Campbell Rolian

I moved to McGill in 2022 from the University of Calgary, where for 11 years I ran a Tri-Council funded research group working at the intersection of evolutionary biology, developmental biology, and bone and joint health. I supervised several graduate students (3 MSc, 2 PhD) who moved onto PhDs, postdocs and positions outside of academia, and sat on thesis committees of trainees across disciplines (biomedical engineering, medicine, veterinary medicine, anthropology, biology). Through my own experience as a researcher, grant-writer, and editor, my role on review committees for trainee scholarships, and through my membership on NSERC Discovery Grant evaluation groups, I have developed a keen sense of the ‘soft’ skills required to successfully establish a program as an early career researcher in the 21st century. In my move to McGill, I transitioned to a teaching focused role in a professional medical program, while considering moves outside of academia altogether, which gives me additional insights into the diverse opportunities available to upper-year PhD and Postdoctoral trainees.