The Next Step: Career and Grad School Advice from SMD Alumni University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry

Jamie Butler, PhD is a 2002 graduate of our Biophysics graduate program and now works as the Vice President of Marketing at Hamamatsu, a leading company of light and technology products.

We talk about how he became interested in tech, what it was like starting his career in sales, taking a year off from his career for personal reasons, and ultimately how he worked his way up to his current role.

If you're interested in writing services, alumni mentorship, events, fellowships and grants, research ethics, graduate student and postdoctoral groups, check out myHub, your resource for all things professional development: https://myhub.urmc.edu/.

Jamie on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-butler-5419b95/

#gradschooltips #photonics #careerjourney

We're thrilled to welcome Brenda Santiago Narvaez, PhD to our next career discussion on The Next Step! Hear about Brendaliz's journey from Puerto Rico to Rochester, why she decided to pursue teaching, how mentors had an impact on her journey, and more.

Brenda is a 2012 graduate of our Microbiology and Immunology program. She also completed the PREP and Summer Scholars programs before pursuing graduate studies. She's currently an associate professor of Biology at Rollins College in Winter Park, Fla.



Brenda on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brendaliz-santiago-narvaez-ph-d-6335a596/

SMD PREP program: https://www.urmc.rochester.edu/education/graduate/prep-program.aspx
Summer Scholars program: https://www.urmc.rochester.edu/education/graduate/summer-scholars.aspx

We're excited to welcome 2021 Biochemistry and Molecular Biology graduate Nazish Jeffery, PhD to the podcast! Nazish is currently a Bioeconomy Policy Manager with the Federation of American Scientists. She talks about what a career in science policy looks like and how she broke into the space.

Nazish on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nazish-jeffery/
Federation of American Scientists: https://fas.org/

If you're interested in writing services, alumni mentorship, events, fellowships and grants, research ethics, graduate student and postdoctoral groups, check out myHub, your resource for all things professional development: https://myhub.urmc.edu/.

Kicking off season two of The Next Step is 2022 Toxicology grad Ian Krout, PhD! Ian joins us to talk life as a postdoc at Emory University School of Medicine, why he chose to pursue a postdoc, what were some of the key steps he took before identifying the right opportunity, and more.

Ian on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ikrout/
Ian on X: https://twitter.com/ADME_Ian

If you're interested in writing services, alumni mentorship, events, fellowships and grants, research ethics, graduate student and postdoctoral groups, check out myHub, your resource for all things professional development: https://myhub.urmc.edu/.

#postdoc #gradschooltips #careerjourney #urochesterresearch

Kaisha Gonzalez, Ph.D., a 2012 graduate of our Microbiology and Immunology program, joins us to discuss the world of scientific affairs.

What does a typical day look like for a senior principal scientist at DiaSorin Molecular LLC? What skills are needed to break into the field? How much communication is involved?

She also encourages graduate trainees to be multidisciplinary thinkers and constantly be learning.

This conversation was recorded live on LinkedIn on Oct. 24, 2023.



Kaisha on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kaigonzalez/
DiaSorin Molecular: https://us.diasorin.com/en/molecular-diagnostics

If you're interested in writing services, alumni mentorship, events, fellowships and grants, research ethics, graduate student and postdoctoral groups, check out myHub, your resource for all things professional development: https://myhub.urmc.edu/

David Simon, PhD joins us for this episode The Next Step podcast. He received his doctorate in 2007 from our Microbiology and Immunology program. He went on to work in infectious diseases, eventually receiving a Presidential Commendation in 2021 for his work on Operation Warp Speed, leading a team in charge of shipments of the COVID-19 vaccine all around the world.

He talks to us about the importance of learning to present your work, how a PhD prepares you for much more than what you're researching, and what it's like going from government work to the startup world.

David on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drsimonphd/

If you're interested in writing services, alumni mentorship, events, fellowships and grants, research ethics, graduate student and postdoctoral groups, check out myHub, your resource for all things professional development: https://myhub.urmc.edu/