Fall 2024 | Careers Beyond Academia

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

Thurs Aug 29, 1-1:45 pm

WHAT: What Can I Be with an Advanced Degree? Identifying My Transferable Skills
REGISTER: https://gradschool.duke.edu/event/what-can-i-be-advanced-degree-identifying-my-transferable-skills-0/

This workshop will help you identify the transferable skills you’ve already developed in graduate school or your postdoc experience, brainstorm opportunities to continue growing your skills, and connect with tools to help you plan for further development. Our workshop facilitator is Dr. Melissa Bostrom, Assistant Dean for Graduate Student Professional Development.

Thurs Sept 5, 11-11:45 am

WHAT: Research Tools for Exploring Your Career Options with a PhD
REGISTER: https://gradschool.duke.edu/event/research-tools-exploring-your-career-options-phd-0/

Thurs Sept 12, 4-5 pm

WHAT: What is Management Consulting? An Introduction with the Members of Duke Advanced-Degree Consulting Club
REGISTER: https://gradschool.duke.edu/event/what-management-consulting-introduction-members-duke-advanced-degree-consulting-club-1/

Are you curious about how you can apply your research skills in a consulting career? Join us this workshop offered by 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. Our speaker will be Ammara Aqeel, DACC co-president and PhD candidate in Molecular Genetics and Microbiology.

Tues Sept 24, 10 am – 12 pm

WHAT: Improving Spoken English with Scott Morgan
REGISTER: https://duke.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_79BW7XrDNt022Gy

Back by popular demand! Noted speaker Scott Morgan returns to Duke to present one of his most requested workshops, Improving Spoken English. This workshop is essential for non-native English speakers! The 2-hour workshop will give attendees new insight into how we communicate in the often-confusing English language.

This workshop is open to all members of the Duke community (postdocs, graduate/undergraduate students, faculty, staff).

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 Sept 26, 11 am – 12:30 pm

WHAT: Speaking about Science with Scott Morgan
REGISTER: https://duke.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_837m0exHFEDpvTM

In evaluations, postdocs and graduate students say that this Scott Morgan workshop is one of the most useful they have attended! This interactive seminar addresses the main issues of good scientific presentations. The core of the workshop is a 7-step preparation process that will help you deliver a clear and engaging talk for a variety of audiences. Topics include:

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

Weds Oct 9, 1-2 pm

WHAT: Creating an Individual Development Plan (IDP) that Works for You
REGISTER: https://duke.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_bfnyrjEt4U6CpOS

Are you looking for a structured way to assess your skills and interests and make a plan to strategically grow as a professional? You will find that structure in the Individual Development Plan (IDP) process. Whether you are required to create an individual development plan or you are simply looking for a structured approach to your professional development, you will find support through this workshop. Our goals:

Understand the value of goal-setting through the IDP process
Use the SMART goals framework to support goal-setting
Identify tools and resources that can support the IDP process
Plan for effective conversations with mentors about your goals

Speaker: Vanessa Doriott Anderson, PhD’12 (Romance Studies) is Assistant Dean for Academic and Career Development at UNC-Chapel Hill. Dr. Doriott Anderson was previously Senior Director of Professional Development Programming and Director of Teaching and Communications Programs at NC State. Prior to her academic administration career, she taught French for three years at a liberal arts college in rural Iowa as a tenure-track assistant professor.

Thurs Oct 10, Thurs Oct 17, Thurs Oct 24, from 11 am – 12 pm

WHAT: Postdoc Research Communication Series: The Art of Research Communication

Sure, your research on fill-in-the-blank is fascinating and important, but in order to help the public understand why it matters (and why they should support it!), you need to be able to communicate what you do in ways that are clear and engaging. In this 3-part series, noted Research Communication expert Jory Weintraub, PhD, will teach you how to communicate your research effectively, no matter what field you are in.

The workshops will be participatory and include interactive exercises to provide opportunities to practice your research communication skills, so please have your audio and video enabled. For maximum benefit, participants are encouraged to attend all events in the series.

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Session 1: Research Communication Fundamentals
When: Thurs Oct 10, 11 am – 12 pm
Register for Session 1: https://duke.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_3pGuXUe2MONMlYW

This activity-based session will introduce the fundamentals of research communication, including concepts such as:

Your message: What is it, why does it matter, and how do you craft it?
Your audience: Why is it so important to “know your audience”, and how do you frame your message for your them?
Avoiding jargon and other essential skills for engaging your audience and communicating clearly

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Session 2: Communicating Your Research Through Storytelling
When: Thurs Oct 17, 11 am – 12 pm
Register for Session 2: https://duke.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_9ThVAV5VLbW3F5A

Research demonstrates that people learn new information more effectively, understand it better and remember it longer when it is delivered in the form of a story. In this session, we’ll dig more deeply into this and discuss the elements of great storytelling. You will then be introduced to a fun and simple method for telling the story of your research in three sentences, and get the opportunity to try it yourself (and receive facilitatory and peer feedback).

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Session 3: Engaging the Public in Your Research Through Outreach
When: Thurs Oct 24, 11 am – 12 pm
Register for Session 3: https://duke.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_0lfmzY00xFOdhpY

Once you’ve learned the fundamentals of research communication and how to tell the story of your work, it’s time to apply these skills by engaging the public through outreach. This session will introduce and explore strategies for doing this, and participants will develop their own outreach plan.

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Speaker: Jory Weintraub, PhD, is the Director of Science Engagement at North Carolina State University. From 2015-2022 he was the Science Communication Director with the Duke Initiative for Science & Society, and taught undergraduate and graduate courses in science communication at Duke. He received a PhD in Immunology, did a postdoc in STEM education, and has spent the last 25 years doing, teaching and coaching science communication and science outreach.

Thurs Nov 7, 11 am – 12:15 pm

WHAT: Salary Negotiation: Dos and Don’ts
REGISTER: https://duke.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_9shjMSOWfxwJHLw

Do you struggle with how and when to ask for a salary increase? Do you worry about the response of your PI or HR rep? This Zoom session will help set you up for success by exploring when to ask, how to prepare, and what to include in the conversation. After we investigate the foundation and structure of the request, we’ll practice having the actual conversation!

Speaker: Melissa Segal, LCSW, is CEO of InterHuman Solutions and an experienced facilitator and manager with strong skills in leadership development, strategic planning, program implementation, and organizational culture. She specializes in restorative practices, conflict work, and getting clients to “yes.” She is also a former Duke business manager who has handled negotiation processes for faculty, trainees, and professional staff, and has advised both current team members and potential hires on how to advocate for their needs.

Weds Nov 13, 11 am – 12 pm

WHAT: Careers in Medical Writing and the Whitsell Innovations Paid Medical Writing Internship
REGISTER: Email internship@whitsellinnovations.com to receive the meeting 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.