The GradFUTURES® professional development initiative within the graduate school hosted Dr. Itai Yanai (Professor, NYU School of Medicine) and

As a doctoral student in history, I never imagined that I might collaborate with astronauts and spacecraft engineers. And yet, with Princeton’s Social Impact fellowship, I spent the summer imagining the future of space technology with industry experts. As a visioneering fellow at the XPRIZE Foundation, I attended several months of brainstorming…

"The museum really exists in the interface between academia and the general public. Everything we do is based on the best scholarship and often the curators’ job is to translate that scholarship into the most engaging, relevant, and appealing form for the general public. This translation carries the function of the museum beyond that of the research institute. It is an institution with a special emphasis on serving the public."

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."