STEM Tea | Embarking on a postdoc abroad and mentoring students outside the lab

Careers and Publishing

To kick off season 2 of the STEM Tea podcast, host AJ Hinton is joined by Aaron Streets, an Associate Professor of Bioengineering at the University of California, Berkley (CA, USA), to discuss the benefits of going abroad for your postdoc, the importance of being mindful as to which opportunities you agree to and celebrating your accomplishments.

Contents

  • Introductions 00:00 – 01:38
  • Could you tell us more about your research program? 01:38 – 03:10
  • Why did you choose to go to Peking University for your postdoc? Can you speak Mandarin Chinese? 03:10 – 05:54
  • Do you still take time to practice Mandarin today? 05:54 – 07:37
  • Do you have advice on how to pick postdocs and faculty positions 07:37 – 10:20
  • What did you have to assess when coming back to the States to ensure you could acquire the position that you wanted? 10:20 – 13:55
  • Highlight some of your best mentorship experiences throughout the years 13:55 – 16:16
  • How do you mentor someone who may have interests outside of science? 16:16 – 20:44
  • What do you do to mentor students outside of the lab? 20:44 – 24:31
  • How do you support alternative careers as a mentor? 24:31 – 28:12
  • How did you prepare yourself for your new leadership position? 28:12 – 33:16
  • How do you amplify others? How do you decide which opportunities you say yes to? 33:16 – 37:25
  • What do you do for fun and to relax? How do you celebrate your accomplishments? 37:25 – 42:05
  • The opportunities being a scientist provides and the possibilities within this career from science communication to changing policy 42:05 – 44:30
  • Amplifying other voices and sharing opportunities 44:30 – 51:20
  • What’s the tea? 51:30 – 52:24
  • Where can people find out more about you? Do you have any advice for others? 52:24 – 57:35
  • Final thoughts 57:35 – 59:12