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33. Everything You Need To Know About Scientific Research: How Scientists Are Trained, pt. 2
- 2025/03/17
- 再生時間： 1 時間 28 分
- ポッドキャスト
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サマリー
あらすじ・解説
In episode 33 of A Chat with Uma, I continue with part 2 of my deep dive into how scientists are trained, as part of the “Everything You Need to Know About Scientific Research” series. Picking up where I left off last time, I focus on the PhD as the central—and often most intense—phase of a scientist’s training path toward independence. I explain how researchers progress from dependent trainees to experts in their field, covering everything from learning to design experiments, to managing lab resources, to balancing the emotional and intellectual demands that come with advanced study. I further discuss the options to complete training after a Ph.D vs. pursuing a postdoctoral fellowship, and the added levels of training that occur during a postdoc. To round out the conversation, I also touch on the intricacies of training for physician researchers and the unique paths MD/PhD and MD holders may take as they bridge medicine and research.Ultimately, my goal is to show you exactly why becoming a professional scientist is such a marathon. The PhD years are unlike any other phase, blending technical skill-building with growth in critical thinking, leadership, and a big dose of grit. By the end of this episode—together with last week’s discussion—you’ll see how these training stages add up to a truly rigorous process, ensuring that the people behind major biomedical breakthroughs are more than prepared to take on the world’s unanswered questions.Topics Discussed (+ Timestamps):(00:00:00) Welcoming you back and linking this episode to last week’s discussion on Master’s-level and early research training(00:01:00) What a PhD actually IS?! And WHY the PhD is the most pivotal stage for cultivating scientific autonomy(00:04:30) The choice to pursue a PhD, the competitive admissions process, and navigating subsequent rotations and fit with a chosen lab(00:10:00) Balancing full-time research, the relentless demands of experimental trial-and-error, professional development, and all other doctoral requirements(00:18:00) The vital development of critical thinking: variables, confounding factors, and advanced analytical skills(00:28:00) Major milestones in a PhD, including committee meetings, qualifying exams, dissertation writing, and the final defense(00:50:00) The resulting character development from the intense investment of a PhD: sacrifices, imposter syndrome, and learning to defending your work under scrutiny(01:03:41) Choosing a path after the PhD—why you’re already considered an expert trained scientist, and deciding on a non-academic job or a postdoctoral fellowship(01:06:22) Choosing a postdoc: what determines its length and scope, and how it paves the way toward faculty positions or higher-level non-academic positions(01:14:00) Added steps for physician-scientists (MD/PhD) to conduct research and how non-PhD physicians acquire training to conduct research(01:23:06) Concluding thoughts on how both episodes together form a complete map of the scientific training pipelineConnect with me!My website: umarchatterjee.comInstagram: @UmaRChatterjeeTwitter: @UmaRChatterjeeTikTok: @UmaRChatterjeeEmail: hello@umarchatterjee.comSupport my work:https://ko-fi.com/umarchatterjeeHave a guest you want on the show? Fill out the Guest Suggestion Form!