Spring 2022

"Duke

The 2021-22 Academic Job Search Series is co-sponsored by The Graduate School and the Office of Postdoctoral Services.

Weds Jan 19, 1-2:30 pm

WHAT: Understanding University Structure and the Tenure Process
REGISTER: https://duke.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_00YHnc2H0RsyQfk

Congratulations– you got a tenure-track position at your dream institution! Now you just have to get tenure. But what does that really mean? If you’re at a research-driven institution, getting grants and publications is important, but no matter where you work you also have responsibilities of contributing to the overall success of the institution – which means there are expectations of teaching, service, and advancing the institution’s mission. To do this, you have to understand how academic institutions are structured (Who has oversight of the research facilities? Where do you go for grant help?), how faculty members drive the mission of an educational institution, and what YOUR school means when it says “tenure.”

Speaker: Garth Fowler, PhD, is the former Associate Executive Director for the Center for Education in Psychology at the American Psychological Association, where he directed the APA’s efforts in producing resources and information to help psychology graduate students, postdoctoral trainees, and mentors improve their training and career success. Before coming to APA, Garth was a faculty member and Assistant Chair in the Northwestern University Department of Neurobiology. His first job after finishing his postdoc was the Outreach Program Manager for Science Careers, the online career resources for Science magazine & AAAS. Garth has a BA in Psychology from the College of Wooster, a PhD in Behavioral Neuroscience from the University of Washington-Seattle, and was a postdoctoral fellow at the Salk Institute in San Diego, CA.

Weds Jan 26, 1-2:30 pm

WHAT: Understanding Professional Competency in Your Career Planning
REGISTER: https://duke.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_3ZS1sLwoFLHNjlI

The job you’re applying for lists ‘leadership’ as a required skill. No problem – you can say you helped organize the Summer Picnic for your Postdoc or Graduate Student Association. But in the workforce, employers are looking for a level of performance from new hires. Or what we call competence. So how do you demonstrate competency in your cover letter or interview? And more importantly, how do you take advantage of your current opportunities (like organizing the summer picnic) to build your competency and score your dream job? 

Speaker: Garth Fowler, PhD, is the former Associate Executive Director for the Center for Education in Psychology at the American Psychological Association, where he directed the APA’s efforts in producing resources and information to help psychology graduate students, postdoctoral trainees, and mentors improve their training and career success. Before coming to APA, Garth was a faculty member and Assistant Chair in the Northwestern University Department of Neurobiology. His first job after finishing his postdoc was the Outreach Program Manager for Science Careers, the online career resources for Science magazine & AAAS. Garth has a BA in Psychology from the College of Wooster, a PhD in Behavioral Neuroscience from the University of Washington-Seattle, and was a postdoctoral fellow at the Salk Institute in San Diego, CA.

Tues Feb 22, 1-1:30 pm

WHAT: Senior Leadership Insights: A Conversation with Tomiko Brown-Nagin, JD, PhD, Dean of Harvard Radcliffe Institute
REGISTER: https://gradschool.duke.edu/student-life/events/senior-leadership-insights-conversation-tomiko-brown-nagin-jd-phd-dean-harvard

As Dean of the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at Harvard University, Tomiko Brown-Nagin, JD, AM ’93, PhD ’02 (History) leads an interdisciplinary community of scholars, students, students, practitioners and artists committed to pursuing curiosity-driven research, expanding human understanding, and grappling with questions that demand insight from across disciplines. The Institute’s work is shaped by its history as the former Radcliffe College—a school founded to ensure that the standard of education embodied in Harvard was accessible to women, who were then excluded from the university. Among the many distinguished schools of Harvard, Harvard Radcliffe Institute is unique: interdisciplinary by design and animated by a legacy of promoting inclusion.

In this leadership role, Dean Brown-Nagin draws on her experience as an award-winning legal historian and an expert in constitutional law and education law and policy. Currently Daniel P.S. Paul Professor of Constitutional Law at Harvard Law School and Professor of History at the Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Dean Brown-Nagin was appointed chair of the Presidential Committee on Harvard and the Legacy of Slavery in 2019. A frequent lecturer and media commentator about issues in law, history and higher education, Brown-Nagin has published articles and book chapters on a wide range of topics, including the Supreme Court’s equal protection jurisprudence, civil rights law and history, the Affordable Care Act, and education reform. Her 2011 book Courage to Dissent: Atlanta and the Long History of the Civil Rights Movement (Oxford) won six awards, including the Bancroft Prize in US History. In her latest book, Civil Rights Queen: Constance Baker Motley and the Struggle for Equality (Pantheon, 2022), Brown-Nagin explores the life and times of pathbreaking lawyer, politician, and judge Constance Baker Motley. Dean Brown-Nagin is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the American Law Institute, and the American Philosophical Society, a fellow of the American Bar Foundation, and a distinguished lecturer for the Organization of American Historians. She earned a law degree from Yale University, where she served as an editor of the Yale Law Journal; a master’s and PhD in History from Duke University; and a BA in History, summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa, from Furman University.

Dean Brown-Nagin will be joined in conversation by Dr. Adriane Lentz-Smith, Associate Professor of History and Associate Chair of the Department of History, where she teaches courses on the Civil Rights Movement, Black Lives, Modern America, and History in Fact and Fiction. The discussion will focus on six key questions:

  1. Tell us about your background. What was your path to your current role?
  2. Can you tell us about your organization, and describe a typical day
  3. What do you see as the value that doctoral training has added to your professional trajectory?
  4. Beyond strong research skills, what other skills, experience and/or training are important for success in your field?  How does your J.D. enhance your doctoral degree in History?
  5. Are there any skills, training, or experiences you wish you’d had in graduate school to prepare you for your current career path?
  6. What can students who would like to work in this field (or explore it further) do to prepare?

Thurs Feb 24, 10-11 am

WHAT: Leaving the Ivory Tower: Managing the Emotional Side of Career Change
REGISTER: https://duke.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_cBAQKJUoUKjqNQq

A large part of how we define ourselves and how others define us is based on what we do for a living – our professional identity. But what happens when we are no longer a [fill in the blank]? How do we deal with the loss of self, the loss of professional status, the loss of affiliation with an elite group that we’ve been aligned with as long as we can remember?

The overall loss of identity that we feel when we decide to leave academia is comparable to healing after the loss of a loved one or after the breakup of a long-term, and possibly dysfunctional, relationship. Letting go can be difficult, but we have to let go and give ourselves permission to grieve before reaching a point where we are ready to commit to making a career change.

In this informative session, participants will learn about the emotional obstacles that can keep us stuck in an academic career path that is no longer fulfilling. Participants will also learn how former postdocs and graduate students found the courage to follow a more rewarding career path.

Dara Wilson-Grant, Associate Director of the UNC Office of Postdoctoral Affairs, will discuss:
– Strategies for letting go and moving on to form, and eventually embrace, a new professional identity.
– Resources that can help you navigate through the transition phase and into a more rewarding career.

Speaker: Dara Wilson-Grant is the Associate Director 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.

Tues Mar 8, 11-11:30 am

WHAT: Alum/Faculty Zoom with Carlos Goller, PhD, Associate Teaching Professor of the Biotechnology Program; and Claire Gordy, PhD, Teaching Assistant Professor of Biological Sciences, NC State University
REGISTER: https://duke.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_03arSFNStlCnpmC

For our Mar 8 Alum/Faculty Zoom, we are excited to welcome back two Duke PhD alums, Drs Claire Gordy and Carlos Goller, who are Teaching Professors at NC State University.  In addition to discussing their careers, Claire and Carlos will discuss work/life balance as parents of two young children.

Claire Gordy, PhD, is Teaching Assistant Professor of Biological Sciences at North Carolina State University. Her research interests include yeast genetics, undergraduate research, and inclusive STEM education.She was a SPIRE Postdoctoral Scholar at UNC-Chapel Hill and received her PhD from Duke Immunology.

Carlos Goller, PhD, is Associate Teaching Professor of Biological Sciences and teaches in the Biotechnology Program at North Carolina State University. His research interests include molecular microbiology, metagenomics, epidemiology, history of diseases, science education, and open educational practices. He was a Duke postdoc in Pediatrics-Infectious Diseases.

5 Questions:
1. Could you tell us about your background?
2. Could you tell us about your institution and your responsibilities there?
3. Are there any specific experiences, credentials, or qualifications (eg, online teaching experience) that your department seeks in potential hires?
4. What advice would you offer current postdocs and grad students who will be applying for positions like yours?
5. What is the hiring outlook at your institution? (please note that the answer to this question may be “We don’t know yet.”)
6. Bonus 6th question: Could you tell us how you manage work/life balance as the parents of two young children?

Thurs Mar 17, 3-4:30 pm

WHAT: Moving from Mentee to Mentor
REGISTER: https://duke.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_el0ekBBgXgyaHwq

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.

Weds May 25, 1-2:30 pm

WHAT: Nuts and Bolts of Professional Presentations
REGISTER: https://duke.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_aVhyFWwxLzdzd1s

Being able to clearly communicate your research is a key skill in almost any field. One common way we share the impact of our work is through professional presentations, like seminars that are part of a job interview or short talks that are part of symposia at meetings and conferences. Most of us create our presentations by opening PowerPoint, filling our slides with detailed text and explanation, and then dropping in figures, charts, or images. This results in presentations that are often complicated and filled with jargon that overwhelms your audience as opposed to impressing them. The best presentations are stories – narratives of what motivated the study or research, the approach taken, and the final outcome. Different types of talks require different types of stories, and the type of story you tell determines how you create and use your slides. In this workshop, we will discuss how to approach presentations as narratives that take your audience on a shared journey of discovery and cover basic concepts on how to create and use slides that clearly present information in a logical and easily digestible way.

You will learn:

  • How to prepare different types of professional presentations, including conference presentations, academic job talks, chalk talks, and non-academic job talks.
  • The goals and outcomes of various types of professional presentations.
  • Basic principles of slide design and approaches to describing figures, images, and graphs to keep information concise, clear, and increase your audience’s understanding of the content.

Speaker: Garth Fowler, PhD, is a recognized leader in professional training for early career researchers and scientists. As a former Program Manager for Science magazine’s Science Careers Program, a faculty member and graduate program director at Northwestern University, and an Associate Executive Director for the American Psychological Association, he has delivered well over 200 workshops, seminars, and presentations on career and professional development. A recognized expert in STEM workforce development, he has authored peer-reviewed manuscripts, articles, and whitepapers on preparing the next generation of STEM workers and given expert testimony and served on committees, panels, and taskforces for agencies like the National Academy of Sciences, The Council of Graduate Schools, The National Science Foundation, The National Institutes of Health, The Burroughs Wellcome Fund, and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. He received his BA in psychology from The College of Wooster, where he was a Howard Hughes Undergraduate Research Fellow. He received his PhD in Behavioral Neuroscience from the University of Washington and completed his postdoctoral studies at The Salk Institute in La Jolla, CA. In his spare time, he enjoys running, cycling, traveling to see symphonies, and writes novels.

Tues June 14, 11 am – 12 pm

WHAT: Building Your Skills as an Inclusive Mentor
REGISTER: https://duke.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_cRMAQK9o3Wf0dHo

Good mentoring has multiple benefits, providing positive relationships and rewarding experiences for both the mentee and the mentor. It leads to increased productivity in work and research settings and promotes career satisfaction. Good mentoring can also increase accessibility and inclusion, which ultimately can increase diversity in the research and scientific workforce. But how can you ensure that your role as a mentor leads to an increased sense of belonging and self-efficacy in your mentees? This workshop will present general principles and guidelines that are the foundation of successful, inclusive, and meaningful mentoring.
 
Speaker: Garth A. Fowler, PhD, is a recognized leader in professional training for early career researchers and scientists. As a former Program Manager for Science magazine’s Science Careers Program, a faculty member and graduate program director at Northwestern University, and an Associate Executive Director for the American Psychological Association, he has delivered well over 200 workshops, seminars, and presentations on career and professional development. A recognized expert in STEM workforce development, he has authored peer-reviewed manuscripts, articles, and whitepapers on preparing the next generation of STEM workers and given expert testimony and served on committees, panels, and taskforces for agencies like the National Academy of Sciences, The National Science Foundation, The National Institutes of Health, and The Burroughs Wellcome Fund. He received his PhD in Behavioral Neuroscience from the University of Washington and completed his postdoctoral studies at The Salk Institute in La Jolla, CA. In his spare time, he enjoys running, cycling, traveling to see symphonies, and writes novels.