Graduate School

Exploring Career Options in and Outside Academia: Make an Action Plan for Your Future
2024-08-15 14:00 - 15:00 (America/New_York) | Zoom
In this session you will learn how important it can be to keep your options open and how you can take advantage of your time at Cornell to gain experiences that help you rule in or rule out different career sectors based on what you value and in what environments you thrive. You will leave with three things you can do that don’t take long at all that will increase your agency.
Presenters: Susi Varvayanis, executive director, Careers Beyond Academia, and Christine Holmes, director, postdoctoral studies
Register for Exploring Career Options in and Outside Academia: Make an Action Plan for Your Future.

2024 Summer Success Symposium
2024-08-20 10:00 - 15:30 | G10 Biotechnology Building, 526 Campus Road, Ithaca, NY, 14853, United States
The Summer Success Symposium is a professional and community development event for new and continuing doctoral students from across all graduate fields. The symposium has a particular focus on bringing together recipients of graduate fellowships in support of diversity as well as all other doctoral students from backgrounds historically excluded from and underrepresented in the academy. This includes, but is not limited to students who identify as Black, Indigenous, Hispanic/Latina/o/x, and/or Southeast Asian, and/or those that identify as first-generation college (FGC) students, LGBTQQ+ identified students, veterans, students with disabilities, women in STEM, students with DACA status, and others. Master’s degree students interested in pursuing doctoral studies are also welcome to this event.
Through this symposium, participants have the opportunity to form connections and establish community. This symposium also provides participants with the opportunity to engage with successful alumni, faculty, and professionals with shared experiences and identities. Summer Success Symposium keynote and workshop content focus on providing participants with access to knowledge and insights that will help them navigate their successful transition into and progression through their graduate studies.
Registration Required
10:00 am – 10:15 am ET
Check-In
10:15 am – 10:30 am ET
Welcoming Remarks
Speaker: Sara Xayarath Hernández, Associate Dean for Inclusion and Student & Faculty Engagement, Graduate School
10:30 am – 12:00 pm ET
Opening Plenary Session: Values-Driven Leadership in Community-Engaged Scholarship and Practice
Speaker: Ruth C. Browne, Ph.D., President & CEO, Ronald McDonald House of New York, Cornell University – College of Human Ecology Inaugural Flemmie Kittrell Visiting Scholar, and recipient of the Cornell Graduate School Turner Kittrell Medal of Honor
About Dr. Ruth C. Browne
Dr. Ruth C. Browne is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Ronald McDonald House New York (RMH-NY), which provides temporary housing and support for pediatric cancer patients and their families in a caring and secure environment, close to the essential care and resources they need most. Prior to RMH-NY, Dr. Browne was CEO of the Arthur Ashe Institute for Urban Health (AAIUH), a best practice catalyst for interventions that advance health and educational equity solutions for culturally diverse populations locally, nationally, and internationally. Dr. Browne is a founder and a past Principal Investigator and Director of the Brooklyn Health Disparities Center, an NIH funded Center of Excellence.
In 2023, Dr. Browne was named the inaugural Flemmie Kittrell Visiting Scholar for the College of Human Ecology at Cornell University. Additionally, she is an Associate Clinical Professor at SUNY Downstate Medical Center and holds academic appointments in the Schools of Medicine, Health Related Professions, and Public Health. Dr. Browne is the recipient of two Fulbright Scholar Awards and numerous other honors, including the Cornell Graduate School Turner Kittrell Medal of Honor (2023), which recognizes individuals who have made significant national or international contributions to the advancement of diversity, inclusion, and equity in the academy, industry, or the public sector. This award is named for educators and activists Thomas Wyatt Turner, Ph.D. ’21, and Flemmie Pansy Kittrell, M.A. ’30, Ph.D. ’36, the first Black man and woman to earn doctoral degrees from Cornell.
Dr. Browne earned a Bachelor’s Degree from Princeton University, a Master of Public Health and Master of Public Policy from the University of Michigan, and a Doctor of Science from Harvard University School of Public Health.
12:00 pm – 12:30 pm ET
Lunch
12:30 pm – 2:00 pm ET
Alumni Keynote Session
Speaker: Christian D. Guzman, M.S. ‘11, Ph.D. ‘16, Assistant Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Massachusetts Amherst
About Dr. Christian Guzman
Dr. Christian Guzman is an assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering whose work investigates hydrology and water quality in the U.S. and tropical highland regions. His research group focuses on hillslope processes in watersheds, soil erosion, stable water isotopes, and nutrient transport. The research group also investigates environmental processes impacting social vulnerability. Dr. Guzman has a special interest in pursuing scholarship with a socio-hydrological perspective that benefits the local community, nation, and the world, including marginalized and underserved communities.
Dr. Guzman completed his postdoctoral studies at Washington State University with the support of a USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture Postdoctoral Fellowship. He completed his M.S. and Ph.D. at Cornell in Biological and Environmental Engineering where conducted research in Ethiopia, Colombia, and Ithaca, NY under the supervision of Professor Tammo Steenhuis. His doctoral studies were supported by several prestigious fellowships including the NSF GROW/USAID Research and Innovation, NSF Graduate Research, and the Consortium of Universities for the Advancement of Hydrologic Science Pathfinder Graduate Student Fellowships. While at Cornell, he was inducted into the Bouchet Graduate Honor Society and was recognized by Diversity Programs in Engineering as the 2015 Graduate Student of the Year. Before coming to Cornell, Dr. Guzman completed his B.S. in Agricultural and Biological Engineering at the University of Florida.
2:00 pm – 2:15 pm ET
Break
2:15 pm – 3:30 pm ET
Student Panel: Mastering Your Transition Into & Progression Through Graduate School
During this panel discussion with continuing doctoral students from across the disciplines, panelists will candidly discuss their experiences and strategies for making a successful transition into graduate school. They will also share insights on their experiences navigating their ongoing progression through their graduate studies, and their exploration and preparation for various postgraduate career pathways.
Event Sponsors
Graduate School Office of Inclusion & Student Engagement, Diversity Programs in Engineering, and the Cornell Chapter of the Bouchet Graduate Honor Society.
Attribution Statement
This program was modeled in part after PROMISE: Maryland’s NSF AGEP Summer Success Institute. The launch and institutionalization of the Summer Success Symposium benefited from support from the 2016 ETS/CGS Award for Innovation in Promoting Success in Graduate Education and National Science Foundation under Award No. 1647094, CIRTL AGEP Transformation Alliance from 2016-2022. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the Cornell PI team and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.

Dean's Welcome for New Graduate and Professional Students
2024-08-22 09:00 - 10:00 | Bailey Hall, 230 Garden Ave, Ithaca, NY, 14853, United States
Welcome, new graduate and professional students! You’re invited to the Dean’s Welcome on Thursday, August 22, at 9 a.m. in Bailey Hall. The formal program features Cornell Interim President Michael I. Kotlikoff, Graduate School Dean and Vice Provost for Graduate Education Kathryn J. Boor, and a panel of esteemed faculty and students.

Grad Connect: A Resource Fair for Graduate and Professional Degree Students
2024-08-22 10:00 - 13:00 | Barton Hall, 117 Statler Drive, Ithaca, New York, 14853
This collaborative resource fair will allow graduate and professional degree students from across programs to engage with each other while learning more about the resources, offices, and organizations that help support their development and progression at Cornell. Open to incoming and current students. If you need accommodations to participate, please email gradstudentlife@cornell.edu.

NSF GRFP Overview Session
2024-09-06 10:00 - 11:00 | Zoom
The NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) application deadlines are coming up! As a resource for students applying this year, the Graduate School is offering a virtual NSF GRFP Overview session on Sept 6th, from 10-11am that will cover how to create a competitive proposal and share tips from a panel of successful GFRP winners. Register to attend.
This year’s GRFP deadlines:
Chemistry, Geosciences, Mathematical Sciences, Physics and Astronomy, October 15, 2024
Life Sciences, October 16, 2024
Engineering, October 17, 2024
Computer and Information Science and Engineering; Materials Research; Psychology; Social, Behavioral and Economic Sciences; STEM Education and Learning, October 18, 2024
Details about the NSF GRFP program are available at NSF.

Careers Beyond Academia Small Group Discussion
2024-09-10 22:00 - 23:00, 2024-10-09 15:00 - 16:00 | Zoom
Does your career plan need a tune-up? Join us online to find out how we can help you get the most out of Careers Beyond Academia. If you are interested in exploring your options and want to meet colleagues who are considering careers outside of a traditional tenure-track role, sign up for a small group session. Bring your questions, share your career aspirations and trepidations, receive guidance on how to get started on your career search, and specific advice on how to approach your advisor or make a career decision. We’ll exchange tips, tricks, and tools to efficiently explore your options, build your skills and take action to prepare for your future. Feel free to pop in anytime during this hour that suits your schedule. ALL DISCIPLINES WELCOME!

CV To Resume Workshop
2024-09-11 11:00 - 12:00 | Zoom
This online workshop will help you target common terms used in industry, non-profit and government jobs; basic resume structure and tips on highlighting your PhD skillsets to position YOU as the preferred job candidate.
This workshop is open to all PhD students and postdocs.
To Register
For more events, please visit gradcareers.cornell.edu.
Accessibility Requests
We strive to make our events accessible to all community members. Individuals who would like to request accessibility accommodations should contact gradcareers@cornell.edu. We ask that requests be made at least one week in advance to help ensure they can be met.

Create an Employer-Ready LinkedIn Profile
2024-09-16 12:00 - 13:30 | 341 Caldwell Hall, 121 Reservoir Avenue, Ithaca, NY, 14853, United States
We’ll start with a short overview presentation with pro tips on how to use LinkedIn, some exercises to identify a good tagline, and a very interactive session where participants work on their own profiles and critique others’ –so you will need to bring your own computer. Handy tips will be shared among participants at the hands-on session.
Due to the interactive nature of this in-person workshop, we will limit the number of participants to 15. So if something comes up after you register, be sure to let us know so we can invite someone else to take your place.
Register via this Google form for the date that works for you with your Cornell netID.

NSF GRFP proposals: In-person Peer Review Session
2024-09-16 15:00 - 17:00, 2024-09-17 10:00 - 12:00 | 102 Mann Library, 237 Mann Drive, Ithaca, NY, 14853, United States
NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) application deadlines are approaching, and the Graduate School is hosting a series of sessions to help graduate students craft effective GRFP proposals.
For hands-on assistance, two in-person peer review sessions will be held in Mann Library room 102 on September 25, 16 from 3 – 5 p.m. and September 17 from 10 a.m. – 12 p.m. Sign up for a 20-minute appointment at one of these sessions to have your NSF GRF materials peer reviewed by successful GRFP fellows.
Students who sign up for a time slot should plan to provide their peer reviewer with a draft of their application materials via email no less than 24 hours before their peer review appointment. In your email to your reviewer, please make sure you introduce yourself and let them know the time slot you are signed up for. We do not anticipate the peer reviewers having time to do an in-depth review of your materials before your appointment, as this is what the appointment is meant for. However, their ability to do an initial read of your materials before your appointment will help make your time with them more productive.

Graduate Diversity & Inclusion Fall Mixer
2024-09-16 17:00 - 19:00
Graduate Diversity & Inclusion Fall Mixer
Kick off the new academic year with graduate and professional students, postdocs, faculty, staff and other community members to celebrate and develop connections. Finger foods and drinks will be provided. This event is co-hosted by the Graduate School Office of Inclusion & Student Engagement (OISE) and graduate student organizations represented on the Graduate & Professional Student Diversity Council.
When: Sept 16, 2024
Time: 5:00 – 7:00pm
Where: G10 Biotech
Dress: Come as you are!
Register Here

Ask the Advisor
2024-09-17 10:00 - 11:00, 2024-09-20 10:00 - 11:00, 2024-09-24 10:00 - 11:00, 2024-09-27 10:00 - 11:00, 2024-10-01 10:00 - 11:00, 2024-10-04 10:00 - 11:00, 2024-10-08 10:00 - 11:00, 2024-10-11 10:00 - 11:00 and 4 more dates | Big Red Barn, 135 Presidents Way, Ithaca, NY, 14853, United States
The Office of Graduate Student Life is offering drop-in hours with Graduate Student Life Advisor Olivia Hopewell at the Big Red Barn to hear any student life questions every week on Tuesdays and Fridays.

FiGLI Virtual Info & Membership Recruitment Session
2024-10-02 17:30 - 18:30
FiGLI Virtual Info & Membership Recruitment Session
Please join us for our upcoming virtual info session to learn more about efforts to revitalize FiGLI – the First Generation & Low Income Graduate Student Organization! Learn how you can get involved in a community committed to supporting the well-being and sense of belonging of graduate students who are first-generation college graduates!
Date: Oct 2, 2024
Time: 5:30 PM Eastern Time
Register in advance for this meeting:
https://cornell.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJIrdeuvqjIrE9CXxiIEEA4ZUOdcIiDI8t7L
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

Create an Employer-Ready LinkedIn Profile
2024-10-17 14:00 - 15:30 | 276 Caldwell Hall, 121 Reservoir Ave, Ithaca, NY, 14853, United States

Translating Your PhD to Careers in Organized Labor and Museum Curation
2024-10-18 12:00 - 13:15 | 404 Morrill Hall, 159 Central Ave, Ithaca, NY, 14853, United States
Join Careers Beyond Academia for a professional development workshop with Dr. Alana Staiti. Lunch will be provided! Register now to attend.
Speaker Information: Alana Staiti, Ph.D. ’18 (Science & Technology Studies) is a Research and Organizing Manager with the AFL-CIO Dept. of Professional Employees and a former museum curator at the Smithsonian Institution.

OISE Dine & Engage
2024-10-24 16:00 - 17:30 | G01 Biotechnology Building, 215 Tower Rd, Ithaca, NY, 14853, United States
OISE Dine & Engage
The OISE Dine & Engage is a series of informal and intimate dinners where faculty members will have the opportunity to share their life and professional journeys while engaging with our vibrant graduate community. By facilitating these interactions, we aim to cultivate a stronger sense of belonging and boost student-faculty collaboration at Cornell.
This is an initiative of the Graduate School Office of Inclusion and Student Engagement and a testament to our commitment to creating a supportive and inclusive environment where diverse voices are heard, valued, and appreciated.
When: October 24, 2024 (ET)
Where: Biotech G01
Speakers: Dr. Praveen Sethupathy, Chair of Biomedical Sciences, Professor of Physiological Genomics, and Director of the Center for Vertebrate Genomics
RSVP: OISE Dine & Engage
This is a space-limited event. RSVP required!

Debunking Academia vs. Industry Myths: Be the Entrepreneur of Your Own Career
2024-10-24 17:30 - 18:30 | Zoom
The Versatile PhD offers the PhD Pathways Series to provide an “outside the academy” perspective on career preparation and job opportunities across a range of skills, trends and industries. The next session will meet on October 24th to discuss “Debunking Academia vs. Industry Myths: Be the Entrepreneur of Your Own Career” with Dr Kaidi Wu.
Less than a third of PhDs get tenure-track jobs. The vast majority of PhDs are left to figure out the labryinth of a non-academic job market on their own. Yet, the 2024 industry job market is far from the panacea it was touted to be: intense competition, mass layoffs, dwindling job security, rigidity of the 9-to-5, lack of intellectual rigor, discriminatory treatment of international job candidates. This talk will take an honest look at the challenges faced by PhDs in both academia and industry. It will explore ways to design a fulfilling career that ultimately provides stability and security for doing what you enjoy.
Kaidi Wu, Ph.D. helps PhDs create the careers they want in and out of academia. She obtained her piano performance degree from the University of Michigan, went on to receive her PhD in social psychology at the University of Michigan, and completed her postdoc at UC San Diego. She has worked at Amazon, Meta, and Match, and currently helps PhDs realize the tremendous value of their PhD beyond the traditional career pathway.
Register to attend.

Inclusive Teaching Institute for Graduate Students and Postdoctoral Scholars
2024-10-25 09:30 - 15:30 | ILR Conference Center, King-Shaw Hall, 140 Garden Avenue, Ithaca, NY, 14853, United States
This interactive workshop invites participants to reflect and connect with each other to share knowledge, explore how and why social identities come into play in the learning environment, consider how to remove barriers and increase accessibility, and create a plan to support student learning. (Sponsored by the Center for Teaching Innovation and the Graduate School’s Future Faculty and Academic Careers office). More information.
This program is an in-person retreat from 9:30 am – 3:30 pm on Friday, October 25, 2024, with a follow-up 90-minute online (Zoom) workshop the following week required to complete the program. As space in the institute is limited, please register early to save a place. Register for October 2024
If you have any questions please contact Melina Ivanchikova (md734@cornell.edu) at the Center for Teaching Innovation or Colleen McLinn (futurefaculty@cornell.edu) at the Graduate School’s Future Faculty and Academic Careers program.
