Careers Beyond Academia

The Careers Beyond Academia Series is sponsored by the Office of Postdoctoral Services and The Graduate School.

Thurs Jan 22, 11 am -12 pm

WHAT: Careers in Medical Writing with Whitsell Innovations
REGISTER: Email operations@whitsellinnovations.com to receive the meeting link.

Wondering what to do if the bench isn’t for you? Medical Writing is one of the fastest-growing careers for PhDs in the sciences. Please join us to learn how medical writers contribute to scientific communication and drug development.

Whitsell Innovations (WI) specializes in medical writing, quality control review, and electronic regulatory submissions. Since 2006, we have supported global pharmaceutical, biotech, and medical device clients with excellence in regulatory writing, publications, and safety documentation. Headquartered in Chapel Hill NC, our staff spans all US time zones and is composed of individuals with industry backgrounds and scientific educations, most with advanced degrees.

Samantha Stadmiller, PhD will give an overview of careers for PhDs who are interested in combining their scientific acumen and writing skills. Dr. Stadmiller will discuss medical writing for pharmaceutical, biotech, and device companies, including the documentation required for submissions to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) during the pre-clinical and clinical development process. She will also address how industry clients use medical writers to share clinical data in manuscripts, training materials, and presentations.

For more information: https://www.whitsellinnovations.com/careers/

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.

Weds Feb 11, 1-2 pm

WHAT: How to Run a Job Search: Actionable Advice from a Duke PhD Alumna
REGISTER: https://duke.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_cASEJuEAGmqh3rE

Are you considering a job search beyond the academy but don’t know where to begin? Join us for a workshop with Mackenzie Cramblit, PhD’18 (Cultural Anthropology) where you will learn concrete steps including building skills, mastering your mindset, and setting the vision for where you want to go.

Speaker: Since receiving her PhD from Duke, Mackenzie Cramblit has leveraged her doctoral training in a career focused on consulting. After a postdoc at the University of Amsterdam, she spent a year with Clarkston Consulting, followed by four years with McKinsey, first as an associate, then as an engagement manager. She is now a strategy and operations consultant with 17a as well as a coach with RocketBlocks and Educe.

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 – Canceled

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

This workshop has been canceled due to low enrollment.

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.

• Take the free 16Personalities assessment.
• Report your results by Fri Feb 27 at 5 pm.

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.

Weds Mar 18, 11 am – 12 pm

WHAT: Leveraging Your Teaching and Mentoring Skills in Your Next Chapter
REGISTER: https://duke.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_eIJTNyEj3hHWF82

You’ve invested many hours or even years in developing your teaching and mentoring skills during graduate school and your postdoc, but few job descriptions beyond teaching-focused faculty positions ever make note of requiring these competencies. What kinds of possibilities can you pursue that will make good use of these experiences?

In this panel discussion, we’ll feature three professionals who leverage their teaching and mentoring skills in their daily work:

• Laurel Foote-Hudson PhD, Director of Manager Effectiveness Programs and Learning, Fidelity Investments
• Sinja Küppers PhD’23 (Classical Studies), Sustainability Consultant, CURACON GmbH
• Stefan Waldschmidt PhD’17 (English), Director of Operations, Zenith Prep Academy

During the conversation, we’ll address questions such as

• What was your path to your current position?
• How did you find your current job, and how did the hiring organization view your graduate training?
• What does a professional trajectory in your field look like?
• How do you balance work and life?

Thurs Apr 9, 11 am – 12 pm

WHAT: The Art of Asking: Navigating Salary Negotiations with Ease
REGISTER: https://duke.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_42rzOy1kbcEcF6u

Let’s face it, for most of us, the negotiation process is one of the most stressful parts of the job search. Not long after the initial excitement of receiving an offer comes panic followed by dread.

• Do I negotiate for more money and risk seeming pushy or ungrateful?
• Will I lose this opportunity if I negotiate for too much?
• What should I ask for?

In this session, you’ll learn:

• The importance of preparation and research in determining a fair salary range.
• Insights into overcoming common fears and pitfalls.
• Practical tools to advocate for yourself and secure the compensation you deserve.

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.

Mon May 18, 3-4:30 pm

WHAT: Designing Dynamic Global Careers as an International PhD
WHERE: LSRC D106
REGISTER: https://duke.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_2acEbaIHdVaF9XM

Building a career as an international PhD student and postdoc involves unique challenges that can limit your vision of what’s possible. This interactive workshop with Sonali Majumdar PhD, based on insights from her book Thriving As An International Scientist (UC Press, 2025), will help you reframe limitations into possibilities and design dynamic paths for fulfilling careers. You’ll discover creative frameworks, confidence-building tools, and practical strategies for long-term success in diverse careers, within and beyond the United States.

Speaker: Sonali Majumdar PhD is Assistant Dean for Professional Development in the Graduate School of Princeton University. Her book is the first career guide specifically tailored to the unique needs of international STEM PhDs, and recently recognized by Nature Magazine in their 9 Books to Read in 2026 to Shape your Science Career feature. Born and raised in India, she earned PhD in biochemistry and molecular biology at the University of Georgia and did postdoctoral training at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York, where she developed a passion for enhancing training of early career scientists.

Tues June 30, 11 am – 12 pm

WHAT: Beyond the Ivory Tower: Leverage LinkedIn and AI to Find World-Class Opportunities Across Industries
REGISTER: https://duke.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_2is9kAazSxelFki

If you love research, intellectual growth, and impact — but are concerned about the shrinking number of tenure-track opportunities — you’re not alone. And here’s what most postdocs and PhD students don’t realize: The world outside academia is full of roles that are intellectually rigorous and just as meaningful.

The problem isn’t that the opportunities aren’t there. It’s that nobody ever showed you where or how to look. In this session, we’ll change that. No theory, no vague advice — just a clear roadmap to what’s out there and exactly how to go get it.

You’ll:

• Discover how wide the world of PhD-level work actually is. From biotech to policy to consulting to NGOs, we’ll map the full landscape of roles that reward deep expertise — and identify the ones that match the kind of work, impact, and life you actually want.
• Test fit before you ever commit to a path. Learn how to use strategic LinkedIn networking to get real-world insight from people already doing the work — so you can validate your direction before you invest in it.
• Position yourself as the candidate they can’t find anywhere else. We’ll show you how to translate your expertise so that employers see exactly what makes you a rare, differentiated find.
• Build the relationships that open doors that job boards never will. The best PhD-level roles can be tough to get. We’ll show you how to find the people who can get you in the room — and how to reach out in a way that actually gets a response.