Career Development Resources

4th Annual CBI Career Development Conference
On August 7-9, 2016, the University of Michigan CBI Program hosted a Career Development Conference that brought together >130 chemical biology graduate students from 12 CBI programs across the Midwest. We used this opportunity to develop a fantastic cohort of 25 panelists across science-related careers. The three-day agenda included sessions on entrepreneurial opportunities, government, biotech, pharmaceuticals, agrochemicals, scientific writing, law and intellectual property, consulting, predominantly undergraduate institution academic, science education, and research university academic careers. Additionally, workshops were held on constructing resumes, applying for postdoctoral and academic positions, communicating science to the general public, and a faculty-focused workshop was held on developing mentoring relationships with trainees. See the welcome message from conference organizer Professor John Montgomery.

Department of Chemistry

The Chemistry Professional Development Organization (CPDO) is a student-run organization dedicated to aiding students and postdocs at the University of Michigan in the exploration of career options, professional skill development, and resource building. The events have included panel discussions on work life, job-searching in industry, academia, and postdoc environments. Additionally they have held workshops on grant writing, negotiation skills, networking skills, resume writing, as well as mock faculty and industrial job talks. They held a mini-course on professional development entitled ‘Prepared for Life After Graduate School’ (PfLAGS) in 2012, through the American Chemistry Society.

The CPDO maintains a listing of many professional development opportunities throughout the university.http://www.umich.edu/~chempdo/resources.html.

Program in Chemical Biology

The Program in Chemical Biology has a Future Faculty Development program sponsored by the Department of Education (Interdisciplinary GAANN in the Program in Chemical Biology), which provides specific foundational training and mentoring to graduate students interested in faculty careers. Students who become GAANN fellows complete coursework at the School of Education, receive additional mentoring in their career development plans, and complete one education-related project prior to graduation.

Program in Biomedical Sciences

Pharmacology 502: Designed for second year graduate students, this one term course provides hands-on training in scientific communication. This includes preparing and giving a short oral presentation with extensive feedback. Additionally students write an F31 NIH proposal with the goal of obtaining independent funding for their research project.

Center for Research on Learning and Teaching

CRLT offers a Preparing Future Faculty workshop. This activity is designed to help prepare senior graduate students for faculty positions. Topics covered include preparation for an academic job search, including assistance with the creation of a statement of teaching philosophy and a syllabus; information about higher education (e.g., institutional types, the nature of today’s students, tenure, and faculty worklife), and field trips to local college campuses; and discussion of effective and reflective teaching, including meetings with University of Michigan junior faculty members, conversations about multicultural teaching and learning, and demonstrations of and reflection on the use of instructional technology.

CRLT also offers the opportunity for students to participate as a Graduate Teaching Consultant (GTC). The GTCs are UM graduate students, current and former teaching assistants, representing a broad range of fields, who consult with teaching assistants across campus on teaching and learning. They also often facilitate workshops and contribute to our new teaching assistant training programs.

CRLT offers a seminar series on teaching and learning. These programs provide an opportunity for participants to share ideas across disciplines, improve their teaching skills, expand their repertoire of teaching methods, and gain new perspectives on teaching at Michigan. The seminars are conducted by CRLT professional staff, U-M faculty members and experienced GSIs, and guest presenters from other campuses.

A variety of other resources are available through CRLT

University of Michigan Career Center

The career center offers information and workshops on many topics related to the job search process

Dual Degree / Certificate Programs

Programs available that facilitate entry by students into cross-cutting fields or provide specific professional training: