The pursuit to understand the human brain in all its intricacy is a fascinatingly complex challenge and neuroscience is one of the fastest-growing scientific fields worldwide. There is a wide range of career options open to those who wish to pursue a career in neuroscience, yet there are few resources that provide students with inside advice on how to go about it.
So You Want to Be a Neuroscientist? is a contemporary and engaging guide for aspiring neuroscientists of diverse backgrounds and interests. Fresh with the experience of having recently launched her own career, Ashley Juavinett provides a candid look at the field, offering practical guidance that explores everything from programming to personal stories.
Juavinett begins with a look at the field and its history, exploring our evolving understanding of how the brain works. She then tackles the nitty-gritty: how to apply to a PhD program, the daily life of a graduate student, the art of finding mentors and collaborators, and what to expect when working in a lab. Finally, she introduces readers to diverse young scientists whose career paths illustrate what you can do with a neuroscience degree. For anyone intrigued by the brain or seeking advice on how to further their ambitions of studying it, So You Want to Be a Neuroscientist? is a practical and timely overview of how to learn and thrive in this exciting field.
- Table of Contents
- Part I. Why Should You Study the Nervous System?
- 1. Why Did You Pick up This Book?
- 2. This Isn’t Your Grandmother’s Neuroscience
- 3. Who Are All of the Neuroscientists?
- 4. Where Neuroscience Is Headed
- Part II. Graduate School in Neuroscience
- 5. Why You Should (or Shouldn’t) Get a PhD in Neuroscience
- 6. What Is a Neuroscience Graduate Degree, Anyway?
- 7. Paths to Graduate School
- 8. Choosing a Graduate School and Advisor
- 9. Herding Cats, or Making the Most of Your Committee
- 10. The Beauty of Self-Care
- 11. The Dissertation
- Part III. Research, Research, Research
- 12. Types of Neuroscience Research
- 13. Good Research Habits
- 14. You Can Learn How to Code (and You Probably Should)
- 15. No One Wants to Talk About Authorship
- 16. Communicating Your Science
- 17. Networking Is Not a Bad Word
- 18. Finding Good Mentors
- Part IV. Where Do All the Neuroscientists Go?
- 19. General Tips for Getting a Job After Graduate School
- 20. Academia
- 21. Industry Research
- 22. Consulting
- 23. Data Science
- 24. Science Communication and Policy
- 25. A Cast of Neuroscience Characters
- Acknowledgments
- Glossary
- Notes
- Bibliography
- Index