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Professional Development Series

Events in the Professional Development Series can help students evaluate and prepare for the range of career options open to master's- and PhD-prepared professionals. This series is designed to broaden graduate students’ career perspectives and develop competencies in communication, self-awareness, professional adaptability, leadership, and professionalism.

Programming is offered on a two-year cycle and change each semester; over the course of two years, the series includes opportunities to learn about career paths in each of the five major career sectors available to alumni of The Graduate School: academia, business, entrepreneurship, government, and nonprofit.

Summer 2020 Events

During Summer 2020, The Graduate School partnered with the Office of Postdoctoral Services and Duke Career Center to offer virtual programming in several series. Visit the websites for these series for a full list of events in each of these themes.

The Academic Job Search Series
The Mentoring and Communication Series
The Alum Zooms Series

  • Wednesday, May 13, 2020
    11:00 am to 11:30 am

    Alum Zoom: 5 Career Questions with a Duke PhD

    Please join us for a summer series of short, focused career conversations with former Duke postdocs and PhD students. On May 13, our guest is Donna Crabtree, PhD, former Duke postdoc in Pediatrics-Hematology/Oncology.  Donna is now Research Program Leader for the Duke Office of Clinical Research (DOCR).

  • Friday, May 15, 2020
    10:00 am to 11:00 am

    Parenting and Working at Home: A Facilitated Discussion for Grad Students and Postdocs (Via Zoom)

    Join your fellow grad and postdoc parents to learn about and discuss best-practices for managing work at home with children. Talk through maintaining structure for children, maintaining balance for adults, being creative, supporting children, promoting positive behavior, and participating in self-care. Share what is working and what is not working for you! 

  • Tuesday, May 26, 2020
    1:00 pm to 1:30 pm

    Alum Zoom: 5 Career Questions with a Duke PhD

    Please join us for a summer series of short, focused career conversations with former Duke PhD students and postdocs. On May 26, our guest is Sarah Diringer, PhD '16 (Civil & Environmental Engineering), Senior Researcher with the Pacific Institute, a Bay Area research nonprofit.

  • Thursday, May 28, 2020
    2:30 pm to 3:15 pm

    Using the Alumni Network, LinkedIn, and Informational Interviews Effectively

    Learn how to leverage the Duke Alumni Network together with LinkedIn to maximize your career research and possibilities for connections. Find out how you can put that knowledge into action through informational interviews with professionals in organizations and careers of interest.

  • Thursday, June 4, 2020
    2:30 pm to 3:15 pm

    Professional Development Progress Meetup

    Stay on track with your momentum by joining this progress meetup. Whether you’re seeking structure, feedback, or community in working on your professional development goals, please join in this informal gathering to share what you’re working on with graduate student colleagues, find solutions to challenges you’re encountering, and create accountability to keep your progress moving forward. Registration is limited to allow for conversation.

  • Thursday, June 4, 2020
    11:00 am to 11:30 am

    Alum Zoom: 5 Career Questions with a Duke PhD

    Please join us for a summer series of short, focused career conversations with former Duke postdocs and PhD students. On June 4, our guest is Jen Shen, PhD '16 (Public Policy), Quantitative UX Researcher at Google.

  • Tuesday, June 16, 2020
    11:00 am to 11:30 am

    Alum Zoom: 5 Career Questions with a Duke PhD

    Please join us for a summer series of short, focused career conversations with former Duke PhD students and postdocs. On June 16, our guest is Dana Hancock, PhD '08 (Genetics), Sr. Genetic Epidemiologist and Director of the Center for Omics Discovery and Epidemiology at RTI International. 

  • Thursday, June 18, 2020
    12:00 pm to 1:00 pm

    Becoming an Ally (Rescheduled from March 25)

    Learn how to “step in” to create a culture of respect and civility. We’ll explore how we can intervene when we see behavior that feels disrespectful or harmful.

Pages

Past Events

Contact

Melissa Bostrom, PhD
Assistant Dean for Graduate Student Professional Development
Duke University Graduate School
melissa.bostrom@duke.edu