What drives us to pursue a PhD—and what happens when that drive fades or fractures under pressure? In this candid and thought-provoking episode, David welcomes Dr. Agnieszka Piotrowska – founder of The Scholars Mentor – to talk about the invisible struggles of doctoral life, especially for international PhD students. Drawing on her background in psychoanalysis…
Read More
Welcome back to Beyond the Thesis! This week, host David Mendes sits down with Dr. Kirsten “Kiki” Sanford, a science communicator with an unconventional path from bird neuroscience to the front lines of science storytelling. In this episode, Dr. Kiki shares behind-the-scenes stories of launching “This Week in Science,” collaborating with mentors like Leo Laporte,…
Read More
In this episode, host David Mendes sits down with Tina Persson, a PhD in organic chemistry turned career coach, recruiter, and author, to dive into the reality behind making the leap from academia to industry. During the conversation Tina shares her personal journey, from her PhD and climbing the academic ladder, to discovering that professorship…
Read More
Welcome to another episode of Beyond the Thesis With Papa PhD! In this episode of Beyond the Thesis with Papa PhD, your host David Mendes sits down for a meaningful chat with Claudia, who just wrapped up her PhD and is now stepping into the pharmaceutical industry. They explore Claudia’s experiences during her time in…
Read More
Join the Beyond the Thesis Skool community! Welcome to another episode of Beyond the Thesis with Papa PhD, the podcast that explores unconventional career paths for PhD graduates.! In today’s episode, titled “Outside-the-Box Career Paths Post-PhD,” our host David Mendes sits down with Sara Thompson, a seasoned public speaking coach and nonprofit professional. During the…
Read More
Join the Beyond the Thesis Skool community! Welcome to another episode of Beyond the Thesis with Papa PhD! In today’s episode, David Mendes chats with Andrew (Andy) T. Ceperley, a seasoned university administrator, consultant, and certified coach. Together, we explore alternative career paths for PhD graduates, such as grant writing and university administration roles, highlighting key…
Read More
In this week’s episode of Beyond the Thesis With Papa PhD, I sat down with the Dominique Louër, a 4th-year PhD candidate at McGill University. Dominique shared her journey as a first-gen graduate student overcoming multiple challenges, from losing a supervisor to facing down imposter syndrome. Despite the hurdles she faced, Dominique championed a passion…
Read More
This week, on the first Papa PhD episode of 2023, I am bringing you an incredibly insightful conversation about the impostor phenomenon in academia and beyond with Marc Reid, PhD, author of You Are Not a Fraud – A Scientist’s Guide to the Imposter Phenomenon. Imposter feelings are ubiquitous in graduate school and throughout your…
Read More