PhDemystified MindCORE

In this episode, we hear from Dr. Rinad Beidas, an Associate Professor of Psychiatry, Medical Ethics & Health Policy, and Medicine at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. She works to improve the quality of health and mental health services by promoting evidence-based practices in routine care.Dr. Beidas shares her journey growing up, handling family expectations, and finding her passion for accessible treatment (1:00-13:05). She talks about the impact ...

In this episode, we hear from Dr. David Lydon-Staley, a communication scientist who studies our day-to-day behavior as it impacts substance use, emotion regulation, and curiosity. Dr. Lydon-Staley shares his journey from exploring multiple interests as a student to a difficult dissertation process to realizing what he wants from a life in academia (0:50-18:35). He also shares advice for figuring out what you want to do (18:40), his experience as part of the LGBTQ+ community (21:25), how ...

In this episode, we hear from Dr. Maria Geffen, a brain scientist who studies how we hear and form memories of sounds. During an interview with a live audience, Dr. Geffen shares her journey from a student who made a groundbreaking discovery to becoming a faculty member at Penn. She also shares advice for applying to graduate school, her views on publishing in academia, and reflections on her experiences as a woman in STEM. PhDemystified invites faculty from the University of Pennsylvani...

Today’s episode focuses on dealing with adversity. In a collection of moments from “Behind the CV”, an interview series hosted by MindCORE and the Center for Undergraduate Research and Fellowships, Penn faculty including David Meaney, Michael Platt, Dawn Mechanic-Hamilton, Konrad Kording, and Kathryn Schuler talk about how they handle failure and give advice on reframing rejection and asking for help. PhDemystified invites faculty from the University of Pennsylvania to open up about the ...

In this episode, we interview Dr. Konrad Kording, a transdisciplinary researcher who studies computational neuroscience and machine learning (among other areas). Dr. Kording talks about his early frustrations with school, how to get hired and enter fields right before they take off, and his advice to young researchers on networking.PhDemystified invites faculty from the University of Pennsylvania to open up about the unspoken struggles of becoming a scientist. In their interviews, resear...

In this episode, we interview Dr. Kathryn Schuler, a linguistics professor and the Principle Investigator of the Child Language Lab at the University of Pennsylvania. In her conversation with a live audience, Dr. Schuler tells her story as a first-generation student navigating the unknowns of academia and shares advice for other students following a nontraditional path.PhDemystified invites faculty from the University of Pennsylvania to open up about the unspoken struggles of becoming a ...