June 3, 2020

Part I (11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.)

Career Panel Discussion: Careers in and Beyond Academia 

Moderator: Susi Varvayanis, executive director of Careers Beyond Academia

Panelists:

• Jennifer Urban, M.A. ’06, Ph.D. ’08 (human development), author of “Building a Career Outside Academia: A Guide for Doctoral Students in the Behavioral and Social Sciences“, and professor of family science and human development, Montclair State University

• Jeremy Urban, Ph.D. ’07 (physics), director, people analytics, Taboola

• Mary Centrella, Ph.D. ’19 (entomology), director and educator for Cornell Cooperative Extension’s Pesticide Management Education Program, Cornell University

• Virginia Kennedy, Ph.D. ’12 (English), interim head of school, English department chair & director of sustainable programs and curriculum, West Nottingham Academy

• BJ Bormann, Ph.D. (biomedical sciences), vice president for translational science and network alliances, The Jackson Laboratory

Session Summary: Hear directly from Cornell graduate alumni and professionals who have pursued a variety of careers in and beyond academia. Learn insights into how their graduate training prepared them for their varied roles and how they leveraged their transferable skills to pursue and progress in their chosen career pathways. 

June 4, 2020

Part II (11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.)

Workshop: Facing an Uncertain Future Without Losing Yourself

Mia Tootill, M.A. ’13, Ph.D. ’17 (musicology), LMSW, CMT-P, psychotherapist and mindfulness teacher

Session Summary: With many challenges upon us, it is easy to lose our drive and desire, forgo meaningful connections with others, and question everything around us. Being a graduate student today can be particularly overwhelming, due to the already tenuous nature of the job market, the ever-pervasive “imposter syndrome”, and increased unknowns of how academia will be affected by the coronavirus crisis. It has become more important than ever to be able to see ourselves in a more expansive way, not solely as academics or defined by our intelligence, but as humans who each have unique contributions to share with the world. From this viewpoint, we can approach the future from a place of strength and resilience, knowing that we can face whatever obstacles arise. Join alumna and psychotherapist Dr. Mia Tootill who will take us through an interactive and reflective process to reaffirm our core selves and to address common blocks to validating our self-worth and overcoming the shame spiral. She will offer tools from psychological and mindfulness research and speak from her own personal and professional experiences as someone who navigated these challenges successfully herself and is now helping others do the same. If you are interested more specifically in psychotherapy as a profession, Dr. Tootill will be available after the talk from 12:00 – 12:30 p.m. to answer questions about career transitions.

Part III (1:00 pm – 2:00 pm)

Workshop: Reframing Yourself for Your Job Search

Denise DiRienzo, Ed.D. experiential program director, Careers Beyond Academia

Session Summary: This session will be focused on Ph.D. students and postdocs in the humanities, arts, and social sciences. Do you ever wonder how your skills could transfer to multiple career pathways? Bring your computer, spirit of adventure, and a job advertisement or description of your dream job to this workshop where we will explore career options, strategies, and techniques to prepare for employment opportunities in multiple sectors beyond academia.