Career Development Workshop

Continental Breakfast

Entering Academia: Perspectives from faculty and staff scientists

Description: The task of finding a job in academia can be daunting. How do you prepare during your PhD and postdoc? What are faculty search committees looking for? What are the differences between faculty and staff scientist positions? In this event, we’ll answer these questions and more. Speakers from UC Berkeley and LBNL will discuss their trajectories to faculty and staff scientist positions. Following short presentations, a question-and-answer period will allow audience members to get further insights into the academic application and job search process.

Scientists in Industry: A Panel Discussion

Description: Most scientists with doctoral degrees do not end up teaching or doing research at a university, but rather enter a private company. In this panel, speakers working in industry - at start-ups and small businesses as well as established firms - will describe their motivations for entering industry, as well as how you can prepare during your PhD or postdoc to enter the corporate world.

Speakers: Aaron Hall (Founder, Intopic Materials), Jill Fuss (Managing Director, Activate Berkeley), Wojciech Osowiecki (Product Marketing Engineer, Lam Research)

Considering Careers in Scientific Communication and Policy 

Description: Now more than ever, scientific advances are affecting every aspect of our lives, from health and transportation to education and social interaction. The ubiquity of ever-evolving technology makes it essential that members of the general public understand scientific developments. At the same time, new technologies introduce challenges to our legal and public policy frameworks. In this discussion, speakers from the fields of scientific communication and scientific policy will discuss their work and describe what opportunities are available for candidates with research backgrounds.

Speakers: Clarissa Bhargava (Federal Relations Officer, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory; prior work experience: IEEE-USA/AAAS Congressional Science & Engineering Fellow, U.S. Senate)