Student, Faculty, Alumni/ae Champion | Professional Development

Deborah Schlein *19 (NES)

Deborah Schlein is the Near Eastern Studies Librarian at Princeton University Library. She received her PhD in Near Eastern Studies, also from Princeton, in 2019, and then spent a year as a Provost's Postdoctoral Librarian Fellow at New York University. In her day-to-day job, Deborah works closely with faculty, students, and researchers whose interests in the Middle East, North Africa, and the larger Islamic world lead them to Princeton's strong Near Eastern Studies collections.
Drew Harker *81, SPIA

After graduating from SPIA in 1981, I served on the professional staff of the Senate Armed Services Committee. I handled foreign policy and international security issues for the Committee from 1981 to 1986. One of my mentors from three summer internships at the State Department opened the door for me with the Committee. After leaving the Committee, I practiced law with Arnold & Porter, a Washington, DC based law firm. My practice focused on government contracts, international law, and Congressional affairs.
Kim Lane Scheppele

"In these challenging times, it is good to know that someone with a PhD can launch many different types of careers – and that the Graduate School can launch many different types of graduate students
Sophal Ear *97, SPIA

Re-elected to the Crescenta Valley Town Council in November 2018 to a second 3-year term, encompassing more than 22,000 residents in unincorporated Los Angeles County, California, Sophal Ear, PhD, is a tenured Associate Professor of Diplomacy & World Affairs at Occidental College in Los Angeles where he lectures on political economy, security, development, and Asia. Previously, he taught how to rebuild countries after wars at the U.S.
Julian Dierkes *03, SOC

After Princeton and a Post-Doc, I've been teaching at the University of British Columbia since 2002. From a theory-driven focus on sociology, I migrated to a more policy-focused regional studies concentration on Japan and now, for the past 10 years in particular, Mongolia. I've been an associate dean since 2018.
Julio Herrera Estrada *17, CEE

I am an Applied Scientist at Descartes Labs, a startup that develops software for geospatial data analyses and related solutions for businesses and government. As an Applied Scientist, I help teams advance their progress towards their sustainability goals and understand the impacts of climate variability by using statistical and machine learning methods combined with satellite imagery and climate data.
Genevieve Allotey-Pappoe GS, MUS

"The GradFutures program is a great initiative for the professional development of graduate students at Princeton."
Vikram Pansare *15, CBE

Following graduation from Purdue University, I worked in the lab of Prof. Robert K. Prud'homme in the Department of Biological and Chemical Engineering at Princeton where I completed my PhD in 2015. My thesis was focused on the study and applications of nanoparticle systems, particularly with regards to diagnostics and drug delivery. After a brief stint as a startup founder, I decided to expand my skillset by joining McKinsey and Co. as a generalist consultant in the Chicago office.
Rebekah Rashford GS, NEU

Rebekah Rashford is a PhD Candidate in the neuroscience department. Her dissertation work in the lab of Catherine Peña studies the effects that early life stress have on genome organization in reward regions of the brain. She holds a B.S. in Biological Sciences, with a minor in Creative Writing from University of Maryland Baltimore County.
Alfonso Cebreros *15, ECO

I received my Ph.D. in Economics from Princeton University in 2015. Since then I have been at the General Directorate of Economic Research at Banco de México. Initially I started my tenure as a researcher, but more recently have taken on more responsibilities as Manager of Real Sector Research. My current position implies that I need to manage a large team of economists to develop research projects and technical analysis focused on policy relevant issues.