Step_12: Scientist → Journalist

• Science Journalist

Lesley is an established freelance science journalist who has an impressive portfolio, with pieces published in outlets such as BBC Earth, New Scientist, and Nature. But she completed both a PhD and Postdoc before she made the plunge into writing.  In this episode you'll hear how Lesley gained the skills to make that transition and how the freelance process works, from the story pitch to the publish.

Lesley's top 3 favourite articles that she's published:

City cycling: health versus hazard

How extreme fear shapes what we remember

Why some male bats have spiny penises

Step_11: Punk-Rock Scientist

• Distinguished Scientist, UC Berkeley

Mina may not look it, but she embodies the spirit of Punk Rock. A fiery get-it-done attitude, perseverance and an honesty. Mina is a world-renowned biologist, championing the field of tumor micro-environment and we were lucky to have her join us and share her experience about a life in the sciences. Definitely a must-listen to interview.

Mina Bissell's website (and bio)

TED Talk on Tumour Microenvironment

Step_10: The Middlewoman

• Business Developer, Mitacs
• Business Developer, UBC Research Office

Still deciding between academia and industry? In a way, Sherry's chosen both. Hear about how she facilitates collaborations between academia and industry, and learn about the ways you can acquire some cool new science skills. 

Accelerate Program

Step Workshops

Elevate Program

Step_09: Dr^2

• Senior Scientist, Terry Fox Laboratory
• Associate Professor, UBC
• Director of Hematopathology, BCCA

Andy is a Senior Scientist at the Terry Fox Laboratory by day and clinical Director of Hematopathology by night... he is, Doctor Doctor (MD/PhD). Andy has dedicated his life to medicine and science while maintaining sanity and family. We talk about how he choose to come to Vancouver and what's love got to do with it. It's an honest and insightful interview, a must-listen for those dreaming of a career in academia.

Step_08: Bringing the Law to Science

• Patent Lawyer

Father. Lawyer. Scientist. Mark is a phenomenal guy. Come hear about his journey from researching transposable elements and overcoming the challenges of graduate school; to lawyering himself up and empowering other scientists to develop meaningful intellectual property from their research. We talk about making the difficult decision of going back to school post-PhD and how that can be exactly the right decision.

Step_07: Life, Love and A Career in Biotech

• Vice President

From growing up milking cows in the Canadian prairies to Vice President of D-Mark Biosciences, Jeff Seitz shares his story and experiences with us. Hear what motivated Jeff to pursue a career in biotechnology, the lessons he's learned along the way and advice to young scientists struggling with the decision between academia and industry.

D-Mark Biosciences

Step_06: A Natural Competence for Open Access

• Principal Investigator
• Blogger

Secrecy is ingrained in scientific research and it’s driven by competition for coveted research grants and space in high impact journals.  But, does this actually lead to better research?

Here, we talk to Professor Rosie Redfield about her belief that science is done best when everybody has access.  You’ll hear all about her open science blog where she posts her research as she’s doing it and how this blog propelled her into the scientific spotlight.

Rosie's Blog

Step_05: Executive Scientist

• Vice President Strategic Relations
• Vice President Research

"Do the right thing, for the right reason." The Sam Abraham philosophy.

We often view science as amoral and objective, but like any human institution that's not true. What we accomplish with science depends on how scientists apply their findings to the context of our society. In this interview we speak with Sam Abraham, Vice President of Research and Vice President of Strategic Relations for the BC Cancer Agency. We discuss how findings go from the lab to the bedside, the institutional hurtles along the way and how to overcome them.

Migration of humans: Paris 1919

The Race to Patent SARS

BCCA Principals for Commercialization

Biology as Ideology - Richard Lewontin [ Lecture ]

Step_04: DIY Start-up

• Director of Engineering

Do you have an idea to change the world? Mike and colleagues' did, and their Do It Yourself attitude lead them on a journey of engineering a low-tech solution for orthopaedic drills in low-income nations and humanitarian relief sites. Hear how Mike started up his own company, Arbutus Medical, to transform this idea into a real-world solution to combat post-operative infections and help save lives. Learn about the path you can take to turn your own idea into a career!

Arbutus Medical Website
Student Entrepreneur Funding in BC

Step_03: Skin Stem Cell's M.V.Professor

• Principal Investigator

Elaine Fuchs is ahead of the curve in skin stem cell biology. She's a professor at Rockefeller University, a Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator and a role model for strong women in science. So how did a young girl from outside Chicago go from digging up trilobites and catching butterflies to a world-renowned scientist? Well it wasn't easy, but as you'll hear, it wasn't all that hard either.

The scientific philosophy of Strong Inference, or better yet the paper itself.

Step_02: Adventure in the Start-up w/ Philip Beer

• Director of Medical Genomics

Physician turn scientist Philip Beer sits down with me to discuss his post-post-doc. Philip is a fantastic scientist whom I respect and he gave an honest account of finding his way. Today Philip is the Director of Medical Genomics for the start-up company 14M Genomics based out of Cambridge, UK. Hear his account of what it's like to be there at the birth of a company, the importance of teamwork between biologists and bioinformaticians and share in the adventurous spirit of entrepreneurship.

14M Genomics Website
The Microsoft Interview

Step_01: Getting the Gig at STEMCELL

• Scientific Marketing Specialist
• Scientific Communications & Publishing Coordinator

"What comes next?" Amanda and Andrew both recent grads, found themselves faced with this question. In this episode we'll hear about their experiences of navigating the job market, making good first impressions and landing the job. Both now work at STEMCELL technologies in science communication.

Sign up for Andrew's ESC/iPSC or Intestinal Cell newsletters:

Step_0: Thesis

The Jobs in Science Interview Series (JISIS) is now a podcast!

Hypotheses:

1. The story of modern scientists are diverse and worth hearing
2. Discovery and researcher are intimately linked
3. The relationship between science and life is complex

Subscribe and listen!