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Thank you for the information, considering all these issues I’m not going to be able to solve all these problems in time for the 2020 academic year. I will look into incorporating contacting Professors into my job search for neuroscience related positions although the most likely scenario will be an internal transfer within my company to Philadelphia for positions relating to risk mitigation in procedures of clinical development testing. I’m thinking it is hard to be objective about the idea of a PhD in my current position and will need further research experience in neuroscience before I could construct solid reasons for pursuing a PhD. When I talk with Professors from my previous department they gave me no criticism in wanting to pursue a PhD so haven’t gotten any context of potential problems that may occurr if I were to go through with this plan.

In order for it to be more than a thought I'm first going to have to know what is realistic. I know the seriousness of making this decision since I was in the process in 2017 and will have to dig through many layers of the meaning of applying for the PhD. Considering the nature of the decision I may opt for my initial plan which is more spread out where I would start questioning this in June and making preparations starting next year for starting a PhD in 2021 depending on how my job search went this year. The option of doing the PhD in 2021 seemed too theoretical since it meant dedicating the majority of my salary of another year all to my student loans which I'm uncertain I could mentally tolerate with the added problem of remaining in my current environment. I probably could make that scenario more realistic with some modifications if that would be a better choice in my pursuit for further education. In order to answer the question of whether I could handle a PhD will depend on the structure I create for my understanding of neuroscience and if that justifies dedicating the amount of energy necessary for thesis work through the PhD which is a process I haven't started yet. As far as stipends go, I wouldn't be expecting the amount I'm requiring from research positions I'm currently looking for as advancement from my current job, my understanding is that PhD stipends are around the range 15,000-25,000 and there is the potential for work study like some PhD students were doing during my studies at Drexel University. I bring up the option of the PhD now because in my job search I'm most likely going to find positions that are research oriented or involve data analysis but will be divergent from the field of neuroscience where it is unlikely I could get a position that meets my goals and helps me towards pursuing a PhD. This brings up two questions where the first deals with my previous post where I was asking if I need to be contacting Professors for finding research positions or if that is improper and I put myself in a catch 22 since I needed to make networking connections while in my graduate studies at Drexel University. The second question would be if I remained in my current position would that be detrimental to applying for PhD programs in neuroscience in 2021 considering the fact that my present position has nothing to do with neuroscience? What do you think is good about my experience? Does this amount of experience justify sufficiency for applying for PhD programs and what types of schools should I be thinking about if I were to apply?

@HawaiiLee808 Using the parts of the template from Bayesian1701 make my stats look like this: Grad Institution: Drexel University (2014-2016) Major: Biomedical Engineering Concentration: Neural Engineering GPA: 3.76 Undergrad Institution: Clarkson University (2011-2013) Major(s): Physics Minor(s): Mathematics Concentration: Biology GPA: 3.14 GREs: Haven't taken them yet this year, if it is practical to apply to a PhD this year I'm going to try taking them in May and possibly will take them a couple more times if I have a problem getting 160+ in my quantitative reasoning. In 2017 I wasn't able to achieve that goal but only had the chance to take it once. Research Experience: In the summer of 2010 I had a research internship at SUNY Albany's nanotech center in testing neural implants in hydrogel constructs, in the summer of 2012 I had a REU with CSTEP where I performed data analysis on a medical device used for psychophysics where it measured the level of detection of patients that were blindfolded Pertinent Activities or Jobs: Since 2016 I have been working as a quality control analyst where I review raw data from experiments and compare it to the scientific method used for the purpose of risk mitigation. (ELISA and Mass Spectrometry experiments, methodology is not related to neuroscience) Letters of Recommendation: I will need to ask again but previously when I was applying for PhDs I was using the previous department chair from my graduate department who is said to have strong connections, the Professor that taught most of the courses in the neural engineering track who has been an assistant teaching professor for 5 years, and the professor I did the REU with in 2012 who chairs the rehabilitative center at Clarkson and is well connected in engineering focused on medical devices. If one of those doesn't work out I'm contacing the professor from my 2010 research experience who retired shortly after my experience but is still associated with an University in Australia. Math/Statistics Grades: In undergrad I took courses up to Differential Equations and Linear Algebra at a community college, in graduate school there was a sequence of Biostimulation I & II which applied differential equations to biological problems in the first course, solved the problems with MatLab in the second course) Any Miscellaneous Points that Might Help: My graduate coursework included an independent study in neuromodulation/neurofeedback, a lab course where we tested an EGG based BCI, an neural engineering sequence where the first course on computational techniques and experiments methods, the second in observing presentations and giving research presentations for a design proposal, a biomedical focused Signals & Systems course, experimental design coursework for creating a design proposal and understanding statistics and research quality, and other courses that gave experience in research presentations. I'm interested in any departments that can fund me in further academic research, the question is are there any universities willing to do this? I'm not that interested in the ranking of the school, just who can give me the research experience without putting me in massive debt. At the moment the PhD is just a thought based on my circumstances because it looks like this may be the only chance I could get in pursuing a PhD related to neuroscience instead of just advancing through industry in a field that is more public health oriented. If I were to start right now I could start structuring the information from my education on courses I took in neuroscience and doing literature review to find interesting research questions that would justify pursuing thesis work. I wasn't sure how specific University programs would like me to be beyond having a specific focus on quantitative areas in neuroscience. I would have to look at research papers and research groups to decide on a more specific interest but currently the topics would be computational neuroscience, neuroimaging, signal processing applications in neuroscience, data science applications in neuroscience, or neuromodulation/neurofeedback with the motivation of solving problems in psychiatric and neurological disorders. I could come up with something more specific but I would need time to contemplate on these different areas and asking why particular sub fields are important and if they are meaningful to the problems I'm interested in solving. At the moment I have no one to talk to about these issues where I'm living so it is unclear where to start. I should clarify that I'm open to going anywhere in the nation including the west coast but when being put on a stipend I would prefer campuses that have apartments situated so I don't need a car since I'm disabled and plan on making payments to student loans. I would consider joining a research lab but am uncertain how I would go about doing that and my constraint may make it impossible for me to join a research group. The first obstacle I'm dealing with are student loans where if I were to join a research lab I would need a minimum salary of 45000 to tackle my problems and be able to reduce my principal; if I were to pursue a PhD I could remain in my present job into next year and dedicate all my money towards my loans and reduce them to a level where I would feel comfortable deferring the reduced amount. If research positions only give me the same amount of money as a stipend during my PhD studies I would prefer to start the PhD as soon as possible so I could get positions that can handle my debt. Also since I have no publications or thesis work how would I go about joining a research group? The research positions I have applied for so far are looking for applicants with skills in a specific experimental technique or technology which I didn't get in my graduate studies. I'm in the middle of nowhere so I can't talk in person to Professors; is the process of asking for research positions similar to finding a research group for a PhD where you start up a conversation with the Professor on their research but instead ask about staffing positions? I'm working with a vocational agent who is helping me find jobs but all she is doing is finding jobs on the internet to apply to but isn't mentioning anything about networking whereas someone that works at an University in Philadelphia says I will have no chance of getting these positions unless I network. This sounds like a catch 20/20 unless I can find an University that give me research experience through further education. These constraints may make some routes impossible and make me more open to other opportunities but can find a focus at a specific level if that is necessary.

Hi GradCafe, I’m interesting in pursuing further graduate studies in neuroscience starting next year but am uncertain if it would be worth my time to start applications for this year. I have a background in Physics from undergrad, obtained a M.S in biomedical engineering from Drexel University in 2016, and currently have been in a quality control position for two years reviewing data for a pharmaceutical company that is involved in contract based research. While I had opportunities in working with research groups over the summer in my undergraduate studies and specialized in the subject of neural engineering in graduate school, the research experiences didn’t lead to publications and there was no thesis in my graduate studies because the department wasn’t looking for new students to fund within my specialization. My question is what limitations would this put on me with my motivation to pursue further education? I did an independent study with a professor at the end of my graduate studies who was asking me about pursuing a PhD at another university such as Temple University or the University of Pennsylvania where she said I would be able to get funding but am uncertain about being accepted or getting funding given the lack of publications and thesis work. In 2017 I started applications focused on biomedical engineering programs but decided on delaying further graduate studies because I needed to reduce my student loans and build up my critical thinking skills. My advisor told me to stay in my current job because work experience will count in my graduate applications but I’m questioning this since I’m in an unrelated area to neuroscience. If I do have chances of getting into a PhD program with funding or a SUNY school (I currently live in upstate New York), I would like to start researching different areas of computational neuroscience and neurotechnology in order to decide on a specific area for thesis work, practicing for the GREs to get a decent score, looking for outside sources of financial aid such as for people with disabilities, and thinking about potential Universities. I think neuroscience programs would be a better fit for my research interests but will also be looking into research groups in biomedical engineering departments. Would it be a waste of time to start this process for the year or do the problems I mention only impact my chances at specific top tier schools? Would it be a better choice to look for Masters level research positions by contacting Professors in my specific field before pursuing a PhD to see if I can get more experience or is the only way to get initial research experience through further education? I have had a lot of turns in my education so it can be confusing and if any questions come up please ask.

Hello Gradcafe, I decided around a couple months ago that I'm going to continue my education through a PhD but have some questions that I haven't found specific answers that I need to settle in order to find focus in the PhD application and my current job. For context I have a B.S in Physics from Clarkson University and a M.S in Biomedical Engineering from Drexel University where in my graduate studies I specialized in neuroengineering. I have been in contact with my former University about my interests but was told there wouldn't be funding in my area for awhile so some Professors there have suggested to continue my education at another University where I now have my recommendations in order. I graduated with my Biomedical engineering degree in 2016 and got a local job as a support role of analyzing scientific data for quality of the raw data and won't be starting the PhD until 2018. My first question is that I'm interested in specific research in the fields of neural engineering and computational neuroscience where the Professors/principal investigators that conduct this research tend be concentrated in different Departments based on the University. I'm specifically interested in a research lab that is focused on applying principles and gaining deeper understanding in the field of computational neuroscience in order to gain a better understanding of neural dysfunction in order to better treat neurological disorders, preferably using advanced techniques in signal processing, neuroimaging, and potentially data science. I noticed looking at schools other people are applying to in my field have both Biomedical Engineering and Neuroscience applications so is this normal? I couldn't find any specific information to this questions so I'm uncertain of the pros and cons considering I already have a Masters in Biomedical Engineering. Because of the interdisciplinary nature of my research interest both types of Departments could lead to the same type of research career so I need to answer this question. Also would it be wise to contact Professors on research if I have no specific research experience in their specific subject? I have two REU experiences and the specialization in neuroengineering from my graduate studies which was focused on getting people prepared for becoming apart of an University research group for further graduate studies. Because of this I do have research experience and coursework that was dedicated to reviewing scientific publications, making grant proposals, and creating innovative experiment designs but haven't actually conducted research in the specific area I'm interested in as a specialization. Once I narrow down my application pool I can start reviewing research of the Professors from the Universities but do have time constraints because of a full time job and other responsibilities. Would it also be advisable to be contacting different Departments to ask about funding in specific subfields such as neural engineering and computational neuroscience as that was a problem with my former University? Thank you for your time and look forward to the discussion!