Science Research Mentors Needed

1

Hi. I’m a recent graduate with a BS in Biomedical Engineering and am interested in neuroengineering and neuroscience research. I’m trying to also start a family and I am frustrated by the education system, so while I am not throwing the option out, I don’t like the idea of graduate school right now if I have other options.

I’m at a stage where I need the perspectives of people in the industry. I’m in LA County, CA and moving is not an option right now. I’ve applied to Cedar-Sinai 20 times and haven’t gotten a callback. I’m now tiptoeing my way into networking with UCI’s neuroengineering department, but in the past, pre-covid, just emailing professors got no responses for me. I’m not sure how to make those steps in some official and convenient way, but I’m lurking around the internet for events and jobs available to try and connect. The UCLA area is the next area for me to try and seek employment and advice, but it’s slightly more of a stretch as a commute.

Any support or advice would be appreciated. What would you do if you were in my shoes? Where does the next generation successfully connect with mentors in research fields to guide them to the careers they need?

2

Welcome to the brain-map.org community! There are many pathways into the field of neuroscience. It sounds like a path via data science might be a particularly good fit for you - you already have a background in engineering, there are lots of resources available to support learning in data science (both general data science and neuroscience specific), and it’s something you can start exploring on your own using datasets like ours to get experience. Corresponding job titles might be something like software engineer or data analyst.

For career advice, I also recommend So You Want to be a Neuroscientist, which includes information about career pathways and educational options, career interviews/profiles, and more.