Four faculty members have been recognized and will receive funding under a new professional development initiative of the Graduate School.

Carolina Mangone, Associate Professor of Art & Archaeology; Edward Baring, Associate Professor of History and Human Values; Adam Goldstein, Associate Professor of Sociology and Public Affairs; and Hakan Türeci, Associate Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Director of Graduate Studies, are the first faculty to be supported through the new Faculty Fellows in Professional Development Innovation initiative.

The new program reflects the Graduate School's emphasis on faculty-led, student-centered professional development programming.

Under the auspices of GradFUTURES, the Graduate School's professional development hub for graduate students, the new program supports visionary faculty who act as a sounding board for graduate students within their department, helping students identify their own unique and evolving interests, build new skills, and explore potential emerging career pathways. These faculty work with graduate students within their departments to co-create professional development program proposals. Depending on the format and scope of the program, funding awards may range from $500 to $2,000 for a one-time event and between $2,100 to $10,000 for a longer-term initiative. 

"Graduate student professional development is more than a mechanism to empower students as they consider their many possible futures. The skills that graduate students acquire through dynamic professional development experiences add dimension to their research while shining new light on where their scholarship can take them," says Rodney D. Priestley, Dean of the Graduate School, Pomeroy and Betty Perry Smith Professor of Chemical and Biological Engineering. 

In addition to launching professional development programs in their departments, faculty fellows convene twice annually to discuss program goals, plans, results, and feedback. The aim is to share knowledge and promote a culture of graduate professional development that directly addresses the needs of graduate students.

Innovative Programming Across Fields

Reflecting the wide range of research interests and pathways of Princeton's graduate student community, individual program designs and intended learning outcomes vary. Still, the programs all aim to fit the needs of their students throughout the graduate lifecycle. The inaugural class of faculty fellows spans fields including Art & Archeology, Electrical and Computer Engineering, History, and Sociology.

Carolina Mangone, Associate Professor of Art & Archaeology

Career Exploration Series for Art & Archaeology Graduate Students

Designed in response to a spring 2024 graduate student survey, which revealed high demand for career preparedness events—particularly around non-teaching professional paths, this series consists of two career panels with art historians practicing beyond the tenure track. The panels, designed to complement departmental programming centered on fellowship applications and publications, will familiarize students with a diverse range of career possibilities, highlighting transferable skill sets and emphasizing the humanistic values shared by many professional paths. Graduate students will be able to connect with professionals who hold art history PhDs and continue to contribute to the field and to Humanities scholarship in non-teaching roles, providing a relatable and inspiring platform for fruitful conversations and valuable guidance.

Edward Baring, Associate Professor of History and Human Values

Speaking for Impact, Influence & Connection: 2-Day Workshop & Intensive Communication Coaching

Communication coaching involves more than preparing to deliver an important talk and improving one's public speaking abilities. It's about learning how to connect and have an impact every time one speaks. This two-day intensive is not a public speaking course but rather a program intended to help graduate students speak confidently in a range of communication situations and to do so in ways that enhance their ability to create impact, influence, and connection. Facilitator Jo McGinley of 333 Communications has more than three decades of experience working with renowned academics, C-suite executives, Olympic athletes, startup founders, and nonprofit leaders to help them become powerful and engaged communicators. 

Adam Goldstein, Associate Professor of Sociology and Public Affairs

Navigating Options with a Sociology Ph.D.: Stories & Advice

Through a series of alum panels, graduate students will learn more about the range of opportunities in academia, sociological practice, and applied sociology, including post-doctoral fellowships. One panel focuses on the nuances of the sociology academic job market, the pros and cons of post-docs, and navigating careers in non-disciplinary departments such as public policy schools. Another panel serves to demystify pathways beyond the academy through discussions with alums who have applied their discipline-specific training and topical expertise in roles within research institutes, business, planning commissions, and other branches of government. Alum panelists will also share the extent to which they needed to acquire new skill sets and networks when shifting from academic to non-academic careers. 

Hakan Türeci, Associate Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Director of Graduate Studies

Great Presentations: Skills Series for ECE graduate students

The co-curricular Great Presentations skills series will familiarize graduate students, particularly first-gen and international doctoral students in Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) and related fields, with effective science communication and presentation skills expected in the professional field for a disciplinary audience. This Spring 2024 pilot series is intended to lead to a new graduate-level course in ECE, likely in the 2024-25 academic year. It will offer fundamental rhetorical theories of excellent science communication as well as hands-on, interactive application of lessons toward a longer oral presentation in the final class session. The series will be co-led by applied linguist Janet Kayfetz and was designed with the help of graduate student Margarita Belova, an ECE Graduate Committee member.

Emphasis on Lasting Partnership

The Faculty Fellows Program joins an expanding suite of interrelated programs that help graduate students develop a broad spectrum of skills, build social capital, engage in tailored experiential opportunities, and explore pathways within and among disciplines. At the same time, the program builds on the Graduate School's intentional commitment to collaborating with and supporting academic departments as they invest in programming that prepares Ph.D. students for a broad range of careers.

"We're excited to launch this inaugural cohort of Faculty Fellows and look forward to the opportunity to deepen our collaborations with faculty and graduate students across all 45 doctoral departments and programs," says Evangeline "Eva" Kubu, senior associate dean for professional development. "Ultimately, our shared goal is to expand the range of innovative discipline-specific and interdisciplinary professional development programs for graduate students that foster self-efficacy, agency, and success."

Faculty members: learn more and apply here!