Program Manager Impacts the Career Paths of Young Scholars

Name: Ellen Dobson (she/her)

PhD: Microbiology & Immunology, University of British Columbia, 2010

What was your main area of research?

I am a microbiologist by training, studying bacterial pathogens, who also specialized in microscopy and computational image analysis.

What is your current job?

I am a Postdoctoral & Graduate Program Manager for Morgridge Institute for Research in Madison, Wisconsin.

I create and deploy programs that support professional and career development among postdoctoral researchers, graduate students, and other early career researchers.

What is your favorite thing about your job?

I absolutely love working with young scholars. I truly feel that I am making a difference in their lives and career journeys and that impact is so fulfilling.

What is the most important skill you developed or experience you had during your PhD that now helps you in your current position?

Through my own experience as a scientific researcher, I understand varying roles in the academic setting, as well as young scientists' needs to forge their own career paths moving forward.

How did you build the skills necessary for your current role?

To gain the skills needed in the field of career development, I had volunteered for years to develop career programming at UW-Madison for postdoctoral researchers. That laid the foundation for me to be a competitive applicant when the right role came along.

How did you find this position? What were the career steps you took to get to where you are now?

NETWORKING! NETWORKING! NETWORKING!

I built relationships with people who ended up as hiring managers and my bosses... that made all the difference and gave me a competitive edge.

They knew me; they knew my work.

PhD graduate ➡️ postdoc 1 ➡️ postdoc 2 ➡️ staff scientist ➡️ Career Development Manager (UW-Madison Postdoc office) ➡️ Postdoctoral & Graduate Program Manager

If someone is interested in a similar role, what would you recommend they start doing now to prepare?

1. Start talking to people who are working in the field (me included - just reach out!).

   
   

2. Gain experience through volunteering... organize career talks at your department - bring in speakers... help develop content with your department/school's career services office.

There are so many opportunities to contribute and gain skills!

Why did you decide to not pursue a career in academia?

I knew for a long time I think - deep down inside - that staying in research was not for me. It just took me a long time to finally gain the skills and make the pivot in my new career path.

What advice do you have for someone getting their PhD and looking to pursue a career outside of academia?

In the wise words of Dave Evans and Bill Burnett (Design Your Life - amazing book!)... Get Curious - Talk to People - Try Stuff!

There are so many career options available to us as PhDs - so the sky is really the limit! It's a matter of figuring out what resonates with you and where you feel the right fit.