Spring 2026

"campus

Thurs Jan 29, 11 am – 12 pm

WHAT: From Vision to Reality: 4 Steps to Creating & Executing Your Individual Development Plan
REGISTER: https://duke.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_0DuONRSXYE31vH8

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 in an Individual Development Plan (IDP).

You’ll learn:

  • An approach to setting meaningful, achievable goals aligned with your long-term vision.
  • A structured planning routine to manage your time effectively.
  • How to speak with your mentor about your goals and strategies to address any misalignments in expectations and needs.

Speaker: Dara Wilson-Grant is Director of Postdoctoral Career and Professional Development 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.

Thurs Feb 5, 10-11 am

WHAT: Dress for Success: A Workshop on Presenting Yourself Professionally
REGISTER: https://duke.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_0Bted4t1hrMhuya

While workplaces have become more casual since 2020, there are still expectations of what “professional dress” looks like in different industries. This workshop will address first impressions, dressing authentically, and tailoring your professional image. We will discuss how to determine an organization’s unofficial dress code, dressing appropriately for the occasion (eg, career fair, coffee chat, networking event, interview) and shopping on a budget. Attendees will have the opportunity to put what they’ve learned into action in a short exercise.

Speaker: Laura Coutts is the Associate Director for Career Services for Duke Biostatistics and Bioinformatics and former Assistant Director for Duke Career Center. She has over 15 years of experience in consulting, counseling, problem solving, and project implementation. Laura believes in the power of effective story telling and thinks that everyone needs a little perspective when it comes to telling their life (and career) story.

Tues Feb 17, 1-2 pm

WHAT: How to Review Scholarly Books: Reading, Writing, Relishing with Steven N. Gump
REGISTER: https://duke.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_cIued6WajsuLtqK 

Curious about scholarly book reviewing in the humanities or social sciences but unsure where to start? Maybe you’ve heard that book reviews don’t “count” for anything—so why bother? Or perhaps you’ve even reviewed a book or two already and are interested in honing your craft.

Join us for an hourlong workshop with the author of How to Review Scholarly Books: Reading, Writing, Relishing (Princeton, 2025) to learn how to
1. identify venues and select books for review;
2. read and take attentive notes on books for review; and
3. write engaging reviews.

We’ll have time for questions—and attendees will be eligible to receive a free copy of the book!

Speaker: Steven E. Gump, associate director of the Office of Citizen Scholar Development at the University of Virginia, serves as the book review editor of the Journal of Scholarly Publishing and is the author of How to Review Scholarly Books: Reading, Writing, Relishing (Princeton University Press, 2025). He aspires to help students and scholars see language as a tool that can simultaneously inform and delight.

Co-sponsored with Trinity Graduate Education.

Thurs Feb 19, 11 am – 12 pm

WHAT: Changing Course with Confidence: Embracing a New Identity for a New Direction
REGISTER: https://duke.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_baBNtN4BWEGgMMm

Kickstart the New Year by strategizing a new direction! Whether you are ready to pivot or just contemplating making a change, this workshop will provide tools and strategies to define your vision, set actionable goals, and build a concrete plan for a new direction in your career.

In this session, you’ll learn:

  • The challenges and emotional aspects of transitioning away from a traditional academic career.
  • Strategies for reimagining yourself outside academia and planning a new path.
  • How to build a foundation for exploring career options and making well-informed decisions about your future.

Speaker: Dara Wilson-Grant is Director of Career and Professional Development at the UNC-Chapel Hill Office of Postdoctoral Affairs and a Licensed Professional 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.

Thurs Feb 24, 11 am – 12 pm

WHAT: Take Your Teaching Skills Anywhere: Identifying Transferable Skills From Your Teaching Experiences
REGISTER: https://duke.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_8tWZxmrSsjKTz5c

How can you capitalize on the skills you’ve developed through the many hours you’ve devoted to teaching? These skills can help you position yourself for success in industry, government, nonprofit, or academic careers beyond faculty positions. In this interactive workshop, Melissa Bostrom, PhD, Senior Assistant Dean for Graduate Student Professional Development, will discuss how our teaching experiences are an ideal way to help potential employers understand the crucial skills we’ve learned in graduate school or as a postdoc —skills that are transferable to careers beyond a university setting.

Tues Mar 3, 3-4:30 pm

WHAT: Effective Communication in Teams
WHERE: Bonk Auditorium (rm 2231), French Family Science Center (map)
REGISTER: https://duke.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_5dTGek7K9LA75JQ

Have you ever wondered why one colleague always wants an agenda to prepare for a meeting, while another needs to understand the big picture before they can begin to work on the small details of a project? Using a free online assessment to explore your Myers-Briggs personality preferences, we’ll focus on how you can leverage a better understanding of others’ preferences to improve your communication with your research colleagues.

In preparation for the workshop, please complete two steps.

Speakers: Hugh Crumley, PhD, Assistant Dean for Academic Affairs, and Melissa Bostrom, PhD, Senior Assistant Dean for Graduate Student Professional Development. Both are Myers-Briggs certified facilitators.

Tues Mar 17, 11 am-12 pm

WHAT: How to Succeed at Your Next Academic Institution
REGISTER: https://duke.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_0JqGMbEhkOQcgWG

How can you prepare for a successful new chapter as you move to another institution? Whether your next step involves a teaching-focused role, a move into academic administration, or even a postdoc, learn how to navigate a new higher education landscape from Molly Goldwasser, Ed.D., Duke’s Associate Vice Provost for Academic Affairs.

Thurs Mar 19, 3-4 pm

WHAT: Crafting a Teaching Statement and Portfolio
REGISTER: https://duke.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_6RvopA02PlW3BhY
 
A teaching portfolio is more than a collection of documents: it is a set of claims about your teaching and evidence to support them. In this workshop, you will examine how claims and evidence can be framed in way that allows you demonstrate your skill (or potential) as a university instructor in a teaching statement supported by materials created by you (such as videos, handouts and student assignments). This workshop is suitable for postdocs and graduate students in all academic disciplines.

Speaker: Hugh Crumley PhD, Assistant Dean for Academic Affairs, The Graduate School