Finding a mentor or reevaluating skillsets can be daunting for any PhD student or postdoc. For Dr. Yvette Seger, it was a manner of doing the work in networking while also finding guidance from a “fairy job mother.”
As director of science policy at the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB), Dr. Seger oversees a team working to analyze science and policy in several areas of research within FASEB, including public outreach efforts where science is described to the public. Throughout the past thirteen years, Dr. Seger has grown within her field by fostering strong connections, acknowledging her strengths and understanding the evolution of a job position. PhD students and postdocs will have multiple mentors throughout their educational and professional careers; it’s important to find those mentors, that will help nudge and guide them toward a flourishing path.
“I looked at gaps in my training and used career opportunities to test drive them,” said Dr. Seger.
Along with her doctorate in genetics, Dr. Seger uses her policy knowledge to better understand issues affecting the conduct of research in the sustainability of the biomedical enterprise. In this episode, IU School of Medicine professor and host, Dr. Randy Brutkiewicz, discusses with Dr. Seger how fairy job mothers and a PhD acted as gateways toward an exciting career path.
