Good Morning,
It is my pleasure to announce two speakers visiting UConn this spring sponsored by The Graduate School, The School of Engineering, The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and the Center for Career Development.
Last year our invited speakers, Dr. Susan Basalla May and Mr. Zack Marks, focused their workshops on understanding and creating career pathways for students in the humanities and social science fields. This spring, we are pleased to host two speakers with specialization in career pathways for the STEM fields.
Mark your calendars!
BOTH sessions take place in the Student Union - Room 304
March 30, 2017 – Melanie Sinche
Next Gen PhD: Where PhDs Land and How to Get There
How can you maximize your time in graduate school and/or during postdoctoral training? What strategies can you use for landing a satisfying occupation? This presentation will provide an up-to-date assessment of the current career landscape facing science PhDs. Author Melanie Sinche will share proven strategies based on her research and profiles of science PhDs across a wide range of disciplines. Her research identified transferable skills from PhDs and career paths in a range of options, including education, industry, and non-profits.
- 2:30-4:00 – Student Presentation/Coffee Break
Sinche Biography:
A nationally certified career counselor focused on STEM careers at the PhD level, Melanie Sinche recently published NEXT GEN PHD: A Guide to Career Paths in Science through Harvard University Press. This work contains information on how to navigate the vast array of careers available to PhDs in science. It also includes original survey research data collected by the author from a large sample of recent (PhD recipients.
Melanie also serves as the Director of Education for the Jackson Laboratory for Genomic Medicine in Farmington, CT. In this role, she works directly with faculty, predocs, and postdocs at the Jackson Laboratory, assisting with their career and professional development.
She previously served as Senior Research Associate at the Labor & Worklife Program in Harvard Law School, analyzing data collected through a survey study entitled "Identifying Career Pathways for PhDs in Science." Prior to working with HLS, she served as the Founding Director of the FAS Office of Postdoctoral Affairs at Harvard University. She is an accomplished career counselor, trainer, and speaker. In addition to building three career centers for graduate students and postdoctoral scholars, she has offered career development presentations and training sessions for universities, government agencies, professional associations, and non-profit organizations across the country and is available to speak to small and large audiences alike on career development topics for graduate students and postdoctoral scholars.
Specialties: Lectures/presentations to large audiences, knowledge of scientific careers, career services to graduate students and postdoctoral scholars
April 27, 2017 Cynthia. Fuhrmann, Ph.D.
Navigating toward your future can be daunting. Regardless of the career path(s) you are pursuing, today’s scientist faces a competitive job market that rewards productivity in the lab, stellar communication skills, a strong professional network, and professional confidence. Creating an Individual Development Plan (IDP) is one way to help you strategically work toward these goals, advocate for yourself, and take advantage of lucky opportunities that might come along. This workshop is designed to prepare scientists for creating their IDP, with practical strategies for evaluating career options, setting achievable goals, engaging mentors, and adapting to change as your plan progresses. Taught by myIDP co-author Cynthia Fuhrmann, this interactive workshop will propel you toward the next step along your career trajectory.
- 2:30-4:00pm – Student Presentation/Coffee Break
Fuhrmann Biography:
Cynthia Fuhrmann is Assistant Dean, Career & Professional Development and Assistant Professor of Biochemistry & Molecular Pharmacology in the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences at the University of Massachusetts Medical School (UMMS). As PI of grants from the National Institute of Health and Burroughs Wellcome Fund, Cynthia leads efforts to integrate professional development into the graduate school’s curriculum and founded UMMS’s Center for Biomedical Career Development. Cynthia transitioned to UMMS in September 2012 from University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), where she founded the Preparing Future Faculty program and oversaw professional skills programs for biomedical scientists. Cynthia co-authored myIDP, an interactive career-planning website launched in 2012 on Science Careers. A PhD-trained scientist herself, she has great interest in national issues related to career development for PhD life scientists. Her work in this areas has been highlighted in Science, Nature Careers, NIH Biomedical Workforce Report, NIH Extramural Nexus Newsletter, Inside Higher Ed, and the Chronicle of Higher Education.
For more information, contact: Victoria Blodgett at victoria.blodgett@uconn.edu