How one undergrad found career support through APS mentorship

For many students and early-career scientists today, launching a career is a daunting prospect. The landscape has been shaken by funding cuts and job losses, and scientists are increasingly struggling to move, work, and live freely throughout the world.

Taylor Eskew, an undergraduate physics and computer science double major at Chapman University, is navigating these pressures ahead of her 2027 graduation. “It feels like you're just expected to figure it out yourself,” she says.

She’s interested in quantum physics and high-performance computing, and though she enjoys the leg-up of conducting research at the Institute of Quantum Studies, she has concerns about the job market in such “uncertain and transitional times,” she says.

Earlier this year, she knew she needed “to make sure that my materials, particularly my resume, were competitive, professional, and field-specific.” So Eskew registered for a one-on-one APS Career Mentoring Fellows coaching session at the 2025 Global Physics Summit in Anaheim.

“A mentor who knows your field”

The Career Mentoring Fellows program connects students and early-career physicists with working physics professionals to discuss career trajectories and strategies.

Eskew knew she was interested in graduate school or an internship, and eventually a career in industry, so she was thrilled to meet with Neha Pachauri, a process engineering manager at Amazon and APS Career Mentoring Fellow.

Almost immediately, Pachauri offered “thoughtful, highly targeted feedback,” says Eskew. “It really wasn't a list of corrections to make, but it was the type of comment you would expect from a mentor who knows your field inside out, and its requirements.”

For Pachauri, Eskew’s desire to transition from academia to industry made the pair a good mentor-mentee fit. Pachauri hails from a small city in India and had no professional models for a career in physics. And as a former international student who earned her Ph.D. at the University of Alabama, she understood the anxiety that many entering the job market now feel.

“Some of them are theoretical physicists and they don't know how to transition into industry,” Pachauri says of the students and early-career scientists she counsels. “They don’t have insights into how the industry job market works. They don't have exposure to what kinds of different types of jobs exist.”

Pachauri says that Eskew was already a strong communicator, “confident and clear” in person and on her resume, but that Eskew “didn't know how to tailor it for the industry audience,” a gap Pachauri could address.

“A different journey”

Pachauri’s desire to give back to the physics profession doesn’t end with the Career Mentoring Fellows program. She regularly volunteers at APS meetings and has served as a panelist for careers sessions and at APS Conferences for Undergraduate Women and Gender Minorities in Physics (CU*iP).

But Pachauri was once hesitant to volunteer for APS. Her experience was too scattered between academia and industry, she thought, and made her “uncertain whether I could effectively relate to and contribute value to early physics professionals focused on core physics areas.”

“Then I realized this is an asset,” Pachauri says. “I have had a different journey compared to others, and it will be beneficial for people to understand how you can navigate your career and grow in different directions.”

Eskew feels fortunate that Pachauri volunteered. “The [mentoring] session helped my approach not only with resumes, but with how I tell my story in applications and interviews,” she says. “I have since had a string of successful conversations for fellowships, national labs, and research programs.”

“It made a huge impact on how I came across in print, and really, how confident I was going after competitive opportunities,” Eskew says of her meeting with Pachauri. “The Fellows are able to assist thoughtfully and graciously. They're people who understand, and they genuinely care.”

APS tools for job-seekers

APS can help you land your next job or plan your career.

• Visit the APS Physics Jobs Board for up-to-date listings of open positions.
• Plan your journey with the APS Career Navigator tool, which includes chapters on resume-writing, networking, and seeking informational interviews.
• Discover physics careers and industry trends in the annual Careers Guide.
• Join the Career Mentoring Fellows program, or another of APS’ mentoring programs.
• Learn from APS’ resource set for industrial physicists.