Choosing a grad school and a lab + Q&A, Darren Lipomi, UCSD

This is the full version of my thoughts on choosing a grad school and a PI/lab. I gave this talk for the American Chemical Society East Bay California Section and the American Women in Science virtual seminar series, and the organizer was kind enough to let me repost my side of the presentation, here. The Q&A topics are as follows:



26:56 If the chances of getting a faculty position is only 5%, should I even bother if I don’t get into a top-10 school?


30:49 If we indicate diverse research interest on our personal statement, are we digging ourselves a hole?


31:31 Do I need to have a paper in order to get into a top lab?


32:29 How did Covid affect graduate admissions the last two years?



33:40 How do you find the research interests of PIs?



34:34 How many PIs at each institution should you want to work for before deciding to go to that school?



35:29 Do graduate programs admit students as a pool or do they admit directly to professors’ labs?



36:33 What are the red flags that tell you that you should not join a particular lab?



37:16 If I thought I wanted to do the PhD, would it ever make sense to apply to a terminal MS and then switch up once I’m there?



38:20 How should I make the decision between two different research groups who pursue similar topics?



39:56 How should I interpret it if a PI does not return my email?



40:58 If I know that a lab doesn’t have a lot of funding but I want to join anyway, would it make sense to TA every semester?



42:16 What is the process for switching labs if you find that you’re in a toxic environment?


44:53 If I want to go to industry after my PhD, when should I bring this up to my prospective advisor?



46:15 If I want to join an industry that is concentrated in one location (as in biotech in Boston or the Bay Area), should I go to grad school in the same location?



47:51 Do students who have an academic gap between undergrad and grad school have an advantage or disadvantage?