Conducting original and independent research within and beyond your discipline using methods that will advance knowledge and enhance understanding across many fields.
Key Topics:
- Understand professional standards of ethics and research integrity
- Use digital technologies and programming languages
- Leverage data visualization tools
- Apply socially-engaged research methods to promote the social good
- Develop and manage budgets
Signature Programs
Join distinguished faculty including President of the University Emerita Shirley Tilghman and Professor Tracy K. Smith for a dinner series that will help you connect your research with specialists and non-specialists alike. Tell Me More is a six-part series of 90-minute dinner conversations for graduate students who wish to heighten their professional impact by conveying the personal and social significance of their research to those who do not share their expertise. Meeting monthly in the Joseph Henry House from 6:00-7:30 p.m. between January and June, 2020, you will have an opportunity to converse with distinguished members of Princeton’s faculty who can help you engage successfully with an audience that transcends the boundaries of your disciplines and the academy itself. Hosted by John S. Weeren, founding director of Princeton Writes, this initiative is jointly sponsored by the Graduate School, the Humanities Council, and Princeton Writes.
Resources
Princeton’s Center for Career Development assists graduate students in exploring and preparing for their careers. The Center offers one-on-one advising and programs for career development tactics such as self-assessments, networking, internship and job options and more.
ImaginePhD is a career exploration and planning tool for Ph.D. students and postdoctoral researchers and scholars dedicated to the humanities and social sciences. It is a free, online resource that enables you to explore careers by evaluating and reflecting on your own abilities, values and interests that navigates related professional opportunities.
LinkedIn Learning offers more than 5,000 on-demand courses on business, creative and technology skills that is available to you at no additional cost.
myIDP is a free, career-planning tool that is designed to meet the needs of Ph.D. students and postdoctoral scholars in the sciences. This tool helps you define and pursue your career goals with exercises to match your skills, interests and values with a variety of scientific professions.
The National Center for Faculty Development and Diversity is an independent professional development, training, and mentoring community that supports and enriches you to be successful in the academe and beyond. We have an institutional membership: claim your account today!
Suggested Research Roadmap
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Early Stage
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- Familiarize yourself with the appropriate research conduct requirements in your department and field
- Explore research courses in your department
- Explore research options in your areas of interest
- Take WRI 501: Reading and Writing about Quantitative Research
- Take WRI 504: Write to Publish in the Social Science and Humanities
- Participate in Princeton Research Computing (PicSE) fall/winter break boot camps
- Complete foreign language training for research
- Become familiar with Princeton's Libraries
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Mid Stage
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- Identify dissertation topic and begin working on dissertation research
- Travel for field work or archival research
- Participate in the Center for Digital Humanities collaborative research opportunities
- Work with Office of Environmental Health and Safety to establish safe research protocols
- Investigate fellowship and research funding opportunities in Pivot
- Attend academic conferences to become aware of research trends in your field
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Advanced Stage
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- Continue conducting research, analyzing data and writing
- Utilize the Princeton Research Computing Visualization Laboratory
- Attend conferences to network and find research collaborators
Student and Alumni Stories
Read how current students and alumni have applied their research and data analysis skills to various disciplines.
Related Stories & News
In the Trailblazers Beyond the Tenure Track series, current Princeton graduate students interview graduate alumni pursuing a range of careers beyond the tenure track. Collectively, these stories help graduate students develop a vision of the journey ahead by exploring the…
Organized by The Graduate School, the GradFUTURES Forum, now in its third year, is an opportunity for graduate students, postdocs, faculty, alumni, administrators, and other campus partners to come together in the spirit of professional development and networking.
With dozens of engaging keynote speakers, skill…
"Years into being an industry executive, I do not think about a life “beyond or after academia,” I rather think these days about a life in conjunction with academia. At this point – given the worldwide challenges we are all facing, a strong collaborative innovation effort is needed to link government, higher education, and industry. I often ask myself: how do we achieve collaboration across these different groups? And how do we do so in a way that is truly a circular economy, which would have a different set of values than just monetary success. Within this context, I strongly believe that PhDs coming out of Princeton are prepared to help create the change we need."
"The GradFUTURES Social Impact Fellowship with TechUnited NJ was specifically catered to my interest in tech and healthcare startups. I worked closely with the CEO to craft a fellowship that was helpful and productive for both parties. I gathered insight on the innovation landscape of New Jersey in many fields spanning from biotech to transportation, with specific focus on healthcare and clean energy. It was a great opportunity to link with people from various industries, work with a small team driven by a great mission of empowering innovation within the state."
“Professional work experience can be an essential complement to academic experience in grad school; it helps develop workplace competencies, expand industrial insights, and boost personal development. GradFUTURES Social Impact Fellowship offered me a perfect opportunity to combine my analytical skill set and passion for tech development in a real-world context, where I developed a white paper evaluating the technology ecosystem in NJ for the non-profit economic development organization, Choose New Jersey.”
"It’s one of the best decisions I’ve made. My advice for graduate students is that it’s never too early to proactively explore other career options or to develop a new set of skills. Even for students who want to pursue academia, it’s exciting to try something you haven’t done before. You never know what you’ll learn or what new perspective you’ll gain."
"At Reveal Digital, I never feel like ‘just’ an intern—I am a valuable researcher on my team. We collaborated to build new collections of primary sources that will help researchers, instructors and students in the humanities access thought-provoking new materials. My qualitative research skills have allowed me to contribute to these exciting projects, and evaluate their broader impact on the field. This experience has given me a strong foundation for incorporating the digital humanities into my future academic career."
"I interned with MilliporeSigma prior to starting my first year of graduate school at Princeton. Before I formally matriculated, GradFUTURES programming was helping me explore future career options. This internship marked my first time working in an industry setting, and I was able to participate in research and product management projects at the company, exposing me to a wide range of future career opportunities outside of academia."
In the GradFUTURES Spotlight series, Princeton graduate students share in their own words about their experiences in one of the GradFUTURES Fellowship programs: the Community College Teaching Fellowship Program, the University Administrative Fellowship Program, or the GradFUTURES Social…
In the GradFUTURES Spotlight series, Princeton graduate students share in their own words about their experiences in one of the GradFUTURES Fellowship programs: the Community College Teaching Fellowship Program, the University Administrative Fellowship Program, or the GradFUTURES Social…