Office of Career and 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 Careers Beyond Academia or Future Faculty and Academic Careers programs.

Contact Sarah at CareerAndProfDev@cornell.edu or 607-255-6741.

Let’s connect if you have:

• General service questions and workshop requests for the Graduate School Office of Career and 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. This office support career exploration and skill development for the nearly 5000 research degree students (doctoral and research master’s) enrolled within the Graduate School. 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 seeking advising, application material review, or interview practice for a postdoctoral or 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 

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 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