences, entrepreneurship, the interview process, mental health, and team dynamics with a variety of guests. In the first season we also learned about career pathways into higher education, science academia, non-profits, and science policy.
The second season of Vitamin PhD continues our Career Pathways and Navigating Challenges Episodes, talking with folks from BU and beyond about their careers and doctoral experiences. Sarah Hokanson, Assistant Provost for Professional Development and Postdoctoral Affairs and Sasha Goldman, Program Manager for PhD Professional Development tag-team as hosts for this season.
The third season of Vitamin PhD is hosted by Maria Ayoub and Jenna Zajac, two PhD students in the Rehabilitation Sciences program at Boston University. This season, recorded over Zoom in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, highlights a variety of topics, including mental health, work-life balance, grad school success, the mentor-mentee relationship, and cultivating professional connections.
Our fourth season, hosted by PhD students Khadija El-Karfi (Romance Studies) and Kiloni Quiles-Franco (Molecular and Translational Medicine), follows up on the “21 Days of Unlearning Racism and Learning Anti-Racism” curriculum developed by Professional Development & Postdoctoral Affairs in Summer 2020. Through conversations with student organizations, faculty members, and staff from across BU schools and colleges, Kiloni and Khadija discuss how these individuals and groups engage in social justice work within their departments, labs, programs, and colleges. The episode’s conversations seek to guide listeners to resources that will enable them to create and sustain a daily, intentional effort to challenge inequity in their communities and build a more inclusive BU.
Season 5, hosted by PhD students Jessica Wright (Earth & Environment) and Rohin Banerji (Biomedical Engineering), is the first season in a series of seven seasons focused on the PhD Core Capacities. In conversations with faculty, students, and professionals in the field, Rohin and Jess talk about the core skill of communication – how to develop the skill, challenges in communication, communication platforms and more.
Season 6, hosted by PhD students Heather Mooney (Sociology) and Matthew Boyd (Computer Engineering), is the second season in a series of seven seasons focused on the PhD Core Capacities. In conversations with faculty, students, and professionals in the field, Matt and Heather talk about the core skill of research – addressing the fundamentals of the research process, publishing, ethics, reaching a broader audience with your research, and more.
Season 7, hosted by PhD students Shaunesse’ Jacobs (Theology) and Jenna Rindy (Biology)), is our third season in a series of seven seasons focused on the PhD Core Capacities. In conversations with faculty, students, and professionals who have worked in teaching at every level – from early childhood to graduate – Jenna and Shaunesse’ talk about the core skill of teaching by facilitating discussions around the fundamentals of the teaching process as well as its many rewards and challenges.
Season 8, hosted by Emma Bortz and Alyssa Kreikemeier, guides listeners through a series of conversations about leadership and management. Their guests range from theorists and practitioners to engineers, historians, and scientists. Conversations cover the practical and the philosophical, exploring how to apply doctoral training to meaningful work and probing the sources and impacts of inequities in our society.
Season 9, hosted by Táchira Pichardo (Molecular & Translational Medicine) and Grace McGowan (American & New England Studies), is the fifth season in a series of seven seasons focused on the PhD Core Capacities. In conversation with a diverse range of guests, Grace and Táchira explore how to build the core skill of self-awareness and how to apply that skill to as diverse aspects of life as communication, financial literacy, project management, and the mind-body connection.
Season 10, hosted by Adrianna Spindle-Jackson and Alexa Friedman, is the sixth season in a series of seven seasons focused on the PhD Core Capacities. Through conversations with their guests, Alexa and Adrianna explore the ways to outline professional goals and identify ways to achieve them, while remaining true to your own personal values in your career planning.
Season 11, hosted by Whitney Souery (Bioinformatics) and Ayantika Saha (Biophysics), takes a deep dive into the lives, careers, and daily habits of successful PhD graduates across a range of disciplines and career stages. In these conversations, Ayantika and Whitney go beyond the bullet points of a CV and explore the difficult decisions, challenges, and truths that guided these PhD graduates to where they are today.