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 2021 Events
Summer Kickoff Series
Prepare to make progress on your professional development this summer! Any Graduate School student who attends at least three of the five Summer Kickoff Series workshops can earn a free code to complete the CliftonStrengths assessment and identify your top five strengths as a way to continue building your self-awareness and communication skills.
- Monday, May 10, 20212:00 pm to 2:45 pm
What Can I Do with a Graduate Degree? Identifying My Transferable Skills
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.
- Tuesday, May 11, 20212:00 pm to 2:45 pm
Research Tools for Exploring Your Career Options
Turn your research acumen to the task of exploring your career options. This workshop will introduce key tools that help you identify potential career alignment opportunities and learn about them in depth.
- Wednesday, May 12, 20212:00 pm to 2:45 pm
Key Connections: A Professional Development Workshop for Master’s Students
This workshop will help you make the most of your master's experience at Duke by connecting you with the most important campus resources and strategies to build your career and professional development.
- Thursday, May 13, 20212:00 pm to 2:45 pm
Making the Most of LinkedIn, the Duke Alumni Network, and Informational Interviews
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.
- Friday, May 14, 20212:00 pm to 3:30 pm
How Do You Lead People Who are Not Like You? A Myers-Briggs Type Workshop
Have you ever wondered how your personality preferences shape the way you interact with other people? If you prefer quiet time alone to interacting with a group, might that preference shape your style as a leader—and the way it’s received by those with the opposite preference? What if you like to be highly organized with checklists but your colleagues prefer to fly by the seat of their pants? This interactive workshop will help you learn about your behaviors and preferences by considering the way that people with the opposite personality preferences might perceive you, impacting your effectiveness as a leader.
Core Competencies
- Tuesday, May 11, 202111:00 am to 12:00 pm
Fulbright and Grants Abroad for Graduate Students: An Information Session
Get professional or research experience abroad for 6-12 months! Staff from Nationally Competitive Scholarships at Duke will tell you about all you can do around the world with a Fulbright and differentiate the types of grants available. All Duke students and alumni should apply through an on-campus process with deadlines beginning in early summer. Come learn about the possibilities that a Fulbright offers and how Duke can help you develop your strongest application.
Careers Beyond Academia
- Wednesday, May 5, 202111:00 am to 11:30 am
Alum Zoom: Five Career Questions with Anh Le, Ph.D.’18, Research Scientist in Marketing Science Research and Development at Facebook
As part of a series of short, focused career conversations with former Duke Ph.D. students and postdocs, we'll feature Anh Le, Ph.D.'18 (Political Science), Research Scientist in Marketing Science R & D at Facebook.
- Thursday, May 6, 20216:00 pm
Career Panel: Women in Government
Duke WiSE presents four incredible alumnae panelists to discuss science opportunities in government, the transition from academia to their positions, and any other questions you might have.
- Wednesday, May 12, 202111:00 am to 11:30 am
Alum Zoom: Five Career Questions with Nathan Rudemiller, Ph.D., Manager II (Principal Scientist), Bioagilytix
As part of a series of short, focused career conversations with former Duke PhD students and postdocs, we'll feature Nathan Rudemiller, PhD, Manager II (Principal Scientist), Bioagilytix. At BioAgilytix Labs, Nathan oversees development and validation of PK, PD/Biomarker, ADA, NAb, and Potency assays using a variety of bioanalytical platforms under GxP regulations. Notably, he oversees all flow cytometric assays at the Durham, NC headquarters. Nathan’s team leverages flow cytometry to address emerging bioanalytical challenges for large molecule and cellular therapeutics
- Wednesday, May 19, 202111:00 am to 11:30 am
Alum Zoom: Five Career Questions with Mike Jenista, Ph.D.’10, Senior Analytics Software Tester, SAS Institute
As part of a series of short, focused career conversations with former Duke Ph.D. students and postdocs, we'll feature Mike Jenista, Ph.D. '10 (Mathematics), Senior Analytics Software Tester at SAS Institute.
- Tuesday, May 25, 202111:00 am to 11:30 am
Alum Zoom: Five Career Questions with Davide Carozza, PhD’20, Director of Federal Grants, After-School All-Stars
As part of a series of short, focused career conversations with former Duke Ph.D. students and postdocs, we'll feature Davide Carozza, PhD'20 (English), Director of Federal Grants for the national nonprofit organization After-School All-Stars.
- Tuesday, May 25, 20213:00 pm to 3:30 pm
Senior Leadership Insights: A Conversation with Evelyn Murphy ’61, Ph.D.’65, Founder and President, The WAGE Project, Inc.
Join The Graduate School for a series of conversations with alumni reflecting on the role that their Duke education played in their careers. On May 25, we'll feature Economics Ph.D. alumna Dr. Evelyn Murphy, the founder and president of The WAGE Project, Inc., a grassroots nationwide nonprofit dedicated to eliminating the gender wage gap. Dr. Murphy is also the former Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts—the first woman in the state's history to hold a constitutional office—and the author of Getting Even: Why Women Don't Get Paid Like Men and What To Do About It.
- Tuesday, June 1, 20213:00 pm to 3:30 pm
Senior Leadership Insights: A Conversation with Lisa Yvette Waller, Ph.D.’97, Head of School, The Berkeley Carroll School
Join The Graduate School for a series of conversations with alumni reflecting on the role that their Duke education played in their careers. On June 1, we'll feature History Ph.D. alumna Dr. Lisa Yvette Waller, Head of School at The Berkeley Carroll School in Brooklyn, New York—a pre-K-12 independent, preparatory school that draws students from a wide range of neighborhoods throughout the city and beyond. Dr. Waller's research and work to resolve the inequities in U.S. education have made her a leading scholar and speaker on theory and practice related to race and education.
Past Events
- Spring 2021
- Fall 2020
- Summer 2020
- Spring 2020
- Fall 2019
- Summer 2019
- Spring 2019
- Fall 2018
- Spring 2018
- Fall 2017
- Spring 2017
- Fall 2016
- Summer 2016
- Spring 2016
- Fall 2015
- Spring 2015
- Fall 2014
- Spring 2014
- Fall 2013
- Summer 2013
Contact
Melissa Bostrom, PhD
Assistant Dean for Graduate Student Professional Development
Duke University Graduate School
melissa.bostrom@duke.edu