For many people, it is hard to imagine where the path of scientific research will lead them. The road straight ahead leads from an undergraduate degree, to a Masters, PhD, post-doctoral fellowship, and finally to a faculty position at a university. Not everyone will make this destination (the tolls are quite high!). But there are many exits from the highway along the way, and those exits can lead to some exciting adventures!

With this in mind, I wanted to share some examples of the paths that some of my previous students have found.

I have supervised a number of honours thesis projects for students in the final year of their undergraduate degrees. For some of these students, this project was their first exposure to research. Others had already developed a passion for scientific discovery. Regardless of their prior experience, they all managed to take on an 8-month project, make it their own, complete the work, and share their findings. I like to think that these experiences helped them build professional skills for success.

At the graduate level, students gain important experience in independent project planning and execution, time management, and in working as part of a professional team. In the hospital environment, they also gain experience interfacing with patients, which can be a very important asset for some career options. Indeed, some of my past graduate students and research associates have left the academic track for promising careers after completing their degree.

Past students – Where Are They Now?

• Data Scientist – Vancouver
• Medical Physics Graduate Student – Halifax
• Data Analyst - Halifax
• Data Scientist – Silicon Valley
• Physiotherapist – PEI
• PhD Student (Neuroscience) - Montreal
• Medical School student – Halifax
• Medical School student – Ireland
• Machine Learning and Image Recognition in Private Industry
• Developer at Medical Device Company - Halifax