For decades, top scientists in colleges and universities pursued a clear path to success: enroll in a prestigious graduate program, conduct research, publish papers, complete the PhD, pursue postdoctoral work. With perseverance and a bit of luck, a tenure-track professorship awaited at the end. In today's academic job market, this scenario represents the exception. As the number of newly conferred science PhDs keeps rising, the number of tenured professorships remains stubbornly stagnant.

Next Gen PhD: A Guide to Career Paths in Science is a practical and thorough manual for the entire career transition process, from defining personal interests and deciding on a career path all the way to day one of a new job. Written by experienced career counselor Melanie Sinche, it is geared toward postdocs and graduate students who may not have access to effective career counseling or mentorship or are not satisfied with what they have received thus far.
--Teegan A. Dellibovi-Ragheb, Science

With its focus on PhD level scientists, this book fills a gap in job search and career information literature. It's a must-read for those contemplating or actively pursuing studies in the subject area, as well as those who provide guidance to undergraduates, graduate students, and postdoctoral scholars.
--Alan Farber, Library Journal (starred review)

Melanie Sinche is currently the Director of Education at The Jackson Laboratory for Genomic Medicine in Farmington, Conn., developing programs for undergraduates, graduate students, and postdoctoral scholars in genomic education.

Prior to this position, she served as a Senior Research Associate in the Labor and Worklife Program at the Harvard Law School, where she conducted survey research on careers for PhDs in science. She was also the Founding Director of the FAS Office of Postdoctoral Affairs at Harvard University, held the same position at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and served as a consultant to the National Institutes of Health in building the first NIH Career Services Center for over 9,000 intramural trainees. 

Her current research explores employment patterns of recent science and engineering PhDs. Her work also addresses skills and experiences required to enter different scientific occupations, and illustrates whether these were developed in the educational/training period of the PhD or on the job, thus contributing to the national discussion of efficacious training of PhD-level scientists and engineers.

Melanie received her Bachelor's degree from Colgate University, and graduate degrees from the University of Michigan and North Carolina State University. She is also a National Certified Counselor with a career development focus. She currently holds a contract for a book on careers for PhDs in science with Harvard University Press, to be released in the fall of 2016.

Source: The Jackson Laboratory for Genomic Medicine