Advice & Resources
Lydia's advice & guidance for different parts of your scientific career, *based on her experience.* It's always best to ask for varying perspectives and opinions as there are many paths in research.
Many of these sections are derived from the Kisley Lab Manual available to group members on Box.
Clicking the link symbols or title will take you to the documents.
Reading the Current Literature
Science is always changing. Reading the literature is the way to follow it. Being able to understand scientific papers is a skill to develop and practice.
Communicating Science
Communication is key. If you don’t share your scientific results, you may as well not have done the work in the eyes of scientists outside of our lab. Make the effort to publish and present your work frequently! Here are my tips for presentaitons and manuscript writing.
Applying to & Deciding on Graduate School
Lydia's advice is coming soon! In the meantime, check out this excellent resource from Cientifico Latino: https://www.cientificolatino.com/grad-school-guide
Choosing a Research Group for Undergrads & Grad Students
Lydia's advice is coming soon!
Some other relevant resources are: https://www.cientificolatino.com/post/questions-for-potential-advisors
https://www.cientificolatino.com/post/contacting_prospectivesupervisor
Lydia's thoughts on the PhD Timeline and Key Events while being at CWRU and a member of the Kisley lab.
My quick comments after reviewing applications for two open postdoc positions in my group in 2021. This advice can also be applied more generally to many job searches.
Lydia's job search reflections from 2017-2019
Link to Johns Hopkins' extensive repository of funding opportunities for researchers throughout their career.
I suggest that each and every person who is eligible for personal grants to apply for them: They will benefit both the lab and you and your personal career. With personal funding, you will be able to attend more conferences, have more intellectual freedom and have a record for being able to fund yourself. Lydia, senior students, and campus resources are all available for assistance in finding and applying for external grants. Remember that you can’t receive a fellowship without trying - sending an application is the first step! Finally, some funding rates can be ~10-20%, so don’t be discouraged if you receive a negative response. Take some time to process it, use the comments to improve the next application, and try again.
Seven Steps to Success in Graduate School (and Beyond) by Prof. Naomi J. Halas - Lydia has these posted in her office and still refers to them as reminders for success at any point as an academic researcher.
Lydia's YouTube channel PhDKisley with outreach talks, lectures from PHYS 330/430 - Experimental Methods in Biophysics; PHYS 204/208 - Advanced Instrumentation and Signal Analysis Lab, and playlists of course-related materials