Career Development Series

This intentionally-designed series blends OACD programming with top-rated virtual content to give advanced doctoral students and postdoctoral trainees at Pitt access to an expanded set of sessions covering a variety of career development skills, career options, and key transitional steps that will help you identify, prepare for, and succeed in landing the next step of your career (see the career-specific stage and the career transition stage of the ADAPT model for more information).

List of acronyms: BtP: Beyond the Professoriate; HSLS: Health Sciences Library System; NPA: National Postdoctoral Association; OACD: Office of Academic Career Development.

August 13, 2026 Unlocking Global Career Options with Interstride *RECORDING AVAILABLE*

Time: 10-11am ET
Location: Hybrid: Lawrence Hall, Room 105 or via Zoom
Presenter: Karen Chow, PhD

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Description: This session will introduce trainees to Interstride, a resource that helps international students and trainees find jobs and internships in the US and around the world. We will walk through how to use the platform to find jobs based on work authorization and visa type, see an employer's record of H-1B sponsorship, connect with other international students with similar career interests outside your school, and webinars on job search strategies and immigration pathways in the US.

Presenter Bio: Karen Chow, PhD, is the Graduate Career and Professional Development Manager. She is responsible for overseeing a comprehensive suite of programs focused on graduate professional development, with a particular emphasis on supporting doctoral students in their career pathways. This includes leading the Career Design Workshop, managing Interstride for specialized career exploration support for both international and domestic students, and overseeing Graduate Career Foundations, which helps students build essential career-readiness competencies for success beyond graduation. Prior to the University of Pittsburgh, Karen served as a learning scientist at Duolingo where her contributions to the development and successful launch of a new music learning app earned recognition in TIME’s “Best Inventions of 2023.” She has also co-sponsored and led various professional development programs as part of University of Pennsylvania's Data Driven Discovery Initiative. Karen holds a PhD in Cognitive Psychology and an MA in Psychology from the University at Buffalo.

August 24-28, 2026 BtP: Academic Job Market Boot Camp

Provided by Beyond the Professoriate

Time: 12-12:45pm ET
Location: Virtual

Description: Doctoral students and postdocs entering the academic job market today face fewer available positions and significantly more competition than in previous years. In this environment, a strong application package is essential to how you are evaluated by hiring committees. But many doctoral students and postdocs are uncertain about what these documents should include — and how to write them effectively.

This five-day virtual boot camp is designed to help you build and strengthen each component of your academic application package. Each session focuses on a specific document, giving you the knowledge and strategies to present yourself clearly and professionally as an educator and scholar.

Unable to attend a session live? Replays will be available — register in advance to receive access.

This boot camp is designed for doctoral students, PhDs, and postdocs from all academic disciplines who are preparing to apply for faculty positions.

Aug 24: Cover Letters
Aug 25: Research Statements
Aug 26: Teaching Statements
Aug 27: Teaching Portfolios
Aug 28: What If I Am Not Successful This Year?

The webinar will be held via Zoom webinar and will be recorded.

To register, log into Beyond the Professoriate, select "through your institution" (Pitt), and then REGISTER HERE. Advanced registration is required.

Please also be sure to mark “member@beyondprof.com” as a safe sender to receive our email reminders.

August 26, 2026 OACD: Certification in STEM Teaching: Pitt CIRTL *RECORDING AVAILABLE*

Time: 4-5 pm ET
Location: Virtual
Presenter: April Dukes, PhD

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Description: Are you interested in pursuing a career in academia or enhancing your teaching, mentoring and advising skills? This session provides information about the free on-campus and online programming and certification program designed to help develop the skills needed for a professional career in STEM. The University of Pittsburgh is one of over 40 higher education institutions that partner with the Center for the Integration of Research, Teaching, and Learning (CIRTL) to provide professional development to STEM graduate students, postdocs, and new faculty. Attend this session to learn about the three levels of certification in STEM teaching and determine what you need to do to advance your career in academia!

Speaker Bio: Dr. April Dukes is the Faculty and Future Faculty Program Director for the Engineering Educational Research Center (EERC) and the Institutional Co-leader for Pitt-CIRTL at the University of Pittsburgh. Dr. Dukes' current research and professional development efforts focus on two critical areas shaping the future of higher education. She serves as Senior Staff on a major National Science Foundation (NSF) project to create and validate a Personalized Learning Model (PLM) for STEM graduate education. This work is dedicated to increasing inclusivity by replacing "one-size-fits-all" training with flexible, student-centered pathways tailored to individual backgrounds and career goals. Additionally, she leads research into effective strategies for implementing the ethical and responsible use of generative AI in teaching, learning, and faculty professional development.

September 2, 2026 BtP: How to Use the PhD Career Training Platform in Your Job Search

Provided by Beyond the Professoriate

Time: 12-12:45pm ET
Location: Virtual

Description: Starting a job search as a PhD can feel overwhelming — especially when most job searches take 6+ months to explore career options, build a network, and apply strategically to positions. Knowing where to begin makes a significant difference in how prepared and focused you are throughout the process.

So what can you do today to set yourself up for a successful job search?

In this webinar, you will learn how to make the most of the PhD Career Training Platform. Access to this platform means you have a research-informed toolkit designed specifically to support doctoral students and postdocs in both academic and nonacademic job searches — so you can move forward with a clear strategy from day one.

This webinar is designed for doctoral students, PhDs, and postdocs who are wondering:

How do I get started on the PhD Career Training Platform?
What resources are available to support my academic or nonacademic job search?
How long does a job search typically take, and what should I be doing right now?

The webinar will be held via Zoom webinar and will be recorded.

To register, log into Beyond the Professoriate, select "through your institution" (Pitt), and then REGISTER HERE. Advanced registration is required.

Please also be sure to mark “member@beyondprof.com” as a safe sender to receive our email reminders.

September 8, 2026 OACD: Find Your Dream Career: Discovering Your Path with PerL

Time: 9-9:30 am ET
Location: Virtual
Presenter: Laura Miller, PhD, PC

Sign up for the fall 2026 Cohort version of this program: learn more here

Description: Learn how to unlock your career potential with the impactful PerL Program! Are you ready to transform your career path? Learn about the dynamic, cohort-based program tailored for Pitt trainees! You'll discover clarity and confidence in your career goals with 30-minute group meetings over as few as five sesssions in September and October.

Connect with motivated peers, dive into insightful discussions, and uncover actionable steps that propel your future! Enjoy self-paced activities that let you explore your aspirations in depth, all within a supportive community dedicated to your success.

Don’t let uncertainty hold you back! Seize this opportunity to unlock the doors to your future and turn your career dreams into reality. Register today for the info session and step boldly into the next chapter of your professional life!

To sign up for the fall cohort without attending the session, learn more here!

Presenter Bio: Laura Miller, PhD, PC, received her PhD in Medical Neurobiology from Indiana University School of Medicine and is the Director of the Office of Academic Career Development (OACD) for the University of Pittsburgh Schools of the Health Sciences. She is responsible for the strategic planning, development, marketing, execution, and assessment of career development programs, workshops, and special events for biomedical scientists, clinical researchers, and trainees across all six schools of the health sciences to develop leaders and drive career excellence. In this role, she developed the Personal Assessments to Launch, or PerL, program, an easy, step-wise process to support Pitt trainees in identifying their ideal career that was piloted in 2024 and is now available to all Pitt trainees in the health sciences.

September 16, 2026 BtP: Is a Faculty Job Right for You?

Provided by Beyond the Professoriate

Time: 12-12:45pm ET
Location: Virtual

Description: Many doctoral students and postdocs enter their PhD program with the goal of becoming a university professor. But today's academic job market is highly competitive, and a tenure-track role may not be the right fit for everyone. As your values, life circumstances, and career goals evolve, it is important to reassess what career paths align with your personal and professional needs.

Join the Beyond Prof team for this webinar where we'll walk you through the key factors to consider as you evaluate whether a faculty career is the right path for you. PhDs are building careers in a wide range of roles — both within and beyond academia — and understanding your options is an important first step.

To register, log into Beyond the Professoriate, select "through your institution" (Pitt), and then REGISTER HERE. Advanced registration is required.

Please also be sure to mark “member@beyondprof.com” as a safe sender to receive our email reminders.

October 7, 2026 BtP: The Key Difference Between Academic and Nonacademic Hiring — and What It Means for Your Job Search

Provided by Beyond the Professoriate

Time: 12-12:45pm ET
Location: Virtual

Description: As a PhD exploring your career options, one of the most important things to understand is that academic and nonacademic employers value very different aspects of your PhD training and experience.

This means that to job search effectively — in academia or beyond — you need to understand what each type of employer is looking for and adopt a strategy accordingly.

This webinar is designed for doctoral students, PhDs, and postdocs from all academic disciplines who are wondering:

How is academic hiring different from nonacademic hiring?
What do nonacademic employers look for in a candidate, and how will that affect my job search?
Why do I need to focus my job search on a specific career pathway?

To register, log into Beyond the Professoriate, select "through your institution" (Pitt), and then REGISTER HERE. Advanced registration is required.

Please also be sure to mark “member@beyondprof.com” as a safe sender to receive our email reminders.

November 4, 2026 BtP: How to Research Career Options in Industry

Provided via the National Postdoctoral Association (NPA)

Time: 12-12:45pm ET
Location: Virtual

Description: One of the most common struggles PhDs face early in their job search is identifying nonacademic career options that feel like a genuine fit. With a highly specialized background, it can be difficult to know where to begin — or how to evaluate whether a career path aligns with your skills, values, and goals.

But career exploration does not have to be an overwhelming process. With the right framework, you can identify career pathways that make sense for your background and take concrete steps toward your job search.

Join the Beyond Prof team for this webinar where you’ll learn how to begin identifying and researching nonacademic career options that align with your background and professional goals.

This webinar is designed for doctoral students, PhDs, and postdocs from all academic disciplines who are wondering:

Why is it so difficult to identify career options that align with my background and expertise?
How do I research career options that fit my skills, values, and personal goals?
Once I have identified career options, where do I begin my job search?

The webinar will be held via Zoom webinar and will be recorded.

To register, log into Beyond the Professoriate, select "through your institution" (Pitt), and then REGISTER HERE. Advanced registration is required.

Please also be sure to mark “member@beyondprof.com” as a safe sender to receive our email reminders.

December 3, 2026 OACD: SCIENCE Career Symposium

Time: 3:30-5pm ET
Location: Virtual

Full event schedule coming soon. Description: This annual career symposium is designed to enhance the professional development of postdoctoral fellows and graduate students by providing you with direct access to PhD professionals who have successfully made the transition to exciting careers covering a range of employment settings and job sectors. The virtual format, which uses a series of breakout rooms, provides you the opportunity to meet alumni in a small group setting so you can learn about diverse career paths and ask your own questions. Feedback from past symposia:

"It was so valuable being able to engage with post-PhD professionals who spoke candidly about their decisions in choosing their path/career."
"This session provided real advice from those in the field currently."
"Now I know which topics I need to focus on to improve the development of my science career."
"There was a lot of valuable information, especially how a career in academia is no longer the only or the most succesful career path for PhD holders."
"It was a great opportunity to interact with experts!"
"I didn't know much about other job opportunities outside of academia and industry so I appreciated having other people (like science policy) there."
"It was really valuable hearing how the panel leaders prepared themselves for their given careers."
"This program provides you the opportunity to ask specific questions related to your personal doubts about a science career."
"I think it is a good program for PhD students who are unsure of whether to do a postdoc next or make a leap outside of academia."
"It was valuable learning about the different career options and how to get there."

December 15, 2026 NPA: Planning for Teaching Excellence

Provided via the National Postdoctoral Association (NPA)

Time: 3-4pm ET
Location: Virtual

Description: Transitioning from researcher to instructor can be daunting. In this workshop postdocs will explore some of the evidence-based teaching practices related to how people learn, planning, and instruction. Participants will leave this session with actionable insights to start designing and/or adapting their future courses with a measurable impact on student learning and engagement.

Register here after logging into the NPA site.

If you are not yet a member of the NPA, join here as an "Affiliate Individual Member" Graduate Student, Postdoc, or Other, and select the University of Pittsburgh as your institution.

VIEW PAST SERIES:

Spring 2026 Career Development Series
Fall 2025 Career Development Series
Spring 2025 Career Development Series
Fall 2024 Career Development Series
Spring 2024 Career Development Series
Fall 2023 Career Development Series
Spring 2023 Career Development Series
Fall 2022 Career Development Series
2021-2022 Professionalism Series