Reviewing for Journals (April 2018)

Following a powerpoint presentation about reviewing for journals, Dr. Grey Pearson from the Oncology department and Dr. Guinevere Eden from the Pediatrics Department gave us their insight into the manuscript writing process as well as dos and donts of reviewing.

Distilling Your Message (March 2018)

How would you describe your research to your grandmother? To another scientist in your field? We reviewed some tips and tricks to share your work with a variety of audiences. Review the powerpoint from the workshop here.

Grant Writing for Postdocs (February 2018)

As postdocs, many of us would like to write grants. Melissa Layman (Melissa.Layman@georgetown.edu) and Ryan Dempsey (rd986@georgetown.edu) from Research and Development Services (RDS) taught us the ins and outs of the logistics that go into applying for grants at Georgetown. For more information, look through their presentation! They also taught us about Pivot, a website dedicated to helping you find funding opportunities. Click Here for more information about setting a Pivot account.

CV & Biosketch Roundtable (January 2018)

Ring in the new year with an updated CV!

After the workshop: If you didn't attend, update your CV and make an appointment with the Office of Career Strategy and Career Development using your netID. As a Georgetown postdoctoral fellow, your netID should already be in the system but if it's not, e-mail them.

2017

How to Get a Faculty Position (November 2017)

The majority of our postdocs are interested in academia (if you're not and haven't filled out our survey, please do so!). After a presentation about what goes into an application package for a faculty position, we had recent faculty hires, faculty up for tenure, and a faculty member from a search committee partake in a question and answer forum to explain their personal experiences.

After the workshop: This resource from AAMC is a great overview about checkpoints for getting a faculty position (specifically for women seeking a position in a medical center but many aspects apply to any academic position). Here's another guide from HHMI!

Marketing & Networking on Social Media (October 2017)

One of our themes is #scicomm or science communication. We discussed the importance of using social media for communication as well as working towards getting a job.

After the workshop: Set up your LinkedIn, ResearchGate, twitter, and your personal website.

Postdoc Orientation (September 2017)

We reviewed some important resources on campus and discussed what we're doing this coming year as a PDA. For more information, look through the powerpoint presentation!

IDP Workshop hosted by BGE CSPD (August 2017)

Navigating Your Career Journey: Making a Road Map from your Individual Development Plan

Speaker: Caleb McKinney PhD, Assistant Director, BGE Career Strategy and Professional Development

Caleb provided an overview of why it is important to have a plan as a postdoctoral fellow to achieve your career goals. All postdoctoral trainees are encouraged to compile an individual development plan (IDP) and discuss it with their mentor.

After the workshop: Fill out your IDP and discuss it with your mentor. More information about IDPs can be found on the BGE CPSD Website.

CV Round Table (June 2017)

In order to get a job in science, you'll likely need a curriculum vitae (CV). Your CV should include ALL of your accomplishments in science thus far. At the workshop, we reviewed each others CVs and made suggestions.

After the workshop: Update your CV based on the changes suggested by everyone in the group! If you didn't attend, update your CV and make an appointment with the Office of Career Strategy and Career Development using your netID. As a Georgetown postdoctoral fellow, your netID should already be in the system but if it's not, e-mail them.

Resources for writing a CV: jobs in science, nature jobs, science.

Elevator Pitches (May 2017)

Science communication (#scicomm) is a critical part of being a scientist. An elevator pitch is a short speech about your research that you should be able to complete during the length of an elevator ride (like in the Empire State Building). The goal is to explain everything accurately and quickly. It's a good idea to have an elevator pitch prepared for various people in your life i.e. a scientist in your field, a patient advocate, your grandma, each of which will have different information.

After the workshop: Practice your elevator pitch with various family members and friends and ask for their feedback. It's harder than you think!

Resources for Elevator Pitches: Postdocway and Nature Article.