Who works at MIT Lincoln Lab? MIT Lincoln Laboratory employs a diverse workforce of scientists, engineers, and support staff. The laboratory offers a wide range of job opportunities for individuals with backgrounds in engineering, mathematics, computer science, physics, and other related fields. Some of the typical job titles at MIT Lincoln Laboratory include research scientist, engineer, software developer, and program manager. The laboratory also offers internships and co-op positions for...

What is candidacy?   The 6-week formal exam required by grad school  Advisor/committee chooses a topic  Typically not something you have worked on  But good for you to know  You do a literature review on the topic  Deliverables: 15 – 20 page paper (at the end of 4 weeks) + Talk (at the end of 6 weeks) Timing Professors are busy Ask to be on your committee >= 4 months in advance Schedule your exam on a day and time that works well for you – this is your...

I am loving September in Boston. Today when I stepped out the sun was just right. Warms your heart but doesn’t burn the skin. Then after work I went to Home Goods and the evening too was just perfect. You know when you’re driving and the sun decides to blind you and you can’t see the road for a moment, that almost happened but it’s becoming dusk earlier now and a cool twilight had descended by the time I was done buying my new comforter set. Also I’m back home as Boston is home now!!! When...

I have been told by multiple employers that my resume using this template is the best resume they had ever seen! I always got the interview if not the job! I have also helped many friends successfully use this template and give their careers huge makeovers!! So now it is YOUR turn.  Please don’t hate me, but this resume template is in LaTeX. If you are not familiar with that, now is a great time to learn and that is exactly what I go over here in this episode! You can Google LaTeX and get...

In this episode I cover what it means to be a systems analyst and share from my personal experience spanning three jobs post academia. A systems analysis role is 1) problem solving 2) big picture architecting of how to solve a problem backed by technical analysis 3) not focused on building tools for other users but rather leveraging existing tools and using them for your analysis and only building a tool from scratch if it is needed and in a way where you will be the main user of it 4) making...

In this episode, I share from my recent experiences as program manager and what I learned. Being in a leadership position is very different from being an individual contributor and I think it’s good to strike a balance of having both aspects on separate projects if that is important to you. In leadership, the primary focus is to serve the team and do what is right for the team and performance of the projects and often times if things are going well your main job is to get out of the way!...

Follow on LinkedIn and let me know if you need any help or advice with finding a job at any of the organizations I have worked in so far. Chances are I can at least point you in the right direction if I have not worked there yet. A referral is the most efficient way to get a job so don't forget to reach out and get started on this process! It is not you, it is them if you are not getting a job or a good offer. We will work on this together! --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The...

LADIES, change your profile photo and LI headline this New Year. (I need to as well once I find someone to take a headshot of me, lol!) Here is what I have learned and like to share!! 🌱 Get someone to take a headshot of you in the outdoors against a natural background with natural lighting. Look professional yet approachable, which you are!!! 🌱 Change your headline to something like this: "Entry 1 | Entry 2 | Entry 3 | Entry 4 | Entry 5" where the entry values can be stuff like what I have...

Women have everything it takes to be very successful, that is, more than average-level successful in STEM. We discuss:  STEM opportunities that women might feel are not for them like roles in defense, physics, engineering, etc. pay extremely well so even though women would be fewer in numbers in these types of roles, they would be paid well, become independent professionals, and thrive in spite of existing challenges (more on that below). Making good money is the first step to having...

This is my talk given on Nov 19, 2021, at the University of Mount Union at the Department of Biochemistry, Chemistry, and Physics! I cover my Ph.D. thesis which is in the field of particle astrophysics. I also go through content from my books, and blog to help students succeed in academia, industry, and government! I have experience in all three worlds now (academia, industry, and government) so anything I can share to help students and young professionals to navigate challenges in these...

When asked salary expectations, say you will consider all reasonable offers It is hard to give a salary number because things like benefits, PTO, sick leave, all make up the offer and these would need to be considered as well It is hard to give a number because things like location would affect it and adjust for the cost of living I will consider all reasonable offers (yes, you are applying to multiple places and may have multiple offers, let people chase you) These will make you seem...

Work on getting referred formally or informally for the job you are applying to! Apply through the referral link if you are getting referred, don't rush and apply through the general link Work on updating your LinkedIn profile BEFORE applying because that could be the first impression they get of you - your online presence is important  Updating your LinkedIn profile is working on your PERSONAL BRAND - this is critical to your SUCCESS CHECK FOR SPELLING AND GRAMMAR ERRORS - I do this...

It seems most employers want their employees back in the office I cannot speak for all of you, so chime in with your comments, but from what leadership I interact with, it is clear that employers want us to go back in. I also know that plenty of employees would like to go back in and regain the option of keeping work at work.  In my experience, though, these are folks who are parents and have been struggling with doing work at home. Not us child-free folks. But, in general, a lot of us would...

Quick Takeaways for Writing the Cover Letter for a Postdoctoral Application If you do not know the name of the professor who is hiring then stop right here and find that out! It’s about what you know and who you know. If you don’t know them already, chances are low for getting an interview. The cover letter should be no more than a few powerful paragraphs. Don’t make any paragraph too big a block of text. In the very first sentence, you should say what you are writing them for, that is,...

Should you stay longer and make sure your paper gets published?  I address this question from a Ph.D. student. Here are the details of the question: I want to transition to the industry as a research scientist. I have one protocol paper accepted, one second-author paper, and one first-author paper that is not yet submitted. I am worried as my advisor wants to add more data to the first-author paper before submitting it, and it keeps getting delayed. Now he wants me to stay as a postdoc to...

What is my daily schedule for research and writing? I am not super disciplined and don’t operate on a strict schedule day to day. I like flexibility and thrive on being able to improvise. Basically kind of like doing whatever I feel like. I do have a full-time job and recently started to prioritize health and fitness in my daily routine. For the content and side hustle, I am driven by what I want to be doing. I set goals, write them down, and accomplish them. It makes me happy to accomplish...

This is an episode with podcast guest Chris! Chris finished his Ph.D. from the Energy and Resources Group at UC Berkeley. This is an interdisciplinary Ph.D. focusing on Water and Sanitation in Urban India.  He researched low and middle-income regions in India and also minored in Engineering.    Not everywhere in the world has 24/7 access to water.    Chris talks about interesting results including that smaller cities with a lower standard of living were less likely to benefit from existing...

Learning to not take criticism personally is one of the most liberating and productive things you can do for yourself and your career. In graduate school, I learned how to take criticism for what it is and it really helped me to succeed. I started to realize that the criticism had more to do with them than me. Sure, I didn’t know something. That was about me. But, they really, really wanted to point it out, for whatever reasons. Once I realized that people really do rather love giving...

To get started with data science using Python, the recommendation from experts is to get Anaconda. The Python programming language is a powerful tool whose true potential is only harnessed with the right packages and libraries. An Anaconda installation will give you those in one fell swoop rather than have to add things one by one. To install Anaconda for individual use, go here. Anaconda Individual Edition as described in the linked website Your data science toolkit With over 20 million...

Abstract Gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) are the most luminous transient events in the observed Universe. However, there is no direct observational evidence for what exactly drives a GRB. The most widely accepted model for these cosmic events is the fireball model where it is thought that a substantial fraction of the kinetic energy of the source is converted to gamma-radiation by shock accelerated electrons emitting synchrotron and inverse-Compton radiation. The acceleration of protons in the...

Addressing question I got on LinkedIn about how I ended up in the Air Force after starting out as an international student in the United States ❣️ I came to this country after high school and it has been a journey leading to this point now when I'm a civilian employee. Mostly not planned and just doing my best 🙌 Answering this question I got on LinkedIn:  Thanks, Oindree for connecting. So, I see you came to the US for BS and now you are working for the Air Force. I worked in the past for...

This podcast episode is an interview with Gavin Tolometti who is currently pursuing his Ph.D. in Earth and Planetary Sciences at the Western University in London, Ontario, Canada.  Gavin is studying Lava Flows on Earth to understand Lava Flows on the Moon and Mars.  Born in West London, Gavin's family has been in the North East of Scotland for 13 years. Academic pursuits make one travel far and wide, and Gavin is currently in North America! Gavin completed his undergraduate studies in...

Talk abstract This talk will be broken into three parts spanning my graduate and professional career. I share some of the science I did as part of the Antarctic Impulsive Transient Antenna (ANITA) experiment to detect neutrinos interacting in the Antarctic ice while I was a graduate student. I will then discuss the transition to how I got a job in engineering consulting for government clients, primarily in the Air Force. Although I had aspired to be a professor, I ended up taking this route...

I quit my job this month and the reason is closely related to the pandemic and the specific situation and leadership I was dealing with. When I got sick with COVID-like symptoms back in April, I sat down and figured out my finances to see how long I could survive on my savings. That was one of the ways I reassured myself that I could leave my job if needed as I suspected that I got COVID from my job. It was an activity that helped me in case you need to do it yourself. Blog post:...