Professional Development Working Group

The PDWG supports graduate student professional development!

students working at whiteboard and at table

Launched in 2019, the Professional Development Working Group (PDWG) is a collaborative, cross-functional coalition that convenes regularly to integrate, assess, and promote all of the robust professional development programs, opportunities, and resources offered for graduate students across campus. This group’s shared mission is to expand the availability and visibility of graduate student professional development and to support this strategic priority of the Graduate School.

    PDWG Goals

    • Provide strategic input regarding ways to build a campus ecosystem by engaging all campus stakeholders, academic departments (by division), alumni, and industry partners in collaboration efforts;
    • Organize a menu of programs, opportunities, and resources for the learning and acquisition of the eight core professional development competencies for students at each stage of their graduate education;
    • Identify gaps between graduate students’ needs and Princeton’s current offerings in each competency area and propose ways to address these gaps;
    • Recommend assessment strategies and measurable learning outcomes for graduate student professional development;
    • Identify and expand graduate student fellowships available across campus;
    • Explore ways to share quantitative and qualitative data and develop stories that demonstrate the impact of professional development on the graduate student experience and post-graduation outcomes.
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    “My career has included many surprising twists and turns. Paying attention to what I need to learn, and how I can manage my own learning has helped me to progress. My current work gives me many opportunities to learn new skills, which I find wonderful. I have appreciated the welcoming community provided by GradFUTURES, connecting faculty, staff, graduate students and alums to each other. The conversations are creative and inclusive, and I am grateful for the careful facilitation to help all of us contribute."

    Anu Vedantham, *94 (SPIA), Assistant University Librarian for Research Services

    Current PDWG Members

    Elizabeth Adams
    Executive Director, Office of Research and Project Administration
    Future Faculty Workshop Speaker
    Jill Arbeiter
    Graduate Administrator, Department of Classics
    Professional Development Working Group Member
    Ipsita Dey, GS, ANT
    Professional Development Associate 2023-24
    Steve Gump
    Associate Director of Fellowship Advising, Office of International Programs
    Leanne Horinko
    Graduate Program Assistant, Department of History
    Professional Development Working Group Member
    B. Rose Huber
    GradFUTURES Forum Panelist
    Director of Communications & Senior Writer
    Florence Hudson '80, MAE
    Executive Director, Northeast Big Data Innovation Hub at Columbia University
    Founder & CEO, FDHint, LLC
    GradFUTURES Fellowship Sponsor
    Cornelia Huellstrunk
    Executive Director, The Keller Center
    Professional Development Working Group Member
    University Administrative Fellowship Mentor
    Jessica Leung *19, ARC
    Design Program Manager & Lecturer
    GradFUTURES Forum Speaker
    Camila Llerena-Olivera, GS, CEE
    Professional Development Associate 2023-24
    Anne-Marie Maman '84
    Executive Director of the Princeton Entrepreneurship Council
    Clio Hall Award Recipient
    Shawn Maxam
    Associate Provost for Diversity and Inclusion
    Inclusive Leadership Learning Cohort Speaker & Professional Development Working Group Member
    Clio Hall Award Recipient
    Andrea Morris *99, MOL
    Assistant Dean and Director, Career & Professional Development, Rockefeller University
    GradFUTURES Mentor & Alum-in-Residence (Summer 2022, Spring/Summer 2023)
    Clio Hall Award Recipient
    Laura Murray
    Assistant Director, Learning Programs, The McGraw Center for Teaching and Learning
    University Administrative Fellowship Mentor
    Clio Hall Award Recipient
    Karen Oliver
    Graduate Program Administrator, Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering
    Professional Development Working Group Member
    Pablo Oyler-Castrillo, GS, QCB
    Professional Development Associate 2023-24
    Sacha Patera
    Corporate Engagement and Foundation Relations, Office of Dean for Research
    Future Faculty Workshop Speaker
    Christina Pellicane
    Assistant Director of Innovation, Lead Instructor, I-Corps Northeast Hub, Office of the Dean for Research
    Amy Pszczolkowski
    Associate Director, Graduate Career Development & Alumni Relations, SPIA
    Co-chair, GCC Professional Development Committee
    Clio Hall Award Recipient
    Jill Ray
    Graduate Program Manager, Department of Psychology
    Professional Development Working Group Member
    Tara Ronda
    Program Coordinator, Prison Teaching Initiative
    Professional Development Working Group Member
    Mariyah Salem
    Assistant Director for International Programs
    Professional Development Working Group Member
    Mathilde Sauquet, GS, ART
    Professional Development Associate 2023-24
    Sarah Schwarz
    Associate Director, Teaching Initiatives and Programs for Graduate Students, The McGraw Center
    GradFUTURES Forum Speaker
    Clio Hall Award Recipient
    Wright Seneres
    Social Media and Marketing Specialist, Princeton Entrepreneurship Council
    GradFUTURES Forum Presenter
    Hansen Tjo, GS, CBE
    Professional Development Associate 2023-24
    Anu Vedantham *94, SPIA
    Assistant University Librarian for Teaching, Research and Social Sciences and Liaison for Indigenous Studies
    UAF Mentor & Professional Development Working Group Member
    Clio Hall Award Recipient
    Hellen Wainaina, GS, ENG
    University Administrative Fellow
    Host & Executive Producer, GradFUTURES Podcast
    John Weeren
    Founding Director, Princeton Writes
    Professional Development Working Group Member
    Clio Hall Award Recipient
    Michele Whitlow
    Associate Director of Alumni Affairs, SPIA
    University Administrative Fellowship Program Mentor
    Clio Hall Award Recipient
    Qiqi Yang, GS, EEB
    Professional Development Associate 2023-24
    Julie Yun
    Associate Dean, Office of Diversity and Inclusion, Princeton Engineering
    Future Faculty Workshop Speaker
    Catherine Zandonella
    Senior Associate Director for Communications, Dean for Research
    Tianxia X headshot
    “The style of professional development at Princeton inspires and supports: when I see a common need from interacting with my peers, I set out to seek allies and create solutions so that others will have resources when they encounter the same challenge. GradFUTURES makes my experience at Princeton even more vivid than I expected!” 

    Tianxia Xiao *23 (CHM)