We Fight For PhDs And PhD Careers

I’m a social scientist and got hired with Cheeky Scientist. But before joining the Association, I found myself in a period of career ambivalence before becoming a Cheeky Scientist member. Cheeky Scientist’s programs motivated me to re-visit my industry transition plan, invest in my career and recognize my true value. I now hold a top position as a Research Scientist at Evidera and have Cheeky Scientist to thank.

As a Cellular and Molecular Biology PhD, I struggled a lot with impostor syndrome. I didn’t have confidence. Cheeky Scientist changed all of that for me. I mastered the Cheeky course materials and fully engaged with their private networking community. Long-story-short: Now I’m a field application scientist.

I am thrilled to announce that I have started a new position as a Senior Data Analyst at Definity. I am excited to join an incredible data and analytics team at Definity, where I can work on a variety of amazing projects alongside smart and talented data analysts, data scientists, data engineers, and insurance experts. Together, we will provide the business with valuable insights for data-driven decisions! What really captivated me in applying to Definity is their commitment to making insurance better and helping people with over 150 years of operations in Canada! Moreover, Definity encourages continuous learning, provides an inclusive work environment, and values sustainability. I am looking forward to contributing to such an inspiring and forward-thinking organization as well as learning along the way about insurance domain from experts! Thank you everyone who supported me in this transition. As they say, it is a journey, not a destination. And my new journey begins now.

Even though I knew how to network and I knew how to present very well, and all the science, I didn’t know how to sell myself. The Cheeky Scientist Association really helped me in that sense. It helped me with strategy and with understanding what the industry was looking for. Also there was a rich network of people. They tell you their experiences, encourage you, and also tell you what not to do. I had a very academic CV, so I put it there and everyone told me “Hey, you have what it takes, you’re just not putting it there correctly.” All of this really made an impact.

I want to thank the CSA team since I never would have made it to this point without you! I have been a member since Jan 2018 and began seriously applying to positions in June, so it took me about 3 months and 3 interviews before finding the right fit.

I’m happy to share that I’m starting a new position as Animal Nutritionist at Yaggie’s Inc! I will support Yaggie’s animal nutrition program for cattle, poultry and swine throughout the Midwest.

Having a strategy that helps motivate you and takes you through these steps and also helps you realize how much help you can get, it’s really overwhelming at first. There’s so much positive help. Just the private group by itself is worth the investment and worth the time.

After a year in a postdoc, I realized that was the wrong place for me. After months of rejection, I knew something was missing in my job search strategy. Once I joined Cheeky, I got recruited by a company and continued to climb the industry ladder.

Excited to share that I’ve joined ARCH Medical Solutions Philadelphia as an Additive Manufacturing Engineer!
My Ph.D. journey at Louisiana State University has been incredibly rewarding. I’m thrilled to be part of the amazing AMS Philly team, eager to learn from them, and excited to work on cutting-edge projects in metal additive manufacturing.
Grateful for this opportunity and looking forward to new challenges and successes!

I knew I wanted to go into the medical writing field, but the biggest hurdle I faced before joining the Cheeky Scientist Association was knowing where to start. After stumbling upon Cheeky Scientist via LinkedIn, I discovered that they offer a Medical Writing Organization Program. After joining the association, I was introduced to LinkedIn and was able to hone in on my networking skills. As an introvert, I am one of the more quieter PhDs, but I found my voice and received a lot of support from the exclusive membership Facebook Groups.

I didn’t even know I could go to professional conferences and events made for networking. My LinkedIn profile and resume needed help, and I was able to get help with those through CSA. I needed a peer group where I could share my experiences and questions with my peers: other PhDs. Luckily, I found that here in CSA!

I’m happy to share that I’m starting a new position as Medical Science Liaison Neurology and Immunology (N&I) at Merck Group!

… Cheeky Scientist and Isaiah Hankel, Ph.D. thank you so much for all your knowledge and coaching! It’s been a long journey together, and we finally got there! It is time to celebrate 🙂

In the beginning, I was skeptical of CSA. But once I joined and began doing the modules, my anxiety went away little by little. I realized other PhDs felt the same – everyone was depressed in academia, and it wasn’t just me. It was natural, and CSA taught me how to fix my job search to get hired in industry.

I realized I didn’t want to stay in Academia anymore, but I had no idea what to do. Once I discovered Cheeky Scientist and joined, it was life-changing. I went from desperation mode to having all of these options to start thinking about what I wanted for myself. Cheeky’s methodology helped me create the career I wanted and would work for me.

I’m happy to share that I’m starting a new position as Associate Research Scientist at New York Genome Center!

My resumes and job applications were constantly being rejected before becoming a Cheeky Scientist program member. Now I’m in a prestigious industry position as a Research Scientist. I am grateful for everything that Cheeky Scientist taught me and for the network that I continue to have access to through Cheeky Scientist.

I joined Cheeky Scientist after submitting my resume to countless companies. I had been hoping for a fulfilling career, but no luck. With the help of the CS community, I learned to confidently network and finally became an associate manager of medical writing at dMed Biomedical Company.

I’m happy to share that I’m starting a new position as Nano-Imprint Lithography Specialist at Authentix!

My biggest reservation was the misconception that I’d be turning my back on what I’d been doing for almost a decade, but that really hasn’t been the case. A lot of the skills that I picked up during my studies have definitely helped me during this transition. I haven’t been lacking in intellectual challenge in my new role, which was another thing I was quite afraid of.

I didn’t know what my value was. Once I found CSA existed, I finally realized that my training was valuable. I was able to use the Cheeky career map to get a job… Everyone in CSA is there to learn – they’re very supportive.

I’m thrilled to be starting a new position as Manager, Analytical Development at Iovance Biotherapeutics, Inc.!

My mindset was very academic based. Once I joined Cheeky, I caught on to things I needed to change for my mindset to move forward into an industry position. It was great to have support and an accountability partner. I landed my job by getting an internal referral.

I’ve always been a lifelong academic, and I was just ready to break out of the ivory tower and do more meaningful and more impactful work. Having access to all the Cheeky Scientist resources enabled me to immediately take the actions that would lead to my eventual job offer.

I’m happy to share that I’m starting a new position as Supervisor, Core Lab Operations at CompuNet Clinical Laboratories!

I never had a hard time finding a job until PhD was on my resume. Then there were *crickets*. My biggest challenge was my resume and finding the right format. What was extremely helpful was connecting with as many people as possible and network.

First I went to the career development center at my university, and I was very disappointed with the feedback that I got. The main issue with career development centers at various universities is that the advice they give is tailored for undergrads. While going through this process I was trying to find some organization or some person that would be able to give me the proper advice. The whole concept of Cheeky Scientist being by PhDs, for PhDs, and how to transition out of academia, these three things are very unique. I wish that I had got this before graduating, but I’m getting it after graduating and now I’m in a position to help others.

After the completion of my postdoc in academia, i’m transitioning to the industry sector and taking up the role of Manager of Research and Development at Generatio- Center of Animal Genetics, located in Heidelberg, Germany!

My main difficulty was not knowing how to approach a job search. The eye-opening stuff that I came to know from the Cheeky Scientist Association is that there is a method to this madness. You need to have an Excel sheet, you need to target certain companies, you need to know who are the contacts that you have in your network, all those things.

I spent 20 years in academia, and I realized that I was not going to get tenure. I started to apply for jobs but wouldn’t make it past the interview stage. It made me feel like I was a total failure. After joining Cheeky, I realized I was answering all of the interview questions wrong -I was not talking the industry language.

In spite of my visa situation I was able to make a transition to industry and I am sure this would not have been possible without your teams’ help. So thank you Cheeky Scientist and the entire team, especially Meera and Abha! Thank you!

Before joining the Cheeky Scientist Association, I didn’t know where to start in my job search. Once I joined the Association, my goal was clear after seeing the Cheeky Scientist comprehensive transition plan. I love the material and the networking strategies that the Cheeky Scientist Association has in place. This is my 2nd Transition! This shows just how valuable the material is even after my 1st transition.

Thanks to all the Cheekies who have supported the CSA private group and given so much to this community. Thank you!! There is still so much more to learn, and I hope to get back in the group and contribute.

I’m happy to share that I’m starting a new position as Bioanalysis Scientist at UCB!

Cheeky Scientist helped me target my job search and land multiple job offers from large companies, which I was able to leverage into creating my dream career. Now, I’m running a Medical Writing consultancy and loving every minute of it.

Like any PhD who wants to transition into industry, I did face a lot of challenges, both technical and non-technical. I was basically trying blindly to get a job, not having a proper roadmap. Once I joined the Cheeky Scientist Association I got the kind of directions that I was looking for, what I was doing wrong, where I could improve. I got a better LinkedIn profile and a proper two-page resume. I didn’t know what I was doing wrong, but definitely I was doing something wrong because no one was calling me back.

I’m thrilled to share that I’m starting a new position as a Technology Development Engineer at Intel Corporation! Excited to be a part of the chip manufacturing world and looking forward to contribute, learn and grow.