[SPECIAL SERIES] This episode is part of a special 3-part Career Coaching Series, where each coach at Success in Science shares their unique career journey in STEM. Guided by a set of thoughtful questions, the series explores pivotal moments like choosing a major, navigating graduate school, landing that first science job, and making bold career pivots. Along the way, you’ll hear candid reflections on identity, work-life balance, and the role coaching can play in opening new doors. If you connect with their story, they just might be the right career coach for you—scroll down for a link to our website where you can schedule a free 30-minute chat with them.

About Our Guest/Coach:

Dr. Reginald Hill is a cancer biologist, educator, and science communicator with more than two decades of experience advancing translational research and mentoring the next generation of scientists. He earned his Ph.D. in Genetics and Molecular Biology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and his B.S. in Biology from Florida A&M University.

Reggie’s research has centered on how the tumor microenvironment and biophysical stresses drive cancer progression and treatment resistance, particularly in pancreatic cancer. He previously served as Director of Tumor Biology and Microenvironment at the Lawrence J. Ellison Institute for Transformative Medicine and as Assistant Professor of Medicine at the Keck School of Medicine of USC.

• Video Interview - ⁠patreon.com/diverseroutes ⁠

Episode Highlights:

• How to negotiate multiple job offers and choose wisely

• Why you might be sabotaging your career decisions based on common misconceptions about working in industry

• Why networking matters long after you’ve landed your job

Timestamps:

Overview

0:24 Who are you professionally and personally?

1:43 What are the major milestones in your career journey?

Undergraduate

17:39 Why did you choose your major?

18:21 Most valuable course?

19:33 What did you do outside of classes?

Graduate School

22:14 Why grad school?

28:49 What was your biggest takeaway?

Career Journey

30:22 What was your first real science job?

37:33 What was the day-to-day like?

40:57 Why did you leave that job?

Coaching

49:39 What brought you to coaching?

52:37 What challenges do you most enjoy helping with?

56:00 Who do you most enjoy working with?

57:28 How would you describe your coaching style?

58:46 What difference has coaching made in your life?

Closing

1:01:33 If you could change one thing in your career, what would it be?

1:02:29 What do you wish you’d known sooner?

1:03:09 Most important piece of advice for listeners?

Looking for career support?

• Check out ⁠Success in Science Career Coaching⁠