Do you fear or embrace agentic AI? In this episode of the PostdocTransformation show, hosted by Prof. Dr. Eleonore Soei-Winkels, educators are guided through the essential steps to integrate agentic AI into their teaching and business ventures. The episode offers practical advice on using AI tools for academic assignments, market research, and launching side businesses. It emphasizes the importance of ethical AI usage and strategic leadership. The show also introduces various student projects designed to enhance AI literacy and real-world business skills. Additionally, it discusses John Kotter's eight-step change model as a framework for successfully incorporating AI into professional practices.
You are invited to our new internship opportunity in podcasting to help you gain practical experience and industry connections.
For your free career planning, check your readiness to leap, enroll in our email course for your career transition made simple, and plan your life with our calendar.
Listen to this 43 min episode for your PostdocTransformation! Capitalize on our chapter markers as needed.
In this episode we gift you our free email course with ten email lessons until you start your new job in business!
1) Check your readiness to leap out of science (episode 0001)!
Introducing myself, I share how I capitalized on my PhD as a mom, professor and business owner!
2) How to build your sustainable LinkedIn profile?
3) How to read social media & network?
4) How to research your fave jobs & employers?
5) How to do informational interviews to get insights?
6) How to create your customized applications?
7) How to prepare your thesis from a business POV?
8) How to apply to your fave employers?
9) How to choose the right job offer?
10) How to prepare for your new job?
- While or after listening to this episode, you can check your readiness to leap out of science in an instant - for free.
- If you are ready to leap into business, but need free structured guidance, enroll here in your email course with 10 actionable lessons until you start your job in business.
- Nominate an employer of choice, so that I can ask them bold questions informing your job application!
- I have fun mugs, hoodies & baby onesies to inspire you for your #PostdocTransformation. Enter "Show" to get a 25% discount in my shop.
- Follow me on TikTok, Instagram, YouTube & LinkedIn!
- I'm Prof. Dr. Eleonore Soei-Winkels, Founder and CEO of PostdocTransformation, mom of two little ones and happy to share how you can build a #PostdocTransformation according to your vision of life! Thanks for listening and subscribing!
- Please share our show with
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:04):
Thank you for listening to myPostdocTransformation show.
Maybe you want to leave better scienceand start your own side business
as a runway for your better future.
Then you will benefit from myfree business preparation quiz
as linked in the show notes.
If you wanna organize your marketingand selling efforts, please also
subscribe to my new video podcastshow, creating Reorganized.
(00:26):
I share my tricks from creating this show.
Speak with business owners whorun a podcast for the business.
And learn from podcastingservice providers about their
tools boosting our businesses.
My new video podcast show CreatingReorganized will also be a living example
of Applied industrial and occupationalpsychology for my students in real life.
(00:46):
And now let's get to this episode.
OG.
(01:09):
Invest in your PostdocTransformation.
Welcome to the seasonal show forscientists leaping into business.
In every sponsored episode, we are happyto recommend employers of choice for you.
Make sure to check your readiness toleave out of science with us for free.
As linked in the show notes foryour career transition, we offer
(01:29):
customized career transition,e-course, and memberships also at
graduate schools all over the world.
Maybe yours too.
And if your university isn't yet ourcustomer, enroll in your free email
course for career transition madeSimple as linked in the show notes.
I'm your host Prof. Dr. EleonoreSoei-Winkels with my team who is
rooting for you, and let's build yourPostdocTransformation with this episode.
(01:53):
Dear PostdocTransformer, welcome backto the Postdoc Transformation Show
where we help you leap into business.
And today's episode is a juicy one forevery educator and especially for you
if you are about to leap into businesscompeting with your own new bachelor
and master graduates on the job market.
So, have you ever wondered howcurrent Bachelor of Master's students
(02:17):
are leveraging AI in ways thatmight surpass your own experiences?
I know you probably say you are tired,you know, AI assignments submitted
by students and they're not evenunderstanding and blah, blah, blah.
But the thing is.
The best of them, they dounderstand and that makes them
(02:39):
better in their capabilities.
So I'm talking about thosestudents who have AI skills that
might surpass your own skills.
And for me personally, I teach all myBachelor Master's students to use AI
in their student assignments becausethis is a crucial future proof skill.
(03:01):
If I don't teach them how to use it,that makes me a bad educator, right?
So I would, let them graduatewithout future proof skills.
But the thing is also that I experiencedthat if I do not force them to use
AI and help them how to use ai.
(03:21):
Then there's a huge variation with alot of people having a lot of skills,
and the others are reluctant to useit and really, really quickly falling
behind, and I don't want that either.
This episode also serves as levelingthe ground for those students who
(03:42):
have me rather late in their semester.
Maybe they were adversely limited in theirAI usage by their own educators before
me, and of course, all over the place.
I still see some beginners andawkward first steps with ai, but
The best and most AI savvy studentssurpass my own AI competencies.
(04:07):
And I take it like a leader in businessas long as they use it ethically and
proficiently based on what we teach asindustrial and occupational psychologists,
I'm very happy about their development.
AI skills are key to the future of jobs.
(04:27):
And I want my own studentsobviously to succeed in real life.
If you don't have a professorwho embraces AI as much as me,
let me share that with you.
I'm a trained psychologist.
I worked in IT strategyconsulting for many years.
my tech affine mindsethas always served me well.
The only reason why I can host and producethe PostdocTransformation show and my
(04:51):
other show for small business marketingis that I leverage AI systematically,
I call that CreatingReorganized, right?
So I don't have a lot oftime, but I have purpose.
And I use AI to serve my purpose, toserve my students so that they can be
(05:14):
successful in their future of work.
And I want you to havethis eureka moment as well.
AI can create unforeseeableopportunities for you if you wanna
build your own PostTransformationaccording to your vision of life.
And as a scientist leaping into business
it's crucial for you thatyou understand the evolving
landscape shaped by artificialintelligence, and it's shaped fast.
(05:40):
If you haven't, I highly recommendlistening to our previous episode 45.
Which is your future of work iswith AI as linked in the show notes.
Don't wait until a professor or a seniorpostdoc or whoever teaches you AI, I would
not expect that from my fellow seasonededucators who aren't tech savvy and
(06:01):
don't fear losing their jobs in academia.
They feel safe,
highlighting, feel.
But anyway, to take over the driver'sseat, I highly recommend to you that
you listen to our previous episode43 betting on yourself for your
future as linked in the show notes.
(06:21):
So today we're diving into how bachelorand master students are integrating
AI into the academic pursuits.
The emergence of agenda AI and how we asexperienced professionals in academia can
not only catch up, but also have to leadwith strategic and ethical foresight.
(06:43):
Hey, before we continue, we wannaappreciate those who finance
this viable episode for you.
I wanna share with you my bestmarketing agent, serving my
underprivileged, underrepresented,and underserved audience.
Leads and clients is key for meas an agent, working mom, business
owner and professor in Germany.
But.
I can't be marketing and sellingall the time, and I have to be
(07:06):
mindful with my own resources.
So I chose Podbean as my podcastinghost and monetizing provider.
I'm on the Unlimited plus plan forour postdoc transformation show and
creating reorganized show with Podbean.
Your audience can inclusively listenon what your podcast, according to
their visual and auditive needs.
You can also embed your customizedpodcast player on your external website.
(07:30):
Or use one of the beautifulwebsite templates.
You can easily share your podcast on allmajor podcasting directories, which allow
you to reach a huge audience on theirfavorite devices in their countries.
Podbean also has an ads marketplace,and you can easily attract and manage
sponsors for dynamic ads, which are playedout depending on your audience criteria.
(07:52):
This way you can serveyour audience for free.
Some of them become your clientseventually, but your advertising
sponsors independently supportyou financially in each episode.
You will see insightful stats perdemographic and which episodes attracted
most listeners so you can tailor yourfuture episodes for your leads and
clients and present suitable external ads.
(08:15):
If you wanna try out Podbean foryour own podcasting DM or email me
Podbean so I can share my experienceand consult you, please check it
out via my link in the show notes.
I only get a small financialreward if you become their
customer using my Podbean link.
Thanking our advertisersfor their financial support.
(08:38):
We are happy to returnto our inspiring episode.
Let's go to segment number one,the AI enhanced Academic Journey.
Let's explore the academicenvironment today.
Students are not just using AI, they areimmersing themselves in it, from selecting
(09:00):
research topics and research gaps
with AI power generators to conductingliterature reviews using tools like Elicit
and Semantic Scholar, AI is becoming anintegral part of the academic toolkit.
Just because I had not theopportunity, that doesn't mean that
I, you know, condemn them using it.
(09:24):
They're drafting papers with theassistance of chat, GPT, refining
their arguments and receivingfeedback on their writing.
These hands-on experienceswith AI is equipping them with
skills that are increasinglyvaluable in the business world.
So here's your actionable prompt.
Have you already played aroundwith those tools as well?
(09:45):
Because if you don't, you don'tknow what they will be capable of.
Every semester I review my studentassignments, and based on the
capabilities that I see on the marketin the free versions, I raise the
bar of my own expectation and tellthem, you know, I know that AI can
(10:07):
help you do this much, you stillhave to do on top your human work.
And if I don't play around withthese tools I might be deceived.
So how have you played around withthat for designing the right student
assignments in your teaching?
(10:28):
Let's go to segment number two, agenticAI for the last couple of months, I would
say it was important to be able to promptand I actually taught how to prompt will.
But the thing is, with the rise of agenticAI, it's not so important to prompt well,
you can ask AI to help you prompt better,but agentic AI can work towards your goals
(10:59):
and solve tasks without you prompting it.
Let's dive into agentic AI,a step beyond traditional ai.
Unlike reactive AI, agentic AI can plan,reason and execute tasks autonomously,
and I think this is mind boggling.
Think of it as AI with a mission thatprocesses multimodal data of your choice.
(11:24):
You can insert a book, video or whatever.
It's really your ethical choice, yourcompetent choice to accomplish your goal,
and even if you were not able to promptwell enough, it's reactive AI components.
Agentic AI will make the best out of that.
(11:45):
For instance, Qualtrics is usingagentic AI to enhance customer
and employee experience byturning feedback interpersonally,
timely actions across channels.
I mean, a sales agent that is reallypicking up everything all day long, all
night long, tirelessly, taking things,not personally, could be a game changer
(12:11):
with the human overlooking all of that.
In the airline industry, for example,agentic AI personalizes responses
based on customer loyalty, frequentflying, resolving issues immediately.
In retail, it detects digitalfrustrations and prompts assistance.
I worked at an internationaldiscounter, and I see many use cases
(12:33):
solved better with AI than humans.
This evolution indicates a shiftfrom AI as a tool to AI as a
collaborator that is alongside humanscapable of handling complex tasks
with minimal human intervention.
(12:54):
Here's your actionable prompt.
this is a mindset challenge Of yourwork that you have thought that is done
and driven by your prefrontal cortex?
How much of that are you willing togive up to be faster, but also to be
(13:14):
less in control if you just lay backand believe the newest shiny objects
that agenda AI will come up with?
You have to still think, butit is a challenge, right?
It's like, if you don't do sports for acouple of years anymore, then it's hard
(13:36):
to get back, be sporty again, right?
So how can you maintain intellectualcontrol when you are working with ai?
And I think that this is somethingthat you have to experience for
yourself so that you can also let yourstudents know what is the right thing.
(14:01):
Let's pause for a moment to respectthose who sponsor this valuable episode.
Once you have determined your readinessto leap and want to transition into
business or industries, then you canenroll in your free email course with
10 actionable bingeable email lessonsuntil you start your job in business.
(14:22):
You'll get 10 emails like this.
Number one, how to leap out of signs.
Number two, how to build yoursustainable LinkedIn profile.
Number three, how to readsocial media and network.
Number four, how to researchyour favorite jobs and employers.
Number five, how to do informationalinterviews to get insights.
Number six, how to create yourcustomized applications with chat, GPT.
(14:47):
Number seven, how to prepare yourthesis from a business point of view.
Number eight, how to applyto your favorite employers.
Number nine, how to choosethe right job offer.
Number 10, how toprepare for your new job.
Did you know that we offer deepdive E-course workshops and
(15:09):
memberships at graduate schools,maybe also at yours in the future?
Ask your graduate school coordinatorwhether they wanna book my services
so that I can deliver them to you24 7 365 on your mobile device.
And even better, if you get us paidby your grad school, we will pay
(15:30):
you 50% recurring sales commissions.
So you will earn money with us aswe help you and your PhD besties
to transition into business.
We can build ourPostdocTransformation together.
Woo-hoo.
After this quick appreciationof our sponsors, we are now
(15:51):
back in our insightful episode.
Let's go to segment three.
Bridging the skills gap that isstrategic and ethical leadership.
And I said already doing theright thing is here the question.
As seasoned scientists, we bring awealth of analytical skills and deep
(16:12):
understanding of research methodologies.
I know that, congratulations.
However, the rapid advancement ofAI presents a risky potential skills
gap between you and your own bachelorand master students that you have
to anticipate and that you have tomitigate if you want to be employable.
(16:34):
So let's switch gears a little bit.
I have instructed my own studentsto use AI in their student
assignments since March 20 23.
So more than two years ago, at leastsome of these had me a third time
since we had this kind of AI era, Ihave designed, reviewed, and graded
(16:59):
hundreds of students assignmentsand bachelor and master thesis.
And here's my point of view.
Ethically, it's imperative to ensuretransparency, maintain human oversight,
and uphold data privacy while AI handlestasks and operates, based on the human
(17:20):
directed goals, students, experts,must remain in control of critical
decision and application of the results.
At the end of the day, we need to bringAI results to the classroom, to the
workplace, and working with bachelormaster's students who are still learning
(17:41):
to excel in their chosen discipline ofstudies, I have experienced frequently
that they still need to developstrategic and critical thinking as
a leadership while working with AI.
And to be honest, it's also aquestion of personal and professional
maturity and self-efficacy.
(18:03):
As a psychologist, Ican only encourage you.
Self-efficacy is not something you learnby the book, by learning from others,
you still have to do it yourself.
To bridge this.
I wanna discuss a model theory or conceptfrom my own lectures in industrial
(18:23):
occupational psychology, and I chooseJohn Kotter's eight step change model.
Step number one, create urgency.
You need to recognize the necessityof integrating AI into our
skillset to remain competitive.
Everyone else is using AI.
(18:44):
You better learn to master andcapitalize on it, or you fall behind.
You're gonna be non employable becauseof your socialization and pure academia.
You're gonna be non employablefor your research skills.
You're gonna be non employablebecause you have neither business
nor AI skills, but there is hope.
AI can help you understandthe business world.
(19:07):
You just have to use itand learn how to use it.
Step two, form a powerful coalition.
You can collaborate with peers andmentors in academia in the classroom to
foster a supportive learning environment.
You can identify side projects forteaching or honing your business
(19:28):
equipment, requiring usage of AI.
Using AI without a goalwill be overwhelming.
Using AI with a goal will fill you withgratitude because now you have a lot
of power at the tip of your fingers.
Share your learnings.
(19:48):
Maybe you have an obstacle thatsomeone else has already solved.
Maybe you can teach someoneto use it the way you do it.
That's self-efficacy.
Number three, developa vision or strategy.
Define how AI can enhance your teaching,research, and maybe business objectives.
(20:10):
Derive your key performanceindicators, so that in the next
semester you'll be doing it better.
Then in the next semester, you will beimproving again and again and again.
This way you will find yourselfmore and more self-efficient.
(20:34):
Let's pause for a moment to respectthose who sponsor this valuable episode.
Hey, postdoc transformer.
Are you curious to ask professors,principal investigators, visiting
scientists, postdocs, PhD students,and Canada, some in-depth life
and career guiding questions.
(20:55):
But if you cringe so you end up notasking, buy our postdoc transformation
card game to have more fun andvaluable insights in your journey.
Club, lab and mentoring meetings,lab rotations during conferences.
Panels and breaks at the menza,you'll get 10 intriguing mentoring
(21:15):
questions per career level.
So 10 for PhD students, 10 forpostdocs, 10 for professors,
10 for parenter, scientists,underprivileged and underrepresented
and underserved scientists.
Check them out with our discount couponon the postdoc Transformation Shop
linked on postdoc transformation.com.
(21:39):
After this quick appreciationof our sponsors, we are now
back in our insightful episode.
Number four, communicate the vision,share insights, and progress with
your student or academic networks.
You are surrounded by smart PhDstudents who are excellent learners.
(22:00):
You can surely learn mastering AIas a ticket to your future or work.
I have no doubt about that.
You just have to start.
Just do it.
Number five, empower broad-based action.
You need to remove obstacles andencourage experimentation with AI tools.
Experimentation leads to failure,but failure leads to learning
(22:23):
and that leads to mastering.
Okay?
If you have access to lab resources,ask for AI tools licenses.
If not, this is your personal investment.
Using only the free versions of AIis like driving a sports car with
having the hand break toggled on.
Number six, generate short-term wins.
(22:44):
Celebrate early successes tobuild momentum in every podcasting
season for both of my shows.
I try out new AI tools and workflowsto increase quality &productivity or
decrease time and budget, I celebratethat openly and also not so openly.
At the end of the day, I get tospend more time with my kids.
(23:08):
Number seven, consolidategains and produce more change.
Use achievements like this as afoundation for further advancements.
After gaining traction withmy social media marketing for
my PostdocTransformation show,which was a huge surprise to me.
I started a second showCreatingReorganized for the small
business owner who wants to marketand sell sustainably, because I got
(23:30):
a lot of questions in the DMs and itwas like, okay, so there seems to be
something special about what I do, somaybe this is something that I can use
to pivot and I created a new podcast.
And finally, step eight, anchornew approaches in the culture.
You need to make AI integration acore aspect of your professional
(23:52):
identity as a future-proof educatorand scientist leading into business.
And for me it's always, human first,but as soon as I do something more
than two or three times, then AI issurely helping me to make it better.
I see my own reluctance to pay humanswhen AI can provide the same performance
(24:16):
for less of my time or budget.
I don't have to train it as much asanother human intern again and again.
I would expect I'm not the onlyleader who thinks like this.
So you better improve your value add.
Now here's your actionable prompt.
John Kotter's eight step change model canprovide a framework so you can structure
(24:37):
your next teaching and research semesters.
Looking at your teaching and researchload and your own personal desire to
use AI, which steps of the model canyou implement to ensure building AI
competency before you leap into business?
You have to go step by step.
You can easily go faster through eachstep, but these are consecutive steps,
(25:03):
meaning that they have aspecific order, one to eight.
Let's pause for a moment to respectthose who sponsor this valuable episode.
Have you found this episodeso far helpful for yourself?
Well, maybe you can subscribe onYouTube, Spotify, apple Podcast,
(25:25):
Podbean or wherever you get our show,and also share this episode with your
PhD bestie because that would encourageus to help the underprivileged,
underrepresented, and underserved earlycareer scientists leaping into business.
This would also ensure that youdon't miss a future episode also.
Our subscription and listening numbersare key for finding the right sponsors for
(25:48):
our show so that we can help you for free.
Remember, you are a postdoc transformer.
You are highly intelligent,well-educated, a bachelor master, and
maybe you have already your doctorunder your belt or you are a postdoc.
(26:09):
You are international experienced,fluent English, a leader and expert
in your prior research field.
You are resilient, brilliant inadaptation and problem solving.
You are eager to bring in thetransferable and monetizable
skills needed in many companies.
To embrace the future and to become orremain an innovator in their markets.
(26:32):
And now back to the show.
Now let's go to segment numberfour, mentoring bachelor, master's
students, graduates who areyour competitors eventually.
Here are some ideas how you canteach strategic and ethical use of
(26:53):
agenda AI through business projects.
At the end of the day,you will also benefit.
from that.
Let's take a moment to zoom in onour role as mentors and educators.
Scientists leaping into businessare in the perfect position to shape
the future of work, not just forthemselves, but also for the students
(27:13):
they teach, coach or supervise.
And I'm not just talking abouthelping students to get better grades.
For me personally, my examsare just the minimal goal.
The maximum goal is to equip themwith everything they need to be
(27:33):
successful in the business workplace.
And that means that maybe I willnever get feedback how well they're
doing in their jobs, let alone that Iwill ever know how much impact I had.
But that's the scope of how I teach.
I do not teach for goodgrades in my lectures.
(27:54):
That is the standard.
I'm talking about guiding my studentsto apply our academic curriculum in real
world business context using agenda AIas a bridge between theory and practice.
And that is why I'm keen on participatingas a juror in startup competitions
(28:16):
so that I can network with startupstakeholders who can then bring their
expertise into our classroom, or I canbring my students to those places where
they understand how incubating a businessstartup works, something like that.
So I want my students to havealso a practical, real world
(28:36):
example as soon as possible, andnot just from theories and books.
Here's your actionable prompt.
Let me give you five student projectideas plus two bonus ones you can
implement directly in your classroomseminar or thesis supervision.
Of course, you need to adapt that toyour specific discipline and research
(28:59):
or lecture topic, these student projectideas at least are a great inspiration.
Like I said, bonus will be idea six andseven from my own teaching experience.
Project number one, from thesisto product, you can have students
take their bachelors thesis topicsand use agenda AI to conduct rapid
(29:23):
competitor and patent research.
Maybe they have created something thatcould easily derive into a product or
a service, that can be even patented,or you can test market viability.
They can provide or create awebsite, a value proposition and
(29:46):
product landing page if they havesomething that they can offer.
You can benefit by learning howyour research field translates
into startup language.
They can practice transformingknowledge into value.
Nothing of that has to be earning moneyin real life, but everything will help
(30:06):
them understand how to use agentic AI.
I Project number two, AIenhanced Consulting Sprint.
Students can, form a three to five person,group and act as a mini consultancy.
Each group tackles a businesschallenge from a real small, medium
enterprise or non-profit even.
In my case, I did this as well withmy podcast, PostdocTransformation,
(30:30):
and then they can be using agenticAI for generating hypothesis design,
service, or research strategies.
Find the right interview partners, andalso conduct the interviews with them or
summarize interviews, something like that.
You can have them present the solutionsin client ready pitch decks and have a
(30:53):
jury situation where they all evaluatethe pitch decks and the presentation.
That is really fun and you caneven bring in your own business
contacts if you have them already.
Or former PhD peers who are now working inindustry as mentors or project sponsors.
That might be a bit too much, but funfact, in episode 62, I acknowledge that
(31:16):
our new PostdocTransformation shows.
Segments are really the resultof my student consulting team
Elina Srebric, Dicle Naziksoy andSandrine Pover from last year.
It might be interesting to review thesame goals again with agentic AI, right?
AI is evolving so much, so fast.
(31:40):
Let's pause for a moment to respectthose who sponsor this valuable episode.
I wanna share with youmy time and energy saver.
As a professor for industrial andoccupational psychology, I also teach
about the future of work, and as aformer IT strategy consultant, of course,
I embrace AI to be a future approvedpodcast producer of the OC Transformation
(32:04):
Show and the Creating Reorganized Show.
Descript is the video and audiopodcast editing tool of my choice.
I pay for their creator plan,and it's worth every dollar.
Descript comes with an integrated,professional, remote recording
studio for the best audioquality for your guests and you.
For example, I record an hour interviewwith a guest or a solo, and instead
(32:28):
of painstakingly doing a rough cutand deleting all the arms, and arms
and fillers and rambling around,which I did for hours, I now click on
Descript's, AI editing for clarity,and my rough cut is done in seconds.
Or a minute for fine tuning.
I edit text instead of audio waves,and I just insert all my prerecorded
music, intro ads and outro likethis one in a matter of minutes.
(32:52):
I can then easily explore closecaptions, fine tune AI driven summaries,
chapter markers, and titles, which Ifeed into my show notes and podcast
Host Descript even suggests the bestclips for social media and their
video editor automatically includesthe synchronized speakers cameras.
Audio captions.
I can also include stockgraphics or prerecorded videos.
(33:15):
You can find our short formexamples on our Instagram and
TikTok at Postdoc Transformation.
If you wanna try out Descript for yourown podcast editing DM or email me
Descript so I can share my experienceand consult you, please check it
out via my link in the show notes.
I only get a small financialreward if you become their
customer using my Descript link.
(33:41):
Thanking our advertisersfor their financial support.
We are happy to returnto our inspiring episode.
Now let's go to student projectnumber three, audit the algorithm,
and this one flips the perspective.
Students can choose an existing AItool used in business like customer
(34:02):
service bots, resume screeners orproductivity apps or whatever, and
assess the ethical implicationsregarding bias, transparency, fairness.
For example, my students are oftenlanding roles in HR, so resume risk
screeners would be very beneficialto be reviewed by them regarding
(34:27):
strategic fit or ethical implications.
And also whether these toolsoffer a competitive advantage
regarding or comparing an HR talentacquisition recruiter versus ai.
So you can, as the instructor benefitby gaining a deeper, more critical
(34:53):
view of a lot of agenda AI in themarket and your students learn to
balance innovation with ethics.
Student project numberfour, AI for Good incubator.
So you can guide your students to identifya social or sustainability issue in
their curriculum field, and then useagent AI to design an app or service.
(35:19):
build a prototype using AI generatedcode and also even to simulate a
launch plan or pricing plan withAI based customer journey mapping.
And again, they don't have to earn money.
It's just that they are able tounderstand what they have to consider for
pricing issues and questions like that.
(35:42):
So this lets you bring purpose-driveninnovation into the classroom and
perhaps, even create real world impact,
visibility that will enhance your ownbusiness visibility as the instructor.
And then student project number five,teach the teachers, well, this is
(36:02):
a meta project that lets studentsbuild AI power tools or micro
courses for their younger peers orfor their professors, to be honest.
Can a student create maybe an agenda,AI that guides first years through
lab safety procedures or somethingthat every young student has to do in
(36:23):
your curriculum or teaches professorshow to create quiz banks using AI
ethically and transparency, and again,creating quizzes makes learning stick.
Right now you are training.
Now we flip the script (36:39):
You are training future AI literate trainers, and in doing
so you are cultivating entrepreneurialeducators and not just academic achievers.
Bonus number six, I teach my ownstudents to write podcast scripts
(37:01):
that focus on our curriculum for theirchosen non-scientific target group.
Okay?
I let them choose the topic aslong it is within my curriculum.
I let them choose what they want to,who they want to teach, et cetera,
and also the situation, et cetera.
So they have to learn sciencecommunication essentially,
(37:24):
but with an AI twist.
And I only grade their reflective usageand control of AI, not the output from AI,
and I also have an alternative thatis more creative instead of creating
another digital product, I teach mystudents also to create a printable exit
(37:48):
game based on our curriculum for theirchosen non-scientific target group.
This final product, the card game, allowsplaying and learning together in groups.
So why am I sharing all of this?
Because you have to learn a lot andthen to teach them, you could easily
(38:12):
have the feeling of I cannot swim andthen I have to teach others how to swim.
Teaching is a great way of learningbecause when we teach students
to explore business applicationsof their studies with the help of
agentic AI, we're not only preparingthem for jobs that don't yet exist.
(38:34):
We are also preparing ourselves for thekind of leadership academia rarely teaches
and that will make you outstanding.
We are becoming builders of ecosystems.
We are trailblazing anew kind of professoring.
(38:54):
All right, and now here's your actionableprompt for segment number four.
Which of the student projects hits homewith you, which would be a low hanging
fruit that you can implement easily,and which of these is more on the back
burner, so you have to still thinkabout that, what you can prepare maybe.
(39:17):
And I would wish that you woulddo the first student project and
share also the results with us.
Hashtag PostdocTransformation.
All right, let's go tosegment number five.
You can also launch a sitebusiness with agentic AI, and
that is more for yourself, okay?
(39:37):
So you don't have to dothat with your students.
You can obviously explore side businessventures by leveraging agentic AI
because it can serve as the businessmentor that you don't have yet.
Okay?
Imagine that you can develop an AI poweredmarket research tool that analyzes trends
(39:58):
and customer sentiments in real timefor your own viable business product
idea or creating an AI driven contentcreation assistant for marketing purposes.
These applications not onlyenhance efficiently, but also
open up new revenue streams.
Starting with small projectsallows you to experiment, learn,
(40:18):
and gradually scale your efforts.
It's about transforming yourscientific acumen into entrepreneurial
ventures, guided by strategicplanning and ethical considerations.
And you know, when I started my podcasts,I started with just one episode, and
then it turned out to be, I don'tknow, 12 or 13, 14 episodes, and
(40:41):
then I hit the first 1000 listeners.
And that meant that, okay,there is an audience for me.
They will listen to me.
So how can I make this wholeprocess better now with AI maybe.
That is how you reverse engineer.
And learn how to use AIbecause you now have a reason.
You have a purpose.
(41:02):
So here's your actionable prompt.
What of your research today can you buildas a business product using agentic AI?
Again, even if you will neverearn real money with it.
Learning from agentic AI, how itsolves your problems towards your
goal will build your business acumen.
You can learn how agenticAI solves your problems.
(41:25):
Alright, dear PostdocTransformer.
I hope that our last episode 62 was yourwake up call and that this episode 63
has delivered actionable ideas to buildagentic AI skills for your future of work.
As you navigate this AI drivenlandscape, remember that your scientific
background equips you with the toolsto adapt, to lead, and to innovate.
(41:50):
Embracing AI not only enhances yourcapabilities, but also positions
you to mentor your own bachelorand master's students beyond the
curriculum, beyond their thesis topic.
It's about how they work so thatthey can shape the future of
work, and that is exploring alsonew entrepreneurial horizons.
(42:14):
Embracing AI not only enhances your owncapabilities, but also positions you to
mentor the next generation of bachelormaster students and possibly also
explore new entrepreneurial horizons.
Thank you for joining me today to discussagentic AI for student excellence and how
(42:36):
to transform threats into opportunitiesfor the scientists leap in into business.
As always, build your PostTransformationaccording to your vision of life.
Do you wanna a transcript or our episode?
And our episode sponsors answersto all six bold questions so
that you can choose to apply.
Do you wanna nominate your potentialemployer of choice so that we
(42:59):
can ask them our bold questions?
For all of that, click on our linksin our show notes and on our website,
www.postdoctransformation.com.
Remember to check your readiness toleap out of science and to enroll in
our free email course career transition.
Made Simple.
Thanks for your attention.
I'm Prof. Dr. Eleonore Soei-Winkels,the host of your seasonal
(43:21):
PostdocTransformation show.
Postoc.
Thank you for listening to myPostdocTransformation show.
Maybe you want to leave better scienceand start your own side business
as a runway for your better future.
Then you will benefit from myfree business preparation quiz
as linked in the show notes.
If you wanna organize your marketingand selling efforts, please also
subscribe to my new video podcastshow, creating Reorganized.
(00:26):
I share my tricks from creating this show.
Speak with business owners whorun a podcast for the business.
And learn from podcastingservice providers about their
tools boosting our businesses.
My new video podcast show CreatingReorganized will also be a living example
of Applied industrial and occupationalpsychology for my students in real life.
(00:46):
And now let's get to this episode.
OG.
(01:09):
Invest in your PostdocTransformation.
Welcome to the seasonal show forscientists leaping into business.
In every sponsored episode, we are happyto recommend employers of choice for you.
Make sure to check your readiness toleave out of science with us for free.
As linked in the show notes foryour career transition, we offer
(01:29):
customized career transition,e-course, and memberships also at
graduate schools all over the world.
Maybe yours too.
And if your university isn't yet ourcustomer, enroll in your free email
course for career transition madeSimple as linked in the show notes.
I'm your host Prof. Dr. EleonoreSoei-Winkels with my team who is
rooting for you, and let's build yourPostdocTransformation with this episode.
(01:53):
Dear PostdocTransformer, welcome backto the Postdoc Transformation Show
where we help you leap into business.
And today's episode is a juicy one forevery educator and especially for you
if you are about to leap into businesscompeting with your own new bachelor
and master graduates on the job market.
So, have you ever wondered howcurrent Bachelor of Master's students
(02:17):
are leveraging AI in ways thatmight surpass your own experiences?
I know you probably say you are tired,you know, AI assignments submitted
by students and they're not evenunderstanding and blah, blah, blah.
But the thing is.
The best of them, they dounderstand and that makes them
(02:39):
better in their capabilities.
So I'm talking about thosestudents who have AI skills that
might surpass your own skills.
And for me personally, I teach all myBachelor Master's students to use AI
in their student assignments becausethis is a crucial future proof skill.
(03:01):
If I don't teach them how to use it,that makes me a bad educator, right?
So I would, let them graduatewithout future proof skills.
But the thing is also that I experiencedthat if I do not force them to use
AI and help them how to use ai.
(03:21):
Then there's a huge variation with alot of people having a lot of skills,
and the others are reluctant to useit and really, really quickly falling
behind, and I don't want that either.
This episode also serves as levelingthe ground for those students who
(03:42):
have me rather late in their semester.
Maybe they were adversely limited in theirAI usage by their own educators before
me, and of course, all over the place.
I still see some beginners andawkward first steps with ai, but
The best and most AI savvy studentssurpass my own AI competencies.
(04:07):
And I take it like a leader in businessas long as they use it ethically and
proficiently based on what we teach asindustrial and occupational psychologists,
I'm very happy about their development.
AI skills are key to the future of jobs.
(04:27):
And I want my own studentsobviously to succeed in real life.
If you don't have a professorwho embraces AI as much as me,
let me share that with you.
I'm a trained psychologist.
I worked in IT strategyconsulting for many years.
my tech affine mindsethas always served me well.
The only reason why I can host and producethe PostdocTransformation show and my
(04:51):
other show for small business marketingis that I leverage AI systematically,
I call that CreatingReorganized, right?
So I don't have a lot oftime, but I have purpose.
And I use AI to serve my purpose, toserve my students so that they can be
(05:14):
successful in their future of work.
And I want you to havethis eureka moment as well.
AI can create unforeseeableopportunities for you if you wanna
build your own PostTransformationaccording to your vision of life.
And as a scientist leaping into business
it's crucial for you thatyou understand the evolving
landscape shaped by artificialintelligence, and it's shaped fast.
(05:40):
If you haven't, I highly recommendlistening to our previous episode 45.
Which is your future of work iswith AI as linked in the show notes.
Don't wait until a professor or a seniorpostdoc or whoever teaches you AI, I would
not expect that from my fellow seasonededucators who aren't tech savvy and
(06:01):
don't fear losing their jobs in academia.
They feel safe,
highlighting, feel.
But anyway, to take over the driver'sseat, I highly recommend to you that
you listen to our previous episode43 betting on yourself for your
future as linked in the show notes.
(06:21):
So today we're diving into how bachelorand master students are integrating
AI into the academic pursuits.
The emergence of agenda AI and how we asexperienced professionals in academia can
not only catch up, but also have to leadwith strategic and ethical foresight.
(06:43):
Hey, before we continue, we wannaappreciate those who finance
this viable episode for you.
I wanna share with you my bestmarketing agent, serving my
underprivileged, underrepresented,and underserved audience.
Leads and clients is key for meas an agent, working mom, business
owner and professor in Germany.
But.
I can't be marketing and sellingall the time, and I have to be
(07:06):
mindful with my own resources.
So I chose Podbean as my podcastinghost and monetizing provider.
I'm on the Unlimited plus plan forour postdoc transformation show and
creating reorganized show with Podbean.
Your audience can inclusively listenon what your podcast, according to
their visual and auditive needs.
You can also embed your customizedpodcast player on your external website.
(07:30):
Or use one of the beautifulwebsite templates.
You can easily share your podcast on allmajor podcasting directories, which allow
you to reach a huge audience on theirfavorite devices in their countries.
Podbean also has an ads marketplace,and you can easily attract and manage
sponsors for dynamic ads, which are playedout depending on your audience criteria.
(07:52):
This way you can serveyour audience for free.
Some of them become your clientseventually, but your advertising
sponsors independently supportyou financially in each episode.
You will see insightful stats perdemographic and which episodes attracted
most listeners so you can tailor yourfuture episodes for your leads and
clients and present suitable external ads.
(08:15):
If you wanna try out Podbean foryour own podcasting DM or email me
Podbean so I can share my experienceand consult you, please check it
out via my link in the show notes.
I only get a small financialreward if you become their
customer using my Podbean link.
Thanking our advertisersfor their financial support.
(08:38):
We are happy to returnto our inspiring episode.
Let's go to segment number one,the AI enhanced Academic Journey.
Let's explore the academicenvironment today.
Students are not just using AI, they areimmersing themselves in it, from selecting
(09:00):
research topics and research gaps
with AI power generators to conductingliterature reviews using tools like Elicit
and Semantic Scholar, AI is becoming anintegral part of the academic toolkit.
Just because I had not theopportunity, that doesn't mean that
I, you know, condemn them using it.
(09:24):
They're drafting papers with theassistance of chat, GPT, refining
their arguments and receivingfeedback on their writing.
These hands-on experienceswith AI is equipping them with
skills that are increasinglyvaluable in the business world.
So here's your actionable prompt.
Have you already played aroundwith those tools as well?
(09:45):
Because if you don't, you don'tknow what they will be capable of.
Every semester I review my studentassignments, and based on the
capabilities that I see on the marketin the free versions, I raise the
bar of my own expectation and tellthem, you know, I know that AI can
(10:07):
help you do this much, you stillhave to do on top your human work.
And if I don't play around withthese tools I might be deceived.
So how have you played around withthat for designing the right student
assignments in your teaching?
(10:28):
Let's go to segment number two, agenticAI for the last couple of months, I would
say it was important to be able to promptand I actually taught how to prompt will.
But the thing is, with the rise of agenticAI, it's not so important to prompt well,
you can ask AI to help you prompt better,but agentic AI can work towards your goals
(10:59):
and solve tasks without you prompting it.
Let's dive into agentic AI,a step beyond traditional ai.
Unlike reactive AI, agentic AI can plan,reason and execute tasks autonomously,
and I think this is mind boggling.
Think of it as AI with a mission thatprocesses multimodal data of your choice.
(11:24):
You can insert a book, video or whatever.
It's really your ethical choice, yourcompetent choice to accomplish your goal,
and even if you were not able to promptwell enough, it's reactive AI components.
Agentic AI will make the best out of that.
(11:45):
For instance, Qualtrics is usingagentic AI to enhance customer
and employee experience byturning feedback interpersonally,
timely actions across channels.
I mean, a sales agent that is reallypicking up everything all day long, all
night long, tirelessly, taking things,not personally, could be a game changer
(12:11):
with the human overlooking all of that.
In the airline industry, for example,agentic AI personalizes responses
based on customer loyalty, frequentflying, resolving issues immediately.
In retail, it detects digitalfrustrations and prompts assistance.
I worked at an internationaldiscounter, and I see many use cases
(12:33):
solved better with AI than humans.
This evolution indicates a shiftfrom AI as a tool to AI as a
collaborator that is alongside humanscapable of handling complex tasks
with minimal human intervention.
(12:54):
Here's your actionable prompt.
this is a mindset challenge Of yourwork that you have thought that is done
and driven by your prefrontal cortex?
How much of that are you willing togive up to be faster, but also to be
(13:14):
less in control if you just lay backand believe the newest shiny objects
that agenda AI will come up with?
You have to still think, butit is a challenge, right?
It's like, if you don't do sports for acouple of years anymore, then it's hard
(13:36):
to get back, be sporty again, right?
So how can you maintain intellectualcontrol when you are working with ai?
And I think that this is somethingthat you have to experience for
yourself so that you can also let yourstudents know what is the right thing.
(14:01):
Let's pause for a moment to respectthose who sponsor this valuable episode.
Once you have determined your readinessto leap and want to transition into
business or industries, then you canenroll in your free email course with
10 actionable bingeable email lessonsuntil you start your job in business.
(14:22):
You'll get 10 emails like this.
Number one, how to leap out of signs.
Number two, how to build yoursustainable LinkedIn profile.
Number three, how to readsocial media and network.
Number four, how to researchyour favorite jobs and employers.
Number five, how to do informationalinterviews to get insights.
Number six, how to create yourcustomized applications with chat, GPT.
(14:47):
Number seven, how to prepare yourthesis from a business point of view.
Number eight, how to applyto your favorite employers.
Number nine, how to choosethe right job offer.
Number 10, how toprepare for your new job.
Did you know that we offer deepdive E-course workshops and
(15:09):
memberships at graduate schools,maybe also at yours in the future?
Ask your graduate school coordinatorwhether they wanna book my services
so that I can deliver them to you24 7 365 on your mobile device.
And even better, if you get us paidby your grad school, we will pay
(15:30):
you 50% recurring sales commissions.
So you will earn money with us aswe help you and your PhD besties
to transition into business.
We can build ourPostdocTransformation together.
Woo-hoo.
After this quick appreciationof our sponsors, we are now
(15:51):
back in our insightful episode.
Let's go to segment three.
Bridging the skills gap that isstrategic and ethical leadership.
And I said already doing theright thing is here the question.
As seasoned scientists, we bring awealth of analytical skills and deep
(16:12):
understanding of research methodologies.
I know that, congratulations.
However, the rapid advancement ofAI presents a risky potential skills
gap between you and your own bachelorand master students that you have
to anticipate and that you have tomitigate if you want to be employable.
(16:34):
So let's switch gears a little bit.
I have instructed my own studentsto use AI in their student
assignments since March 20 23.
So more than two years ago, at leastsome of these had me a third time
since we had this kind of AI era, Ihave designed, reviewed, and graded
(16:59):
hundreds of students assignmentsand bachelor and master thesis.
And here's my point of view.
Ethically, it's imperative to ensuretransparency, maintain human oversight,
and uphold data privacy while AI handlestasks and operates, based on the human
(17:20):
directed goals, students, experts,must remain in control of critical
decision and application of the results.
At the end of the day, we need to bringAI results to the classroom, to the
workplace, and working with bachelormaster's students who are still learning
(17:41):
to excel in their chosen discipline ofstudies, I have experienced frequently
that they still need to developstrategic and critical thinking as
a leadership while working with AI.
And to be honest, it's also aquestion of personal and professional
maturity and self-efficacy.
(18:03):
As a psychologist, Ican only encourage you.
Self-efficacy is not something you learnby the book, by learning from others,
you still have to do it yourself.
To bridge this.
I wanna discuss a model theory or conceptfrom my own lectures in industrial
(18:23):
occupational psychology, and I chooseJohn Kotter's eight step change model.
Step number one, create urgency.
You need to recognize the necessityof integrating AI into our
skillset to remain competitive.
Everyone else is using AI.
(18:44):
You better learn to master andcapitalize on it, or you fall behind.
You're gonna be non employable becauseof your socialization and pure academia.
You're gonna be non employablefor your research skills.
You're gonna be non employablebecause you have neither business
nor AI skills, but there is hope.
AI can help you understandthe business world.
(19:07):
You just have to use itand learn how to use it.
Step two, form a powerful coalition.
You can collaborate with peers andmentors in academia in the classroom to
foster a supportive learning environment.
You can identify side projects forteaching or honing your business
(19:28):
equipment, requiring usage of AI.
Using AI without a goalwill be overwhelming.
Using AI with a goal will fill you withgratitude because now you have a lot
of power at the tip of your fingers.
Share your learnings.
(19:48):
Maybe you have an obstacle thatsomeone else has already solved.
Maybe you can teach someoneto use it the way you do it.
That's self-efficacy.
Number three, developa vision or strategy.
Define how AI can enhance your teaching,research, and maybe business objectives.
(20:10):
Derive your key performanceindicators, so that in the next
semester you'll be doing it better.
Then in the next semester, you will beimproving again and again and again.
This way you will find yourselfmore and more self-efficient.
(20:34):
Let's pause for a moment to respectthose who sponsor this valuable episode.
Hey, postdoc transformer.
Are you curious to ask professors,principal investigators, visiting
scientists, postdocs, PhD students,and Canada, some in-depth life
and career guiding questions.
(20:55):
But if you cringe so you end up notasking, buy our postdoc transformation
card game to have more fun andvaluable insights in your journey.
Club, lab and mentoring meetings,lab rotations during conferences.
Panels and breaks at the menza,you'll get 10 intriguing mentoring
(21:15):
questions per career level.
So 10 for PhD students, 10 forpostdocs, 10 for professors,
10 for parenter, scientists,underprivileged and underrepresented
and underserved scientists.
Check them out with our discount couponon the postdoc Transformation Shop
linked on postdoc transformation.com.
(21:39):
After this quick appreciationof our sponsors, we are now
back in our insightful episode.
Number four, communicate the vision,share insights, and progress with
your student or academic networks.
You are surrounded by smart PhDstudents who are excellent learners.
(22:00):
You can surely learn mastering AIas a ticket to your future or work.
I have no doubt about that.
You just have to start.
Just do it.
Number five, empower broad-based action.
You need to remove obstacles andencourage experimentation with AI tools.
Experimentation leads to failure,but failure leads to learning
(22:23):
and that leads to mastering.
Okay?
If you have access to lab resources,ask for AI tools licenses.
If not, this is your personal investment.
Using only the free versions of AIis like driving a sports car with
having the hand break toggled on.
Number six, generate short-term wins.
(22:44):
Celebrate early successes tobuild momentum in every podcasting
season for both of my shows.
I try out new AI tools and workflowsto increase quality &productivity or
decrease time and budget, I celebratethat openly and also not so openly.
At the end of the day, I get tospend more time with my kids.
(23:08):
Number seven, consolidategains and produce more change.
Use achievements like this as afoundation for further advancements.
After gaining traction withmy social media marketing for
my PostdocTransformation show,which was a huge surprise to me.
I started a second showCreatingReorganized for the small
business owner who wants to marketand sell sustainably, because I got
(23:30):
a lot of questions in the DMs and itwas like, okay, so there seems to be
something special about what I do, somaybe this is something that I can use
to pivot and I created a new podcast.
And finally, step eight, anchornew approaches in the culture.
You need to make AI integration acore aspect of your professional
(23:52):
identity as a future-proof educatorand scientist leading into business.
And for me it's always, human first,but as soon as I do something more
than two or three times, then AI issurely helping me to make it better.
I see my own reluctance to pay humanswhen AI can provide the same performance
(24:16):
for less of my time or budget.
I don't have to train it as much asanother human intern again and again.
I would expect I'm not the onlyleader who thinks like this.
So you better improve your value add.
Now here's your actionable prompt.
John Kotter's eight step change model canprovide a framework so you can structure
(24:37):
your next teaching and research semesters.
Looking at your teaching and researchload and your own personal desire to
use AI, which steps of the model canyou implement to ensure building AI
competency before you leap into business?
You have to go step by step.
You can easily go faster through eachstep, but these are consecutive steps,
(25:03):
meaning that they have aspecific order, one to eight.
Let's pause for a moment to respectthose who sponsor this valuable episode.
Have you found this episodeso far helpful for yourself?
Well, maybe you can subscribe onYouTube, Spotify, apple Podcast,
(25:25):
Podbean or wherever you get our show,and also share this episode with your
PhD bestie because that would encourageus to help the underprivileged,
underrepresented, and underserved earlycareer scientists leaping into business.
This would also ensure that youdon't miss a future episode also.
Our subscription and listening numbersare key for finding the right sponsors for
(25:48):
our show so that we can help you for free.
Remember, you are a postdoc transformer.
You are highly intelligent,well-educated, a bachelor master, and
maybe you have already your doctorunder your belt or you are a postdoc.
(26:09):
You are international experienced,fluent English, a leader and expert
in your prior research field.
You are resilient, brilliant inadaptation and problem solving.
You are eager to bring in thetransferable and monetizable
skills needed in many companies.
To embrace the future and to become orremain an innovator in their markets.
(26:32):
And now back to the show.
Now let's go to segment numberfour, mentoring bachelor, master's
students, graduates who areyour competitors eventually.
Here are some ideas how you canteach strategic and ethical use of
(26:53):
agenda AI through business projects.
At the end of the day,you will also benefit.
from that.
Let's take a moment to zoom in onour role as mentors and educators.
Scientists leaping into businessare in the perfect position to shape
the future of work, not just forthemselves, but also for the students
(27:13):
they teach, coach or supervise.
And I'm not just talking abouthelping students to get better grades.
For me personally, my examsare just the minimal goal.
The maximum goal is to equip themwith everything they need to be
(27:33):
successful in the business workplace.
And that means that maybe I willnever get feedback how well they're
doing in their jobs, let alone that Iwill ever know how much impact I had.
But that's the scope of how I teach.
I do not teach for goodgrades in my lectures.
(27:54):
That is the standard.
I'm talking about guiding my studentsto apply our academic curriculum in real
world business context using agenda AIas a bridge between theory and practice.
And that is why I'm keen on participatingas a juror in startup competitions
(28:16):
so that I can network with startupstakeholders who can then bring their
expertise into our classroom, or I canbring my students to those places where
they understand how incubating a businessstartup works, something like that.
So I want my students to havealso a practical, real world
(28:36):
example as soon as possible, andnot just from theories and books.
Here's your actionable prompt.
Let me give you five student projectideas plus two bonus ones you can
implement directly in your classroomseminar or thesis supervision.
Of course, you need to adapt that toyour specific discipline and research
(28:59):
or lecture topic, these student projectideas at least are a great inspiration.
Like I said, bonus will be idea six andseven from my own teaching experience.
Project number one, from thesisto product, you can have students
take their bachelors thesis topicsand use agenda AI to conduct rapid
(29:23):
competitor and patent research.
Maybe they have created something thatcould easily derive into a product or
a service, that can be even patented,or you can test market viability.
They can provide or create awebsite, a value proposition and
(29:46):
product landing page if they havesomething that they can offer.
You can benefit by learning howyour research field translates
into startup language.
They can practice transformingknowledge into value.
Nothing of that has to be earning moneyin real life, but everything will help
(30:06):
them understand how to use agentic AI.
I Project number two, AIenhanced Consulting Sprint.
Students can, form a three to five person,group and act as a mini consultancy.
Each group tackles a businesschallenge from a real small, medium
enterprise or non-profit even.
In my case, I did this as well withmy podcast, PostdocTransformation,
(30:30):
and then they can be using agenticAI for generating hypothesis design,
service, or research strategies.
Find the right interview partners, andalso conduct the interviews with them or
summarize interviews, something like that.
You can have them present the solutionsin client ready pitch decks and have a
(30:53):
jury situation where they all evaluatethe pitch decks and the presentation.
That is really fun and you caneven bring in your own business
contacts if you have them already.
Or former PhD peers who are now working inindustry as mentors or project sponsors.
That might be a bit too much, but funfact, in episode 62, I acknowledge that
(31:16):
our new PostdocTransformation shows.
Segments are really the resultof my student consulting team
Elina Srebric, Dicle Naziksoy andSandrine Pover from last year.
It might be interesting to review thesame goals again with agentic AI, right?
AI is evolving so much, so fast.
(31:40):
Let's pause for a moment to respectthose who sponsor this valuable episode.
I wanna share with youmy time and energy saver.
As a professor for industrial andoccupational psychology, I also teach
about the future of work, and as aformer IT strategy consultant, of course,
I embrace AI to be a future approvedpodcast producer of the OC Transformation
(32:04):
Show and the Creating Reorganized Show.
Descript is the video and audiopodcast editing tool of my choice.
I pay for their creator plan,and it's worth every dollar.
Descript comes with an integrated,professional, remote recording
studio for the best audioquality for your guests and you.
For example, I record an hour interviewwith a guest or a solo, and instead
(32:28):
of painstakingly doing a rough cutand deleting all the arms, and arms
and fillers and rambling around,which I did for hours, I now click on
Descript's, AI editing for clarity,and my rough cut is done in seconds.
Or a minute for fine tuning.
I edit text instead of audio waves,and I just insert all my prerecorded
music, intro ads and outro likethis one in a matter of minutes.
(32:52):
I can then easily explore closecaptions, fine tune AI driven summaries,
chapter markers, and titles, which Ifeed into my show notes and podcast
Host Descript even suggests the bestclips for social media and their
video editor automatically includesthe synchronized speakers cameras.
Audio captions.
I can also include stockgraphics or prerecorded videos.
(33:15):
You can find our short formexamples on our Instagram and
TikTok at Postdoc Transformation.
If you wanna try out Descript for yourown podcast editing DM or email me
Descript so I can share my experienceand consult you, please check it
out via my link in the show notes.
I only get a small financialreward if you become their
customer using my Descript link.
(33:41):
Thanking our advertisersfor their financial support.
We are happy to returnto our inspiring episode.
Now let's go to student projectnumber three, audit the algorithm,
and this one flips the perspective.
Students can choose an existing AItool used in business like customer
(34:02):
service bots, resume screeners orproductivity apps or whatever, and
assess the ethical implicationsregarding bias, transparency, fairness.
For example, my students are oftenlanding roles in HR, so resume risk
screeners would be very beneficialto be reviewed by them regarding
(34:27):
strategic fit or ethical implications.
And also whether these toolsoffer a competitive advantage
regarding or comparing an HR talentacquisition recruiter versus ai.
So you can, as the instructor benefitby gaining a deeper, more critical
(34:53):
view of a lot of agenda AI in themarket and your students learn to
balance innovation with ethics.
Student project numberfour, AI for Good incubator.
So you can guide your students to identifya social or sustainability issue in
their curriculum field, and then useagent AI to design an app or service.
(35:19):
build a prototype using AI generatedcode and also even to simulate a
launch plan or pricing plan withAI based customer journey mapping.
And again, they don't have to earn money.
It's just that they are able tounderstand what they have to consider for
pricing issues and questions like that.
(35:42):
So this lets you bring purpose-driveninnovation into the classroom and
perhaps, even create real world impact,
visibility that will enhance your ownbusiness visibility as the instructor.
And then student project number five,teach the teachers, well, this is
(36:02):
a meta project that lets studentsbuild AI power tools or micro
courses for their younger peers orfor their professors, to be honest.
Can a student create maybe an agenda,AI that guides first years through
lab safety procedures or somethingthat every young student has to do in
(36:23):
your curriculum or teaches professorshow to create quiz banks using AI
ethically and transparency, and again,creating quizzes makes learning stick.
Right now you are training.
Now we flip the script (36:39):
You are training future AI literate trainers, and in doing
so you are cultivating entrepreneurialeducators and not just academic achievers.
Bonus number six, I teach my ownstudents to write podcast scripts
(37:01):
that focus on our curriculum for theirchosen non-scientific target group.
Okay?
I let them choose the topic aslong it is within my curriculum.
I let them choose what they want to,who they want to teach, et cetera,
and also the situation, et cetera.
So they have to learn sciencecommunication essentially,
(37:24):
but with an AI twist.
And I only grade their reflective usageand control of AI, not the output from AI,
and I also have an alternative thatis more creative instead of creating
another digital product, I teach mystudents also to create a printable exit
(37:48):
game based on our curriculum for theirchosen non-scientific target group.
This final product, the card game, allowsplaying and learning together in groups.
So why am I sharing all of this?
Because you have to learn a lot andthen to teach them, you could easily
(38:12):
have the feeling of I cannot swim andthen I have to teach others how to swim.
Teaching is a great way of learningbecause when we teach students
to explore business applicationsof their studies with the help of
agentic AI, we're not only preparingthem for jobs that don't yet exist.
(38:34):
We are also preparing ourselves for thekind of leadership academia rarely teaches
and that will make you outstanding.
We are becoming builders of ecosystems.
We are trailblazing anew kind of professoring.
(38:54):
All right, and now here's your actionableprompt for segment number four.
Which of the student projects hits homewith you, which would be a low hanging
fruit that you can implement easily,and which of these is more on the back
burner, so you have to still thinkabout that, what you can prepare maybe.
(39:17):
And I would wish that you woulddo the first student project and
share also the results with us.
Hashtag PostdocTransformation.
All right, let's go tosegment number five.
You can also launch a sitebusiness with agentic AI, and
that is more for yourself, okay?
(39:37):
So you don't have to dothat with your students.
You can obviously explore side businessventures by leveraging agentic AI
because it can serve as the businessmentor that you don't have yet.
Okay?
Imagine that you can develop an AI poweredmarket research tool that analyzes trends
(39:58):
and customer sentiments in real timefor your own viable business product
idea or creating an AI driven contentcreation assistant for marketing purposes.
These applications not onlyenhance efficiently, but also
open up new revenue streams.
Starting with small projectsallows you to experiment, learn,
(40:18):
and gradually scale your efforts.
It's about transforming yourscientific acumen into entrepreneurial
ventures, guided by strategicplanning and ethical considerations.
And you know, when I started my podcasts,I started with just one episode, and
then it turned out to be, I don'tknow, 12 or 13, 14 episodes, and
(40:41):
then I hit the first 1000 listeners.
And that meant that, okay,there is an audience for me.
They will listen to me.
So how can I make this wholeprocess better now with AI maybe.
That is how you reverse engineer.
And learn how to use AIbecause you now have a reason.
You have a purpose.
(41:02):
So here's your actionable prompt.
What of your research today can you buildas a business product using agentic AI?
Again, even if you will neverearn real money with it.
Learning from agentic AI, how itsolves your problems towards your
goal will build your business acumen.
You can learn how agenticAI solves your problems.
(41:25):
Alright, dear PostdocTransformer.
I hope that our last episode 62 was yourwake up call and that this episode 63
has delivered actionable ideas to buildagentic AI skills for your future of work.
As you navigate this AI drivenlandscape, remember that your scientific
background equips you with the toolsto adapt, to lead, and to innovate.
(41:50):
Embracing AI not only enhances yourcapabilities, but also positions
you to mentor your own bachelorand master's students beyond the
curriculum, beyond their thesis topic.
It's about how they work so thatthey can shape the future of
work, and that is exploring alsonew entrepreneurial horizons.
(42:14):
Embracing AI not only enhances your owncapabilities, but also positions you to
mentor the next generation of bachelormaster students and possibly also
explore new entrepreneurial horizons.
Thank you for joining me today to discussagentic AI for student excellence and how
(42:36):
to transform threats into opportunitiesfor the scientists leap in into business.
As always, build your PostTransformationaccording to your vision of life.
Do you wanna a transcript or our episode?
And our episode sponsors answersto all six bold questions so
that you can choose to apply.
Do you wanna nominate your potentialemployer of choice so that we
(42:59):
can ask them our bold questions?
For all of that, click on our linksin our show notes and on our website,
www.postdoctransformation.com.
Remember to check your readiness toleap out of science and to enroll in
our free email course career transition.
Made Simple.
Thanks for your attention.
I'm Prof. Dr. Eleonore Soei-Winkels,the host of your seasonal
(43:21):
PostdocTransformation show.
Postoc.
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
24/7 News: The Latest
The latest news in 4 minutes updated every hour, every day.