Higher Education CoP: PhD Student or Post Doc: Have You Ever Wondered if You’re a Project Manager?

Abstract

Most academic trainees learn project management skills by trial and error rather than through formal training. They are responsible for planning and executing experiments, managing timelines, meeting deadlines, training other students, and navigating complex professional relationships. Additionally, many graduate students and postdocs take on responsibilities including supply inventory and ordering, facilitating equipment repairs, and enforcing safety measures in the absence of a lab manager. However, when interviewing for jobs, it can be difficult to convince potential employers of the project management skills acquired during the pursuit of higher education. This can be especially challenging when pursuing a career track outside of academia, such as in industry, government, consulting, or working in the healthcare sector. Therefore, it is important for academic trainees to effectively communicate their capabilities and for non-academic employers to recognize the diverse project management skills an applicant may possess, despite not holding an official title or certificate.

During this program, we will identify the numerous skills PhD students and Post Docs often hone while assuming their roles as trainees, and discuss how those skills translate into common positions outside of academia; especially, to project management!

Learning Objectives

Participants will 

• Learn how to identify unconventional project management skills that applicants with academic backgrounds possess and have honed in their positions.
• Help academic trainees identify and communicate their project management skills to potential employers.

Speaker

Julia Busch, PhD

Julia has been a postdoctoral associate in the Immunology Department at Duke since February of 2021. She received an M.S. in Cell & Molecular Biology from San Diego State University and a Ph.D. from Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UCSD. Her thesis projects involved fieldwork and she had the opportunity to participate in multiple research cruises and to diving trips. During her time as a graduate student, she also taught introductory biology courses at the junior college level. After completing her doctorate in 2018, Julia moved to North Carolina and worked as the head of quality assurance at a craft brewery before returning to academic research.