Professional Development in Research and Academia

1 Credit

The purpose of this seminar is to complement your honors project with practical advice on how to navigate successful careers in research and academia. As you progress through your undergraduate years (especially if you work in a lab), you will likely make several unofficial observations about life as a graduate student, postdoc, or professor, and overhear conversations that include new terminology that may be confusing (e.g., research mentorship, grants, conference abstract, tenure). This can create a mysterious aura around what it is like to obtain your PhD and work in academia generally. In this class, we will cover tips and skills that are often passed along informally in the lab; but here, we will discuss these issues overtly from a range of perspectives, experiences, and best practices.