Fall 2023

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The Mentoring and Communication Series is co-sponsored by The Graduate School and the Office of Postdoctoral Services.


Weds Sept 13, 10-11:30 am

WHAT: Managing Your Research Career Using an Individual Development Plan (IDP)
REGISTER: https://duke.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_29UEv56fmnP6kfQ

For better or for worse, your experiences and the training you receive as postdoctoral researchers and graduate students can greatly shape the rest of your career. However, there are strategies and resources that can increase your chances of getting what you came for. During this program, participants will learn how to develop clear and specific goals and objectives, along with a plan for executing them.

Topics include:

  • The importance of setting goals and developing an IDP.
  • Introduction to the SMART goals model.
  • Resources for crafting and executing your IDP.
  • Strategies for establishing expectations and effectively communicating research and career goals with your mentor/PI.

Speaker: Dara Wilson-Grant is the Associate Director at the UNC-Chapel Hill Office of Postdoctoral Affairs and a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor. With over fifteen years experience providing career management education and counseling, Dara’s mission is to help individuals develop a framework for choosing a meaningful and rewarding career path, plus develop the skills necessary for a lifetime of career success.


Wed Oct 4, 1-2:30 pm

WHAT: Communicating Your Strengths: A CliftonStrengths Workshop
REGISTER: https://duke.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_bx9b8JRY0UhnCui

How do you describe your five greatest strengths? How can you leverage this information to communicate your capabilities to colleagues and potential employers? Using the CliftonStrengths assessment, this workshop will help you explore a new way to talk about your skills. We will investigate strategies for communicating your strengths to others, the challenges that your strengths might pose for you, and ways you can use information about your strengths to thrive in a team setting. The online CliftonStrengths assessment is offered to all registered participants in this limited-enrollment workshop open exclusively to Graduate School students and postdocs. Register no later than September 28 to receive your free access code for the assessment.


Thurs Oct 19, 10-11:30 am

WHAT: Speaking about Science with Scott Morgan
REGISTER: https://duke.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_5cNZ7JHcB9is5bE

In evaluations, postdocs say that this Scott Morgan workshop is one of the most useful they have attended! This interactive virtual seminar addresses the main issues of good scientific presentations. The core of the workshop is a step-by-step preparation process that will help you deliver a clear and engaging talk for a variety of audiences, including academic, industry, and government employers. Topics include:

  • Identifying the theme and focus,
  • How to create effective visual aids, and
  • How to begin and end a talk.

Speaker: Scott Morgan has been teaching leadership and communication skills for over 30 years. His clients include nearly all the institutes at the National Institutes of Health and dozens of universities: Harvard Medical School, UC Berkeley, UNC Chapel Hill, Cornell, Maryland, Ohio State, Duke, NC State, NYU, and the Elliott School of International Affairs at George Washington University. Corporate clients include GE Appliances, Mandiant Cybersecurity, Avanir Pharmaceuticals, Infosys, International Paper, Merck, Celgene, Tanium, and Northrop Grumman. With 30 years of broadcast experience, Scott teaches media and communication strategy to many think tanks and research organizations around the globe with clients from Central Asia, Japan, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Nigeria, and South Africa. He is a Senior Mentor at the Leadership Academy at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, and holds a master’s degree in psychology from Columbia University. He authored the book ‘Speaking about Science’, published by Cambridge University Press.


Mon Oct 23, 1-2:30 pm

WHAT: Moving from Mentee to Mentor
REGISTER: https://duke.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_5j0K6wXVLbwLAq2

Congratulations! You are finishing your PhD or postdoctoral research and hoping to secure a faculty or industry position soon! You feel confident about your research, but you may have questions about building your lab personnel. How do you figure out whom to hire? How do you set up productive, working relationships with your mentees from the beginning? How can you give feedback? In this interactive session, discover how to successfully move from mentee to mentor.

This workshop is highly interactive and attendees should be prepared to actively participate on camera. Workshop size is limited to 25 participants to facilitate small group discussion. Because space is limited, please do not register unless you are sure you can attend. 

Speaker: Melissa Segal, LCSW, is CEO of InterHuman Solutions and a licensed clinical social worker who has provided individual, couples, and family counseling; facilitated a variety of support and educational groups; and implemented professional development and training.


Mon Nov 20, 3-5 pm

WHAT: The Inclusive Research Mentor
REGISTER: https://duke.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_9YV3pN1ZVTCzPGS\

College teaching extends beyond the classroom into research environments.  Over the course of your career you may have the opportunity to mentor undergraduate students, graduate students, and/or postdoctoral fellows in research.  Join us in this interactive, virtual workshop as we discuss inclusive approaches and behaviors that can be employed across disciplines.  This workshop is facilitated by Dr. Courtnea Rainey, Assistant Dean for Assessment & Evaluation in The Graduate School.