The Graduate School Office of Career and Professional Development helps current research degree graduate students in all fields and current postdoctoral scholars to explore career options through individual advising, workshops, and experiential learning opportunities. We strive to empower students, strengthen skill development and professional preparation, demystify the job search process, and connect students to opportunities and resources useful to their career interests.
We Serve:
All research degree students at Cornell (e.g., Ph.D., M.A., M.S., M.F.A.)
All postdoctoral scholars at Cornell (e.g., postdoctoral associates, postdoctoral fellows)
Graduate field representatives to discuss or schedule career and professional development programming
Sarah Day, Program Manager for Professional Development
Sarah Day is the Program Manager for Professional Development in the Office of Career and Professional Development. Since joining the Graduate School in 2021, she has organized and managed key academic success and professional development events such as the Three Minute Thesis (3MT) Competition, the GradConnect Resource Fair, and other Graduate School-wide symposia and series, especially those of the Office of Postdoctoral Studies, and Careers Beyond Academia or Future Faculty and Academic Careers programs.
General service questions and workshop requests for the Graduate School Office of Career and Professional Development.
Colleen McLinn, Associate Dean for Professional Development
Colleen McLinn serves as the Associate Dean for Professional Development at Cornell University Graduate School. In this capacity, she serves as a member of the Graduate School’s Senior Leadership Team and supervises the programs of the Office of Career and Professional Development, including the Office of Postdoctoral Studies. Collectively, these offices support career exploration and skill development for the nearly 5000 research degree students (doctoral and research master’s) enrolled within the Graduate School, as well as more than 700 postdoctoral scholars at Cornell University. Dr. McLinn is the founding director of Future Faculty and Academic Careers programs at the Graduate School, and her workshop and consultation programs prepare interested graduate students and postdocs for successful academic careers through development of teaching, presentation, and research mentorship skills. She is the institutional co-lead on several national initiatives, including managing Cornell’s participation in the North American Center for the Integration of Research, Teaching, and Learning (CIRTL) Network. She contributes to leadership of Cornell’s Three Minute Thesis (3MT) Competition and Faculty Advancing Inclusive Mentoring (FAIM) resource center, and partners with the wider Cornell Career Network on programs and services for graduate students. Dr. McLinn received a Ph.D. in Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior from University of Minnesota.More about Colleen
Let’s connect if you are:
A current PhD student or postdoc seeking advising, application material review, or interview practice for a faculty job search
A current research master’s student interested in professional development advice or review of your academic CV
Looking to develop skills in teaching, research mentoring, and communication for an academic career
Christine Holmes, Director of Postdoctoral Studies
Christine Holmes serves as the Director for Postdoctoral Studies at Cornell University, supporting over 700 postdocs in Ithaca, Geneva, and at Cornell Tech. Christine became the first director of the Office of Postdoctoral Studies in 1995, and prior to that worked in the College of Continuing Education. She received a BS in Management from Nazareth College and an MBA from St. John Fisher College. Prior to joining Cornell, she worked in the trade show industry supporting diverse marketing efforts for her clients. As a member of the Graduate School’s Office of Career and Professional Development, she monitors the status and needs of the campus postdoctoral community, serves as an advocate for postdoctoral issues to the Graduate School and Cornell’s administration, provides career advising for all postdoctoral associates and fellows, and organizes workshops, seminars and social activities for postdocs, including oversight of the new Postdoctoral Association.
Contact Christine at postdocs@cornell.edu or 607-255-5823.
Let’s connect if you are:
A current graduate student considering a postdoctoral position as part of your professional trajectory or in need of advising on a faculty (professorial) job search process (Current graduate students – schedule an appointment)
A current postdoctoral scholar seeking advising on the academic job search, interview, and negotiation process or general advising on success and belonging as a postdoctoral scholar at Cornell (Current postdocs – schedule an appointment)
Marjorie (MJ) Mosereiff, Graduate Career Exploration Specialist
Marjorie (MJ) Mosereiff (she/they) is a multifaceted and energizing higher education professional with extensive experience in career advising and coaching, alumni and employer relationship building, and program management. They are enthusiastic about helping students build a professional development toolbox and inspiring them to be more empowered, proactive, and resilient life-long career decision-makers. They are a certified professional coach through the Academy for Creative Coaching and participated in the Successful Strengths Coaching course with Gallup. Marjorie is also passionate about cultivating safe and accessible educational spaces for all students.
Marjorie is the Graduate Career Exploration Specialist with the Graduate School Office of Career and Professional Development. Prior to their current role, they worked in the career development units in CALS and AAP. They have a master’s degree in Southeast Asian Studies from Cornell University and bachelor’s degrees in Political Science and Russian from West Chester University. More about MJ
Let’s connect if you are:
A PhD or master’s student in the arts, humanities, or social sciences exploring career options
Looking for guidance on how to communicate and align your strengths, skills, and values to varied audiences
Feeling uncertain about your next steps and want support and space to reflect, explore, and plan
Susi Varvayanis, Executive Director of Careers Beyond Academia
Susi Varvayanis is the founding director of Careers Beyond Academia programs at the Cornell University Graduate School. After many years at the bench in virology and cancer cell biology research, as well as managing a flow cytometry core lab, Varvayanis pivoted toward workforce and business development. Along with faculty investigators, Varvayanis directed NIH-funded Broadening Experiences in Scientific Training initiatives at Cornell University from 2013-2019. In her current role as executive director for Careers Beyond Academia, her work integrates experiential learning into graduate education to ensure alignment of skills, experiences, and aspirations with employer needs without contributing to the length of time needed to complete the PhD degree.
Let’s connect if you are:
A current PhD or research master’s student looking to rule in or out various career options
Interested in gaining professional experience during the PhD or discussing doctoral career outcomes data
Wondering what transferrable skills you should develop while completing a research degree
Alumni of Cornell Graduate School and former Cornell postdocs (0-5 years out) – email us to schedule
Cornell Career Network
We strongly recommend checking out the resources of the wider Cornell Career Network managed by our colleagues at university-wide Career Services in Barnes Hall, including the Career Development Toolkit, Handshake for job and internship postings, Interstride for international student resources, and CUeLINKS for connecting with alumni.
