Conference exposes PhD students to career pathways

The Career Design Center, in partnership with the Graduate School Professional Development team, hosted about 75 PhD students and postdoctoral scholars for a one-day PhD Career Pathways Conference on May 30.

The new conference, which was held in 403 Hayes Hall, featured panels of UB faculty, alumni and industry professionals who exposed attendees to career options in and outside of academia. The initiative came in response to recent collaborative efforts to enhance programming and services for graduate students.

“The Career Design Center and the Graduate School are highly committed to supporting the unique and diverse career needs of doctoral students,” said Trung Nguyen, assistant vice president for student engagement and success. “Bringing doctoral students and alumni together to learn from each other regarding designing their lives and careers provides an opportunity for doctoral students to think creatively about their goals and network with successful professionals from a variety of career paths.”

The conference began with a keynote address from Naveen Bangia, medical and scientific affairs director for Nova Biomedical. Bangia touched on his own experiences working as a faculty member and transitioning into industry to highlight the many ways PhD students can take their careers.

“The No. 1 skill set that doctoral and postdoctoral students have told us they are interested in improving is career management and self-development,” said Elizabeth Colucci, assistant dean for graduate professional development. “Our partnership with the Career Design Center on this conference, workshops and events is critical to that effort. Over the past year, these workshops have been the most successful and well-attended.”

Throughout the day, students attended two panels: one for academic job searching, and another to hear from industry professionals. Students also could choose between two additional tracks. A “Designing Your Life” interactive session highlighted how careers can be part of a fulfilling life, and a professional job search session helped participants build interviewing, resume and negotiation skills for a professional job search.

“I attended the conference because I’m on the job market next year, and I wanted to make sure I knew everything I could about all my options,” said Sydney Jameson-Blowers, a PhD student majoring in Spanish language and literature. “I learned several helpful tips for the academic job market, as well as strategies for determining what jobs in industry could be suitable for me, and how to articulate all the skills I’ve gained during my PhD to those outside my field.”

Following the conference, students and participating PhD professionals gathered for networking and an opportunity to ask additional questions.

“This conference offered skill-building sessions to support students as they increase their understanding of how to apply skills gained from their doctoral programs to a breadth of careers, and to reflect on what might be the right next career step for them,” Nguyen said.