The Sequel to a PhD Podcast
How often are our careers, identities, ambitions defined by a story we wrote for ourselves way back early on in our lives? Or by expectations that are set by others, by our culture, or by something else outside of ourselves? For some of us, maybe this works out for a while and we find ourselves successful, high-achievers at what we set out to accomplish. But what happens when we discover along the way that the story we created for ourselves no longer feels right? And that the success we’ve achieved isn't as fulfilling as we expected?
Here, we talk about navigating the thoughts, transitions, and cultural expectations that come up when we realize that the current chapter of our lives no longer fit who we’ve become. We’ll talk about learning how to figure out what we really want, doing things differently, and supporting one another in pursuing what's true and meaningful for each of us as individuals. And how that pursuit can ultimately impact the world around us.
Hosted by Shirley Markant, PhD. For more, visit www.sequeltoaphd.com.
The Sequel to a PhD Podcast
Episode 15: From Preclinical Research to Clinical Applications and Entrepreneurship with Dr. Sierra Simpson
Welcome back to the podcast!
In this episode, I enjoyed chatting with Dr. Sierra Simpson, a PhD scientist with a background in investigating the connections between the microbiome and addiction. Sierra shares her story of how she moved away from preclinical bench research into more clinically-oriented roles as the Associate Director of Perioperative Informatics in the Department of Anesthesia at UCSD as well as founder of BrilliantBiome, a company centered around using information about your personal microbiome to inform health decisions. She shares some of her experiences around becoming an entrepreneur and starting a business (during her PhD, even!), and I was intrigued to hear how she is now navigating dual paths between her roles in academia and her company, BrilliantBiome. In addition, Sierra shares great perspective and tips for people wanting to move away from bench research into roles with more clinical applications. We talk about the importance of following our individual unique interests and values as we navigate career decisions and how we are allowed to do what's most fulfilling for us.
To learn more about BrilliantBiome, visit https://www.brilliantbiome.com/ or find Dr. Simpson on LinkedIn!
Thank you for listening!
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Know of anyone navigating what to do next after leaving bench science or academia? Sign up for the interest list for the Sequel to a PhD Incubator (you'll be the first to get the details about the new program!).
Or check out other resources from Sequel to a PhD: www.sequeltoaphd.com
