Ph.D. Career Stories: The Good, The Messy, and The Pivot
August 5 @ 4:30 pm - 5:30 pm
Join us for Ph.D. Career Stories: The Good, the Messy, and the Pivot—a virtual conversation series featuring Cornell alumni who hold doctoral degrees and have built dynamic careers beyond academia.
In this session, you’ll hear from Marisa Turesky, Ph.D. (Director of Research & Evaluation, Mockingbird Analytics) and Sena Aydin Bergfalk, Ph.D. (Lead Service Designer & Design Researcher, SNGULAR), two interdisciplinary professionals working at the intersection of urban policy, equity-centered research, and human-centered design.
They’ll reflect on how their Ph.D. training shaped their work, the pivots they made, and what it means to build mission-driven careers in complex, evolving industries.
What to expect:
- Honest, informal conversation—no slides or scripts
- Insightful reflections from two Ph.D.-trained practitioners
- Space for Q&A with students exploring careers beyond academia
Whether you’re actively exploring careers beyond academia or simply curious about what’s possible, this session offers a unique opportunity to hear from those who’ve charted new paths—with all the complexity, creativity, and learning that comes with it.
Marisa Turesky is a community-based researcher and educator focused on equity in urban policy. She is Director of Research at Mockingbird Analytics, a Visiting Professor at UC Berkeley, and serves on the Board of Drag Performers United. Her work integrates trauma-informed and participatory action research to explore how identity shapes access to space and services. She holds a Ph.D. in Urban Planning & Development from the University of Southern California and a M.R.P. from Cornell University.
Sena Aydin Bergfalk is a cultural anthropologist who works at the intersection of design research, strategy, and facilitation. She shapes service design projects across B2B and B2C ecosystems using a critical ethnographic lens to uncover assumptions and design services that connect business goals with human experiences. Sena earned a Ph.D. in Anthropology from Cornell in 2023 and is currently the Lead Service Designer at Sngular.
