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2025 Ph.D. Connections Conference

Acknowledgments

The University Career Center, Rackham Graduate School, and the Office of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies at the Medical School would like to acknowledge the valuable contributions of the conference planning committee members. The names of our committee members are listed below. Finally, the Ph.D. Connections planning committee would like to acknowledge several staff members from the University Career Center and Rackham Graduate School who each made significant contributions to the logistics and communications for this event; their names are also included below.

Ph.D. Connections Committee Chairs

Kirsten Elling, Ph.D.

Assistant Director for Graduate Student Career Advancement, University Career Center

Maggie Gardner, Ph.D.

Senior Program Manager, STEM Professional Development, Rackham Graduate School

Ph.D. Connections Committee Members

Ioannis Vasileios Chremos, Ph.D.

Program Manager for Career and Professional Development, Office of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies, University of Michigan Medical School

Trish Fugate

Administrative Assistant Senior, Rackham Graduate School

Emily Sferra Kapela, M.A.

Program Coordinator for Career and Professional Development, Office of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies, University of Michigan Medical School

Vibhavari Vempala, Ph.D. Candidate

Engineering Education Research, University of Michigan

Anna Wagner, Ed.D. (anticipated), Ph.D.

Career Coach for Graduate Students, University Career Center

Additional Contributors

Kevin Calhoun

Director, Office of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies, University of Michigan Medical School

Danielle Coleman

Events Coordinator, Rackham Graduate School

Nate Hill

Social Media and Community Engagement Strategist, University Career Center

Louise Jackson

Director, University Career Center

Matt Nelson

Director of Communications, Rackham Graduate School

Bryan Pollard

Events Coordinator, Rackham Graduate School

Laura Schram, Ph.D.

Senior Academic Director, Dean’s Office, Rackham Graduate School

Mike Solomon, Ph.D.

Dean and Vice-Provost for Academic Affairs–Graduate Studies, Rackham Graduate School

Kaylee Steen, Ph.D.

Associate Director of Professional Development and Trainee Support, Office of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies, University of Michigan Medical School

Joelle Fundaro Randall

Assistant Director, University Career Center

Truly Render

Communications Specialist, Rackham Graduate School

Jameson Staneluis

Creative Lead, Rackham Graduate School

Marc Williams

Senior Web Designer, Rackham Graduate School

Rackham Graduate School

Rackham Graduate School offers opportunities, funding, and resources that prepare students to access the wide range of career opportunities available to them. We want to help you:

  • Identify and expand your transferable skills
  • Discover the many career options available to you
  • Gain the skills and experiences to launch your career

The University Career Center

The University Career Center (a unit of Student Life) serves Ph.D. students in a variety of ways and offers expertise on how to conduct non-academic job searches. Ph.D. students are encouraged to access individual appointments, programs, and web resources designed to address their career needs.

The Office of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies

The Office of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies (OGPS) team uses a rigorous and tailored approach in their programs to meet the needs of their graduate, postdoctoral, and postbaccalaureate communities. OGPS programs are intended to empower learners in eight competency areas using a hands-on approach. The eight OGPS competencies include career awareness, skills assessment, knowledge and skill building, communication, learning by engagement, portfolio building, experiential discovery, and job search.

Ph.D. Connections is a career conference designed to support doctoral students and postdoctoral fellows in their exploration of career paths beyond academia. Ph.D. students and postdoctoral fellows will learn about career opportunities beyond the professoriate through engaging sessions with Ph.D. recipients in diverse fields. The conference is co-sponsored by the University Career Center, Rackham Graduate School, and the Office of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies at the University of Michigan Medical School.

Learning Goals

Effectively Explore Careers Beyond the Professoriate

The goals of Ph.D. Connections are to enable students and postdoctoral fellows to:

  • gain an increased awareness of careers available to Ph.D. recipients in a variety of sectors;
  • learn about skills and key competencies that are important in different industries;
  • develop strategies and build networks to explore careers beyond the professoriate.

Register for the Conference

Registration for the 2025 Ph.D. Connections Conference is now open.

Register for the Conference

Schedule

April 3: Virtual Pre-Conference Workshops

10:00 a.m. EDT

Taming the Impostor: Navigating the Ph.D. to Professional Job Search

Presented by Maggie Gardner, Ph.D.

Embarking on the transition from Ph.D. student to professional can be daunting, often accompanied by the emergence of impostor thoughts and feelings. This session provides a space for participants to discuss and explore the complexities of this challenge openly. Through evidence-based strategies and collaborative dialogue, attendees will gain practical insights to effectively manage impostor experiences and confidently navigate the job search process.

12:00 p.m. EDT

Pitch Perfect: Telling Your Research Story

Presented by Anna Wagner, M.A.

Are you interested in learning how to effectively connect with colleagues and prospective employers? Do you want to know how to sell the transferability of your research to a broad industry audience? If so, this integrative workshop will help you develop a strong pitch that can be used in networking opportunities. Come and:

  • learn about the process of networking,
  • develop and practice your pitch, and
  • understand University Career Center networking and career development resources.

2:00 p.m. EDT

Generative AI in the Job Search: Best Practices and Strategies

Presented by Ioannis Vasileios Chremos, Ph.D.

Generative AI (GenAI) tools can be powerful aids in career exploration and the job search process—but they also come with risks and limitations. Knowing when, where, and how to use these tools effectively can help you gain an edge while ensuring your applications remain authentic and professional. In this workshop, we will explore examples, practice AI-assisted job search strategies, and critically evaluate AI-generated content to understand both its strengths and shortcomings. By the end of the session, you will have practical experience with GenAI tools and a clear understanding of how to use them wisely—without letting them take over your job search.

April 4: In-Person Conference

Rackham Graduate School, Fourth Floor

9:30 a.m. Arrival, Registration, and Coffee

10:00 a.m. Networking Roundtables

In this interactive session, you will get a chance to connect with industry experts with Ph.D.s across the disciplines who are working in a wide range of professional fields. Industry experts will introduce themselves, and then participants will be led in semi-structured conversations where they can rotate to talk to many different experts. The goal of this session is for you to build their networks, practice telling your own story, and understand the many paths down which your Ph.D. may take you professionally.

12:00 p.m. Lunch

Further your networking by joining our Industry Experts and your fellow participants for a catered lunch.

  • Rackham 4th Floor Assembly Hall

1:15 p.m. Keynote Address

The Road I’ve Taken
The Road I’ve Taken

So, what do you want to do with that degree?” has been a question that has propelled and troubled the way I think about my career. What value does a PhD add to a social-impact driven career? How do we measure success, in the workplace and for ourselves? Does work-life balance exist? From graduate school to nonprofit executive to becoming a parent, I’ll share insights into my decision making process and lessons I’ve learned through key points in my career and in my personal life. This keynote will reflect on what pursuing an impact-driven career has meant to me, and invite conversation about how the next generation of thought leaders might approach the transition from graduate school to career and beyond.

About Colette Johnson

Executive Director, Business Development and Strategy
The Petey Greene Program
LinkedIn Profile

Colette Johnson leads business development and strategy for the Petey Greene Program (PGP). She provides leadership and support for mission-critical partnerships and initiatives, with a focus on sustainable growth and expansion of PGP’s offerings.

Previously, Colette served as chief program officer and director of operations for Freedom Reads, where she headed partnerships with top-level government officials across 23 states, jurisdictions, and Puerto Rico, and oversaw strategy and program implementation to serve a membership of over 25,000 incarcerated people. From 2017 to 2023, Colette led strategy and operations for Ithaka S+R, a nonprofit strategy consulting firm. During this time, she established and fundraised for strategic portfolios on diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility issues, including higher education in prisons and student basic needs.

Colette received her Ph.D. in English from Princeton University and holds bachelor’s degrees in English and art history from the University of California, Irvine. Her doctoral research focused on the cultural history of how changes in clinical and academic research in the field of child psychology filtered into public policy and broader societal norms. Since 2022, she has served as a board member of the Association of Princeton Graduate Alumni, chairing the Governance Committee from 2022 to 2023.