So You Want to Be a Neuroscientist? - by Ashley Juavinett (Paperback)

About the Book

So You Want to Be a Neuroscientist? is a contemporary and engaging guide for aspiring neuroscientists of diverse backgrounds and interests. Ashley Juavinett provides a candid look at the field, offering practical guidance that explores everything from programming to personal stories.

Book Synopsis

The pursuit to understand the human brain in all its intricacy is a fascinatingly complex challenge and neuroscience is one of the fastest-growing scientific fields worldwide. There is a wide range of career options open to those who wish to pursue a career in neuroscience, yet there are few resources that provide students with inside advice on how to go about it.

So You Want to Be a Neuroscientist? is a contemporary and engaging guide for aspiring neuroscientists of diverse backgrounds and interests. Fresh with the experience of having recently launched her own career, Ashley Juavinett provides a candid look at the field, offering practical guidance that explores everything from programming to personal stories.

Juavinett begins with a look at the field and its history, exploring our evolving understanding of how the brain works. She then tackles the nitty-gritty: how to apply to a PhD program, the daily life of a graduate student, the art of finding mentors and collaborators, and what to expect when working in a lab. Finally, she introduces readers to diverse young scientists whose career paths illustrate what you can do with a neuroscience degree. For anyone intrigued by the brain or seeking advice on how to further their ambitions of studying it, So You Want to Be a Neuroscientist? is a practical and timely overview of how to learn and thrive in this exciting field.

Review Quotes

So You Want to Be a Neuroscientist? is an absolute must-read for any aspiring neuroscientist and should be a rallying call for our field.--Steve Ramirez, Boston University

So You Want to Be a Neuroscientist? is an invaluable resource for those applying to graduate programs. Juavinett's conversational style and well-placed humor demystifies the process while also reducing the anxiety that comes with taking on such a task. Anyone, at any stage in their neuroscience career, would be better for reading this book.--Nikki Keisler, prospective graduate student and University of California, San Diego alumna

A wealth of practical wisdom and cordial wit fills this book. Every lab will want to have a bin-full ready for all, from undergraduates, to graduate students, postdocs, techs, and, yes, faculty. Juavinett has a faultless and streamlined take on the entire range of the neurosciences, as well as a winning insight into the convoluted social and ethical customs shaping lab life.--Patricia S. Churchland, Salk Institute and University of California, San Diego

You might not know it yet, but you do want to be a neuroscientist, and this compelling book will show you why and how. A wonderful, entertaining, yet eminently practical guide to joining the quest to solve our deepest, richest scientific challenge--understanding the brain.--Mark D. Humphries, University of Nottingham

About the Author

Ashley Juavinett, PhD, is an assistant teaching professor of neurobiology at the University of California, San Diego. Her research and writing on education and careers in neuroscience aim to broaden the field and encourage underrepresented students.