The Phuture is Now, with Roshi Rao, Ph.D.

When Science Speaks

This week's episode features, Roshni Rao, PhD, inaugural Director of PHutures, the new resource for PhDs and Postdocs at the Johns Hopkins University, discussing professional development, life design and connections.

Topics include:

The PHutures initiative at Johns Hopkins - its mission and Roshni's goals for the program

What it was like and how she was able to address and overcome the challenges associated with all the major, on-the-fly changes required by the pandemic

The kinds of programming PHutures offers

As a leader who earned her PhD in the U.S. and did her Postdoc in Washington, DC, how her perspective on the international PhD and Postdoc experience is influenced by her own first-hand experience.

How being a non-U.S. citizen studying and training in the U.S. at the PhD and Postdoc levels ties to career exploration and also how Roshni is addressing - as director of PHutures - some of these specific challenges, like navigating visas

As someone now in a leadership role at one of the most prestigious U.S. universities, does imposter syndrome still manifest itself and how Roshni helps PhD students and Postdocs cope with - and hopefully conquer - imposter syndrome

What Roshni means by “relationship building” when she emphasizes its importance to her students and trainees and how she “teaches” it, if you will, along with examples or illustrations she uses to help her program participants internalize it

How relationship-building has benefited her career and whether she always was adept at building professional relationships

One thing that listeners could do today to initiate or strengthen a beneficial professional relationship?

Looking over the horizon, how she sees demand across PhD and Postdoc programs in the U.S. developing for the types of transferable skills that PHutures offers