Home Professional Development Ph.D. Connections Conference About the Ph.D. Connections Conference About the Ph.D. Connections Conference Ph.D. Connections is an annual career conference at the end of the winter term designed to support doctoral students and postdoctoral fellows in exploring 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. I gained a lot from the Pitch Perfect event in particular. Anna's presentation style was approachable, informative, and encouraging.” 2025 Attendee The networking event was very helpful in learning about different career paths, meeting people who are working outside of academia, but also connecting with current U-M students who are in similar places in their career as me. Having those connections will be invaluable moving forward.” 2025 Attendee This session helped me to see that I'm not alone. Imposter phenomenon can hamper the job search and there were helpful suggestions for how to work through these feelings, to make sure I don't count myself out for applying to jobs I don't fit all criteria for and for preparing for an interview.” 2024 Attendee The speakers were terrific and I’m considering reaching out to several of them.” 2022 Attendee Prev Next Learning Goals Past Workshop Topics Industries Represented Past Keynote Addresses Acknowledgments Learning Goals 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. Past Workshop Topics Back to Top Taming the Imposter: Navigating the Ph.D. to Professional Job Search Pitch Perfect: Telling Your Research Story Generative AI in the Job Search: Best Practices and Strategies Strategies for Talking to Your Mentors About Your Career Transferable Skills: Identifying and Communicating Your Skills Designing Your Life: Odyssey Planning Negotiation Strategies Cultivating Your Professional Network Industries Represented Back to Top The following industries have been represented in career panels and networking events Business and Life Science Consulting Finance Government Healthcare, Pharma, and Biotech Nonprofits Academic Administration Technology Think Tanks Writing and Publishing Past Keynote Addresses Back to Top 2025 “The Road I’ve Taken” Colette Johnson, Ph.D. Executive Director, Business Development and Strategy The Petey Greene Program 2024 “Finding My Voice: A Journey of Self-Advocacy and Belonging in Academia & Beyond” Rashni Rao, Ph.D. Executive Director of Doctoral and Postdoctoral Career Design Director, Phutures Johns Hopkins University 2023 “The Alignment Quest: Aligning Strengths, Values, and Differences to Maximize our Collective Potential” Laura Morgan Roberts, Ph.D. CEO and Founder, The Alignment Quest Enterprise, LLC Frank M. Sands Associate Professor of Business Administration, Darden School of Business, University of Virginia Faculty Affiliate, Center for Positive Organizations, University of Michigan 2022 “A New Dream Job: Your Game Plan to Launching a Successful Career Outside the Academy” Elizabeth Segran, Ph.D. Senior Staff Writer, Fast Company Author, The Rocket Years: How Your Twenties Launch the Rest of Your Life 2021 Melanie Sinche, M.Ed., M.A. Executive Director, Women’s Leadership Center Director, Career Development Center Interim Assistant Dean for Academic Affairs, University of St. Joseph Author, Next Gen Ph.D.: A Guide to Career Paths in Science 2019 L. Maren Wood, Ph.D. Co-Founder, Beyond the Professoriate 2018 “Discover Your Options After Graduate School” Fatimah Williams, Ph.D. Founder and CEO, Beyond the Tenure Track Author, Be Bold: Launch Your Job Search or Career Change with Confidence and Options for Success Acknowledgments Back to Top 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 Current/2026 Ph.D. Connections Committee Members Trish Fugate, Administrative Assistant Senior, Rackham Graduate School Emily Sferra Kapela, M.A., Program Specialist for Career and Professional Development, Office of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies, University of Michigan Medical School Anna Wagner, Ed.D. (anticipated), M.A., Career Coach for Graduate Students, University Career Center Additional Contributors Ioannis Vasileios Chremos, Ph.D., Program Manager for Career and Professional Development, Office of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies, University of Michigan Medical School 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 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: career awareness, skills assessment, knowledge and skill building, communication, learning by engagement, portfolio building, experiential discovery, and the job search.
