Careers Beyond Academia

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

Tues Sept 12, 4-5 pm

WHAT: What is Management Consulting? An Introduction with the Members of Duke Advanced-Degree Consulting Club (DACC)
REGISTER: https://duke.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_d6XAFsTzmWsKJv0

Are you curious about how you can apply your research skills in a consulting career? Join the Duke Advanced-Degree Consulting Club (DACC) to learn about careers in management consulting. Past DACC members have landed positions at Big Three firms (McKinsey, BCG, and Bain) as well as IQVIA, Accenture, LEK, ZA, EY, and Oliver Wyman.

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.

Thurs Sept 21, 3-3:30 pm

WHAT: Alum Zoom: Five Career Questions with Eric Juarez, PhD, Presidential Management Fellow at the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences
REGISTER: https://duke.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_9sLDh9lb0dII9sq

As part of a series of short, focused career conversations with former Duke PhD students and postdocs, we’ll feature Eric Juarez, PhD ’22 (Psychology & Neuroscience), who is currently a Presidential Management Fellow (Health Specialist). Eric works in the Education Branch, Office of Policy, Communications, and Education at the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences. Prior to his PMF, Eric was a Consortium for Faculty Diversity Fellow and Visiting Lecturer in the Psychology and Education department at Mount Holyoke College.

During the conversation, Eric will highlight his interest in the PMF fellowship and share strategies that helped him succeed in the application process. Advanced degree holders interested in pursuing the PMF are welcome to join the conversation.

Five Career Questions:
1. Can you tell us about your background?
2. How did you get your job?
3. What’s a typical day like at your organization?
4. What can postdocs and students who would like to work in this field(or explore it further) do to prepare?
5. What is the employment outlook for this field?

Watch on the Duke Postdoctoral Services YouTube Channel

Tues Oct 3, 10-11:30 am

WHAT: Networking: How to Build Professional Relationships for Long-Term Career Success
REGISTER: https://duke.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_eUJi99mW8AECuVM

Networking is one of the most effective approaches to getting your career on the fast track, whether you are seeking a traditional academic career or a career beyond the academy. It can help to inform your next steps, expand your connections, and enhance your professional reputation. This informative session will show you techniques for effective and tactful networking in the post-pandemic era. Participants will leave this session with a networking action plan that can be implemented immediately.

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.

Thurs Oct 5, 11 am – 12 pm

Weds Oct 18, 10-11:30 am

WHAT: Job Talks & Interviewing Workshop with Scott Morgan
REGISTER: https://duke.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_9Svr1rXtVrai0V8

Whether you are applying for positions in academia, industry, or government, renowned public speaking coach Scott Morgan will help you ace the interview!

During this virtual session, you will learn tips for perfecting the broad interviewing skills needed to secure scientific positions and increasing your comfort level and confidence. You will have the opportunity to analyze expected questions, themes, and dilemmas through interactive exercises and peer review.

• Tips to help you prepare for your interviews and present yourself professionally
• Types/examples of questions you can expect
• Strategies for delivering your best answers
• Types of questions to ask your interviewers
• Adapting your interviewing skills to virtual platforms

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.

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, 11-11:30 am

WHAT: Senior Leadership Insights: A Conversation with Jothy Rosenberg, Ph.D., Executive Chairman, Dover Microsystems
REGISTER: https://duke.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_3NNZCfogK23bbW6

How does a self-described “incorrigible entrepreneur” build a career that begins in academia and leads to founding nine companies? Join us for a conversation with computer science Ph.D. alumnus Jothy Rosenberg, who lives by the motto “Who says I can’t?” in his professional and personal endeavors. Dr. Rosenberg will be joined in conversation by Dr. Rong Ge, Cue Family Associate Professor of Computer Science and Director of Graduate Studies, with time for attendee questions.

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.

Nov 6-10, 12 pm – 1 pm

WHAT: Non-Academic Job Searching for Humanities and Social Sciences PhDs
REGISTER: https://beyondprof.com/upcoming-events/

Weds Dec 6, 11 am – 12 pm

WHAT: Careers in Medical Writing
REGISTER: Email internship@whitsellinnovations.com to receive Zoom link.

Wondering what to do if the bench isn’t for you? Medical/Scientific Writing is one of the fastest-growing careers for PhDs in the sciences – would you like a PAID, part-time internship to introduce you to this field? If so, please join us to learn how medical writers contribute to scientific communication and drug development.

Whitsell Innovations is a certified woman-owned, full-service medical and scientific writing company headquartered in Chapel Hill NC with writers in 27 US states. Abigail Agoglia, PhD, will give an overview of careers for PhDs who are interested in combining their scientific acumen and writing skills. Dr. Agoglia 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. Dr. Agoglia will also discuss the WI Internship Program, an 18-month, part-time, paid internship available to researchers who are interested in a career in medical writing.