Nayanna Mercado-Soto (She/ Her/ Hers) is a 24-year-old born and raised in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico. She graduated from the University of Puerto Rico-Mayagüez with an Industrial Microbiology bachelor's degree and a teaching certificate. Currently she is a first year PhD student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in the Microbiology Doctoral Training Program. She studies Aspergillus fumigatus host-pathogen interactions using zebrafish as a model organism. Nayanna is passionate about education, science, and outreach. Follow her on Twitter: @Nay_MMS

PREP: A Non-Traditional Route To PhD

Discover Nayanna Mercado-Soto’s non-traditional path to pursuing a PhD in Biomedical Sciences by participating in a Postbaccalaureate Research Education Program (PREP). Read about how this program helped her gain research experience, improve her communication skills, and prepare for the grad school application cycle.

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Data Collection In Sensitive Situations

The ethical implications of field research require careful consideration and reflexivity. Chukwudi Njoku offers some reflections of his PhD fieldwork on the pastoralists-farmers conflict in Benue and Taraba States, Nigeria.

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Pursuing A Research PhD Is Like Launching Your Own Start-Up Business

Learn about the similarities between pursuing a PhD in a research field and launching a startup business. From selecting a viable research topic to marketing your work, PhD students and entrepreneurs have overlapping skills and mindsets that can lead to success. Read more to find out how PhD students can learn from entrepreneurial techniques to achieve success in academia.

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Writing Up: What Worked for Me

In this article, Jennie Riley shares how she tackled the writing-up process, including creating a timetable and breaking down her work into smaller goals, ultimately leading to a successful draft.

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