Advancing careers beyond the bench: the St. Jude CAP Fellowship

Over 50,000 people in the United States graduate with a PhD each year, entering a highly competitive job market. Many of these newly minted PhDs stay in academia by pursuing a postdoctoral fellowship (postdoc). Postdocs are often trained with a clear trajectory in mind: to prepare for a research career. This traditional path emphasizes rigorous academic training, extensive lab work and the pursuit of original research that culminates in scholarly publications and contributions to the scientific community.

However, postdocs often refine or change their career goals as they progress through their research training. Increasingly, scientists are seeking careers off the bench, aiming to contribute to society in other new and impactful ways. These alternative paths can be murky, not well-defined, and challenging to navigate — particularly for individuals whose professional lives have exclusively occurred in a research environment.

The Career Advancement Program (CAP) fellowship at St. Jude illuminates the pathway into careers where strong scientific training is deemed beneficial. The fellowship provides career-specific training and support to help scientists successfully transition from research roles to influential positions in job sectors such as research program administration, education, industry, science communication and beyond. CAP fellows are empowered to leverage their scientific expertise in diverse professional arenas, ultimately enriching the broader workforce with their unique skills and perspectivend beyond the lab.

A vision for the future

The CAP fellowship is the vision of Sally McIver, PhD, senior director of Academic Programs at St. Jude. McIver sought to create a program to bridge the gap between postdoctoral training and professional success. “We know that maybe 15% of our postdocs will go on to have faculty positions, which is relatively consistent with what is seen nationally. And based on our alumni data, maybe 40% more will go into staff scientist positions, something very closely related to their benchwork,” says McIver. “So, what happens to the rest? This is an unmet need recognized not just by me but also by other leaders in academic spaces. How are we training postdocs to ensure they find a career that's best suited for them? Nothing makes you more competitive or better equipped than getting that experience yourself.”

One of the most compelling aspects of the CAP fellowship is its diversity of paths. Postdocs can apply for CAP fellowships in one of a growing number of fields, such as administration, regulatory affairs, compliance, program management, education or even scientific communication. “The breadth is what sets us apart; the diversity of options is much more robust compared to other programs,” said Lydia Soleil, PhD, who directs CAP within Academic Programs.

A tailored learning experience

The CAP Fellowship’s success is rooted in its commitment to experiential learning. The program immerses fellows in the day-to-day workings of their chosen fields. Jennifer Ocasio, PhD, a current CAP fellow working in the Academic Programs Office, embodies the transformative power of the program. “I have always been interested in academic administration because what really drew me to science was mentorship,” she says. “I was actually on the job market for a little bit, but I realized in searching for jobs that a lot of the opportunities that I was looking for required full-time experience that I didn’t have. The fellowship was the perfect opportunity for me to gain that full-time experience to be more competitive for the jobs that I want.”

As a CAP fellow, Ocasio has organized symposiums, collaborated with academic partners and developed strategic initiatives. “The nice thing about this fellowship is that I get to try out a bunch of different areas. I’m working with undergrads, graduate students and postdocs, learning how to support the whole range of trainees,” says Ocasio.

Personal experience helps explain CAP fellowship’s value

Like Ocasio, I, too, am a CAP fellow. I have spent the last year in the Strategic Communication, Education, and Outreach (SCEO) department, learning how to be a scientific writer. Transitioning from the bench to SCEO was an incredibly eye-opening experience. I have always been passionate about translating science and making it more accessible to a broader audience, but science writing is a challenging field to break into without prior experience. This fellowship provided me with the unique opportunity to develop skills and gain knowledge that I would not have otherwise encountered, including a nuanced understanding of the intricacies of science communication, strategic development and community engagement.

The CAP Fellowship has been instrumental in broadening my understanding of how science can intersect with various sectors to create meaningful change. I’ve had the chance to work on the annual Scientific Report, collaborate with scientists from diverse backgrounds on press releases and Progress articles and contribute to initiatives that aim to bridge the gap between scientific research and public comprehension. This experience has enriched my skill set and deepened my appreciation for the multifaceted roles that scientists can play in society.

Challenges and successes

Implementing a program as unique as the CAP fellowship has its challenges. Securing departmental buy-in and ensuring that each track offers meaningful and relevant experiences requires careful planning and collaboration. However, the successes far outweigh these hurdles. “There are programs with similar objectives, but which don’t offer full-time immersive experiences,” says McIver. “Some institutions create internships or externships, and some PhD programs even require them. But these aren’t career transition pieces specifically made for postdocs, like CAP. Postdocs who have ruled out careers in faculty-track academic research need to gain career-specific experience, not just to ensure job market success, but also to instill confidence and success during career transition. It is challenging to integrate this type of intensive career training with the demands of research training. Thus, we designed CAP to be a full-time experience that occurs after research training is complete.”

The comprehensive nature of the CAP fellowship ensures that fellows are prepared for new professional opportunities. “We hope that over time, we can start to educate St. Jude about the fact that there is a talent pool that can contribute to our mission in areas that require postdoc-level scientific expertise but are away from the bench,” Soleil states.

"What we are creating for postdocs here at St. Jude is a paradigm shift from how we traditionally think about preparing postdocs for careers. I expect it to be transformative, not just for our postdoc community but for postdocs nationwide. I believe that CAP is a model that other institutions can easily replicate," McIver adds.

Currently, CAP fellows are actively paving the way for this envisioned future. "I'm going into an academic programming career and know exactly what I need to do. When I'm going to interview, I already know the keywords used in the field. My goal is to eventually be a director of academic programming, to build programs for trainees to help them succeed," states Ocasio.

For me, the fellowship has equipped me with the tools and confidence to step into roles I once thought were out of reach. It has been a game-changer for my career trajectory as I transition into the professional communications industry.

The CAP fellowship exemplifies a holistic approach to postdoctoral training, blending rigorous professional development with strong mentorship and diverse project opportunities. It is designed to advance individual careers and create lasting, positive changes within the institution and the broader academic community. By providing comprehensive, full-time experiences, the fellowship will set a new standard for postdoctoral training and foster a generation of scientists who are equipped to make significant contributions within and beyond the lab.