Career Path Development

Faculty in the Biomolecular Pharmacology Program at Boston University work closely with individual students to ensure their graduate training prepares them for successful careers after graduation.We have a dynamic curriculum that that aims to meet the diverse needs of our trainees by enhancing their skills in critical thinking, communication, leadership/management, and bioethics/intellectual property/research compliance to assure that our graduate students are prepared for successful careers in academia, industry, local or federal government or where ever they may choose to work after BU. A key component of the program is fostering professional development and career planning. Students are encouraged throughout their training to formulate professional objectives by regular use of the career planning tool, myIDP (link provided below).

The Division of Graduate Medical Sciences (GMS) is dedicated to the professional development and mentorship of all our graduate students. There is a core curriculum for doctoral candidates, with an eye towards providing both theoretical and practical training for future careers in various scientific sectors.  The activities in the curriculum include seminars, panels and workshops.  Another important component for doctoral students is to provide contact information for our alumni who have agreed to serve as mentors as students consider future career moves. The initiatives of the Division have led to a BEST Award from NIH (Broadening Experiences in Scientific Training) and establishment of the Office of Professional Development and Postdoctoral Affairs. The director of this office, Chelsea Epler, Ph.D., is available to assist students. A listing of the Professional Development Events offered by GMS is available.

Professional Development Resources:

myIDP: learn more about creating an Individual Development Plan (myIDP) to “leverage your expertise into a satisfying and productive career.”  Formulate an individualized professional development plan using myIDP as soon as possible and begin to envision strengthening of professional skills for a future career path. Continuing students are reminded to review their myIDP and update as appropriate. http://myidp.sciencecareers.org/

Throughout your career, from graduation to retirement, Boston University Alumni Association is committed to helping you define and achieve your personal professional goals. To learn more about CareerBeam© and all of the other great career resources provided by the BU Alumni Association, visit “Career resources” at Boston University Alumni & Friends.

Direct2Experts is a Distributed Interoperable Research Experts Collaboration Tool open to all biomedical institutions with the goal of improving “biomedical research and leverag[ing] our strengths as a community by creating a network that enables easy access to expertise and related resources across institutions regardless of local platforms and tools, and in collaboration with participating institutions to ensure access to approved and verified data.”

Read about “Planning Career Paths for Ph.Ds” in the Journal Science.

WEST, a group whose mission is advancing Women in the business of Science & Technology, hosts various development and networking events each semester specifically for women working in the fields of science and/or technology. More information