Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Steven Zhou, Ph.D. @szzhou4.bsky.social · 1d

Interested in learning more about our recent book, From First Job to Career, published last month with @universitypress.cambridge.org?

Listen to this excerpt from the intro explaining why we wrote this book!

Find out more here: www.statslabatcmc.com/career-book

#careers #jobs #newbook #booklaunch

Steven Zhou, Ph.D. @szzhou4.bsky.social · 8d

Takeaway?

We’re ranked almost at the top based on graduating talented students who find good-paying jobs that offset tuition costs quickly.

That’s an encouraging reason to be at the top! 😁

Steven Zhou, Ph.D. @szzhou4.bsky.social · 8d

So proud to be at @cmc.edu, where @wsj.com just ranked us #6 across **ALL** colleges & universities in the US!

www.wsj.com/rankings/col...

Just as important: their methodology. Rankings are weighted…
33% salary impact
20% graduation rate
20% learning environ.
17% yrs to pay off net $$
10% other

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Steven Zhou, Ph.D. @szzhou4.bsky.social · 10d

I’m not on the search committee (I’m in the undergrad college, @cmc.edu), but my #iopsych & #obhr colleagues @ CGU are amazing, & I'm grateful to be on their extended faculty to work with their students. Feel free to msg me if you’d like my perspective on the Claremont colleges!

Steven Zhou, Ph.D. @szzhou4.bsky.social · 10d

FACULTY JOB OPENING ALERT 🚨

@claremontgraduateu.bsky.social is hiring a tenure-track Asst. Professor of I-O Psychology (start: Jul 2026). Balanced teaching + research env., review begins Oct 31, 2025.

Apply: [email protected]
More: ob.aom.org/discussion/j...

#IOPsych #AcademicJobs #FacultySearch

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Steven Zhou, Ph.D. @szzhou4.bsky.social · 15d

6/ The market is exhausting, opaque, and full of mixed signals. But it’s also a chance to clarify your story, your values, & how your work connects with the world.

👉 For those recently on the market: what’s your tip or go-to resource for this year’s candidates?

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Steven Zhou, Ph.D. @szzhou4.bsky.social · 15d

5/ 🌱 Keep other doors open. The academic market is brutal. Many PhDs thrive in think tanks, nonprofits, industry research, or consulting (#altac). These are not “backup plans” — they’re meaningful paths, often with better pay & balance.

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Steven Zhou, Ph.D. @szzhou4.bsky.social · 15d

4/ ✍️ Research & teaching statements aren’t just essays. They’re marketing pieces. Show what’s distinctive, how you connect with students, & why your work matters beyond academia. It’s not “selling” — it’s articulating your value proposition.

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Steven Zhou, Ph.D. @szzhou4.bsky.social · 15d

3/ 📄 Public source docs help… and mislead. Job boards, anonymous tips, & interview updates give clues — but also stress & false info. Take w/ a huge grain of salt. Popular ones for #iopsych & #obhr:
👉 lnkd.in/eQQ6ESV2
👉 lnkd.in/eYkvHEfj

This link will take you to a page that’s not on LinkedIn

lnkd.in

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Steven Zhou, Ph.D. @szzhou4.bsky.social · 15d

2/ 🔍 Look up the school deeply. Course catalogs, press releases, local news, strategic plans, and even tenure criteria matter. If you can, talk to someone at (or formerly at) the school. Fit is about more than rankings.

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Steven Zhou, Ph.D. @szzhou4.bsky.social · 15d

1/ Finishing a PhD means stepping into one of the strangest job markets out there: the academic one. I went through it last year, and here are a few things I wish more people said out loud. #academia #faculty #jobs

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Steven Zhou, Ph.D. @szzhou4.bsky.social · 19d

Thrilled to have 33 applications to join my research lab here at @cmc.edu 😮😮

I want to work with every one of them on every project, but there’s only 24 hours in a day 😭

Somehow I need to form a manageable set of teams to focus on just a few of the many projects proposed… wish me luck!!

Steven Zhou, Ph.D. @szzhou4.bsky.social · 20d

Learn more: dscapstone.cmc.edu

We’re looking for clients for Spring! Please repost, spread the word, and reach out if your organization is interested in partnering with us!

#datascience #consulting #students #capstone

CMC Data Science Capstone | Tackle you data challenges with the help of tomorrow's data scientists

dscapstone.cmc.edu

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Steven Zhou, Ph.D. @szzhou4.bsky.social · 20d

💡 Great opportunity for companies & nonprofits to move forward on data projects that might otherwise sit on the back burner.

For nonprofits or organizations with limited budgets, grants are available to cover the nominal program fee.

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Steven Zhou, Ph.D. @szzhou4.bsky.social · 20d

👩‍🏫 I’ll be serving as a faculty mentor on a future project. Partners get dedicated student teams working on analytics, prediction, or visualization projects that matter.

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Steven Zhou, Ph.D. @szzhou4.bsky.social · 20d

Each semester, @cmc.edu’s Data Science Capstone pairs talented student teams with organizations to tackle real-world data challenges.

dscapstone.cmc.edu

CMC Data Science Capstone | Tackle you data challenges with the help of tomorrow's data scientists

dscapstone.cmc.edu

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Steven Zhou, Ph.D. @szzhou4.bsky.social · Sep 9

So yes, science communication is risky.

It’s hard. It’s messy. It can get controversial.

But it’s essential.

Here’s the full post:
🧪 “Learning to speak in an alien language”
📚 statslabatcmc.com/blog/2025-07-0…#scicommm#researchc#academiaia

https://statslabatcmc.com/blog/2025-07-0…

Steven Zhou, Ph.D. @szzhou4.bsky.social · Sep 9

In the social sciences, this is even more urgent.

Everyone thinks they’re an expert in leadership, work, or relationships.

Meanwhile, the real experts? Often unread, unknown, or ignored.

Enter: the rise of pop psychology. And the fading of real science.

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Steven Zhou, Ph.D. @szzhou4.bsky.social · Sep 9

And yet… I still think it’s worth doing.

Because research that doesn’t reach people doesn’t change people.

And if we really care about impact, we have to step outside our journals — and start speaking human.

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Steven Zhou, Ph.D. @szzhou4.bsky.social · Sep 9

I recently wrote about the 7 perils of science communication:

1. The writing style is different
2. The audience is different
3. You only get 800, maybe 1000 words
4. All op-eds are “wrong”
5. There’s no academic reward
6. You have to hustle like a marketer
7. You’re mostly on your own

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Steven Zhou, Ph.D. @szzhou4.bsky.social · Sep 9

Academia teaches you to write dense, caveated, 10,000-word articles.

But science communication?
It asks for the opposite:

🔹 Short
🔹 Clear
🔹 Actionable
🔹 Relatable

You’re not writing for reviewers. You’re writing for readers.

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Steven Zhou, Ph.D. @szzhou4.bsky.social · Sep 9

🚨 Scientists, researchers, academics:
You were trained in a language no one else speaks.

You think you’re being clear.
But outside the ivory tower… it sounds alien.

A thread on why science communication is hard — and why it still matters 🧵

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Steven Zhou, Ph.D. @szzhou4.bsky.social · Sep 3

Unboxing my first book with @universitypress.cambridge.org! 📦📚

62 stories of early career journeys + a research review in vocational psychology & career counseling.

Read more about why I wrote it here:
🔗 www.linkedin.com/posts/szzhou...

Book info + discount code: www.statslabatcmc.com/career-book

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Steven Zhou, Ph.D. @szzhou4.bsky.social · Aug 29

We had a great time as new psych faculty talking with students about our new research labs and upcoming research opportunities!!

@cmc.edu #research #college #students

Steven Zhou, Ph.D. @szzhou4.bsky.social · Aug 25

Today's the first day of classes at @cmc.edu, so I thought I'd share some more personal reflections in the latest edition of the STATS Lab newsletter. Thank you for those continuing to follow my journey in academia!
www.statslabatcmc.com/blog/2025-08...

#academia #careers #faculty #newsemester

New semester, new door, same curiosity — STATS Lab @ Claremont McKenna

A personal reflection on my career path to this position at Claremont McKenna College, marked by open doors.

www.statslabatcmc.com