In this episode of the STEM Tea podcast, AJ Hinton is joined by Angela Pack – Senior Scientist at a pharmaceutical company in Rockville/Gaithersburg (MD, USA). Angela is an immunologist, who recently transitioned from infectious disease vaccine development to translational medicine and clinical trial data analysis.

In this episode, Angela calls on her experience in academia and industry to discuss factors to consider when pursuing a scientific career in industry as well as career options for scientists who don’t want to be at the bench, highlighting the multitude of different roles that one can pursue.

Contents:

• Meet Angela Pack: 00:00–02:25
• Starting with her PhD research: 02:25–04:57
• Expanding your skillset during your graduate education to prepare for a role in industry: 04:57–09:23
• What are hiring teams in industry looking for? 09:23–14:52
• A peek at the future of vaccinology: 14:52–18:33
• How to make yourself stand out as an industry applicant: 18:33–25:20
• CV-specific tips: 22:12–25:20
• What is Angela’s experience of work–life balance in industry? 25:20–30:32
• Finding opportunities to engage in mentoring and outreach: 30:32–36:52
• Progressing in industry: the roles that exist besides working at the bench: 36:52–40:19
• Moving companies to move vertically: 40:19–43:51
• Keep your LinkedIn up to date to attract recruiters: 43:51–45:32
• What does Angela do for fun? 45:32–48:51
• Parting advice from Angela: don’t be afraid to reach out to industry professionals to learn more about their work: 48:51–50:55
• You can reach out to Angela on LinkedIn or X!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of the STEM Tea podcast, AJ Hinton is joined by guest co-host Andrea Marshall, a Staff Scientist in the Department of Physiology and Biophysics at Vanderbilt University (TN, USA) studying age-related changes in mitochondrial networks. The pair speak with David Drake (left), Professor of microbiology and infectious diseases in the Iowa Institute for Oral Health Research at the University of Iowa College of Dentistry (IA, USA), where his research focuses on the development of the oral microbiome in young children.

In this episode, however, the focus is on mentoring. Throughout David’s 35-year professorship, he has given back to the scientific community by mentoring junior faculty and teaching others how to be the best mentors they can be. He highlights the importance of finding work–life harmony, setting boundaries and having empathy for those starting their scientific careers. With references to Neil Young and Alex Soojung-Kim Pang, David shares the life lessons that have stuck with him throughout his career.

• Introductions: 00:00–01:51
• A day in the life of David Drake: 01:51–03:54
• Why mentoring is important to David: 03:54–07:00
• A musical meander down memory lane – the relevance of Neil Young’s “Old Man”: 07:00–07:57
• What are David’s most significant accomplishments as a Professor? And how does he share lessons from these accomplishments with his mentees? 07:57–12:10
• What advice would David give to an early career scientist? 12:10–14:31
• What should early career scientists look for in a mentor? And how can senior faculty be the best mentors they can be? 14:31–18:46
• Meet the mentors who influenced David’s life and career: 18:46–22:00
• The life lessons that have stuck with David throughout his career: 22:00–24:53
• Why is learning how to be a better mentor a worthwhile pursuit? 24:53–27:02
• The “welcome to science, most of your stuff’s not going to work” lesson and how to teach it: 27:02–33:00
• A mentor’s guide to setting boundaries and communicating them without discouraging mentees: 33:00–36:39
• How does David spend his free time? 36:39–40:06
• Navigating personal time, boundaries and breaks from work: 40:06–41:03
• How does David encourage mentees to slow down? 41:03–45:17
• The importance of reading: 45:17–48:37
• What is David drinking? 48:37–50:14
• Outro: 50:14–51:48

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of the STEM Tea podcast, host AJ Hinton is joined by Ashley Campbell. After being an Assistant Professor and working in EDI at the University of Rochester (NY, USA), Ashley is now Chief Impact Officer at United Way of Greater Rochester and the Finger Lakes (NY, USA), a charity bringing together local people, companies, nonprofits and leaders to address the region’s biggest human services challenges to help the community thrive.

In this episode, Ashley discusses her career, what led her to her current role and her favorite accomplishments. Ashley and AJ also explore how to create space for people to thrive, the biggest obstacles in leadership and the importance of impressing yourself, not others.

· Introductions: 00:00–04:33

· What led you to where you are today? 04:33–08:30

· Favorite accomplishments: helping students to “dream with their eyes wide open”: 08:30–12:23

· Using life experiences as a driver for mentoring: 12:23–15:10

· Creating space for people to thrive: 15:10–19:46

· The biggest obstacles in leadership: 19:46–21:20

· Focus on impressing yourself, not others: 21:20–23:10

· Gaps in education: 23:10–26:33

· What do you do for fun? 26:33–29:21

· Balancing work and life: 29:21–30:25

· Upcoming events: 30:25–32:47

· Life in Rochester: 32:47–34:28

· Bringing in more layers of perspective: 34:28–37:13

· Thank yous: 37:13–38:27

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.