Turning Your PhD into a Career Advantage

About the Workshop

Are you a PhD student in your final year, a postdoctoral researcher, or simply curious about how a research background can translate into a career in data science or AI? This free 2-hour introductory workshop is designed to give you practical insight into that transition grounded in real experience, not just theory.All interested students are welcome to join, regardless of career stage.

About the Speaker

Dr. Heena Patel is a PhD Community Ambassador at neue fische, with a PhD from Universität Hamburg. Her career began as a lecturer in mathematics in India, where she taught for five years before pursuing her PhD. Her research then spanned computational modelling across Finland and Germany from reduce order modelling in Jet Engines during her internship, to multiscale finite element methods for urban climate simulations during her PhD, to postdoctoral work modelling coastal structures using high-performance computing. Along the way, she has presented her research at conferences in the USA and Australia, and mentored PhD students in Finland. She completed a Data Science Bootcamp at neue fische GmbH, where she developed a capstone project focused on forecasting and optimizing the transition to renewable energy SelfPower · Streamlit.As a PhD Community Ambassador at neue fische GmbH, she supports researchers exploring career opportunities beyond academia. She also works as an AI Research Evaluator with Aligned Labs, USA, where she tests and evaluates large language models as a freelance consultant. In addition, she works as a freelance lecturer in Data Science and AI at Berlin School of Business & Innovation GmbH Hamburg.

Workshop Agenda (2 hours)

1. Welcome & Introduction (5 min): Overview of the session and speaker's own path from research to data science.
2. Academic system and salary (5 min): A brief overview of academic systems in Germany, Finland, UK and USA.
3. Capstone Project Presentation: Selfpower (20 min): A deep dive into an energy transition app built during the bootcamp covering the problem, technical approach, and key learnings from the project. Also some personal projects Retirement Spend & Tax Optimizer.
4. Q&A (30 min): Open discussion ask about the bootcamp, the career transition, or the Capstone Project.
5. Introduction to the neuefische Bootcamp Programme (10 min): Structure, curriculum, and what to expect from the Data Science/AI bootcamp with a focus on relevance for researchers and PhD graduates.
6. Funding Your Transition: The Bildungsgutschein (10 min): What the Bildungsgutschein is, who is eligible, and how to apply for this funding option to cover bootcamp costs.
7. Q&A (20 min): Open discussion ask about the bootcamp, the career transition, or the Capstone Project.
8. Job search Tipps, Life Tipps and Short Survey (10 min): A brief survey to understand participants' interests and career goals, to help shape future workshops on data science and AI topics.
9. Wrap-Up & Networking (5-10 min): Closing remarks and informal networking / contact exchange.

Who Should Attend

• PhD students in their final year

• Postdoctoral researchers