Career Exploration Series

Employment Opportunities for Postdocs at P&G

The Procter & Gamble Company, the world’s largest consumer products company, is seeking qualified postdocs from multiple disciplines to join their research and development organization.

Company Information Sessions – Monday, September 23

• The Life Sciences session will be held in Health Sciences Learning Center (HSCL) 1335. This would be a fit for postdocs in disciplines such as Biology, Biochemistry, Pharmacology, Toxicology, Molecular/Cellular Biology, Microbiology, Computational Biology, etc.
• The Non-Life Sciences session will be held in Room 9341 Chemistry Building. This session will be oriented towards individuals in disciplines such as Chemistry, Engineering, Computer & Data Science, Mathematics, Statistics, Environmental Science, Sensory Science, etc.

Learn about P&G and potential employment opportunities. A recent PhD/Postdoc who joined P&G will also share their experience going through the job search process and what worked particularly well. Food and beverages provided.

Interviews – Tuesday September 24 and Wednesday September 25

On campus interviews will be held with P&G representatives. Interested in being considered for an interview? Submit your resume and a 1-2 page research summary on or before Monday, Sept 9.

What Can You Be With a PhD? Virtual Career Symposium
Sunday 10/21 and Saturday 10/22. Online event.

The largest science and technology PhD career symposium in the US.

• More than 40 panels and workshops led by 100+ experts in their field
• Exhibitors and seminars in the following tracks: academia, non-profit and government, for-profit and industry, science communication
• Networking opportunities to create valuable connections for your career
• Sessions will be recorded so you can view any you missed later
• Thanks to our sponsors, all UW-Madison postdocs and SMPH graduate students are eligible for a discounted registration at $10 per person for both days.

They are finalizing the 2023 schedule and are adding speakers daily, so keep checking the What Can You Be With a PhD? website for more information. In the meantime, feel free to browse the 2021 program book.

UW-Madison attendance at this event is sponsored by the School of Medicine and Public Health Office of Basic Research, Biotechnology and Graduate Studies, and the Office of Postdoctoral Studies.

Careers in Industry: The Different Roles PhDs can Play in a Company
Thursday 10/12. Orchard View Room, Discovery Building
10:30 am – 12:00 pm Company presentation and panel discussion
12:00 pm  –  1:00 pm Networking lunch

What career options are there for PhDs in industry? A panel of representatives from one company, Thermo Fisher Scientific, will describe the breadth of jobs available, and answer your questions about their roles and successfully transitioning into industry.

Thermo Fisher Scientific is a world leader in serving science, with four sites in or near Madison, WI. Their mission is to enable their customers to make the world healthier, cleaner and safer.

The panelists will be:

• Penny Jensen, PhD (R&D Staff Scientist – Biologist)
• Erum Raja, PhD (R&D Staff Scientist – Chemist)
• Jonathon Salsbury, MS (Director, Laboratory Services, Clinical Research Group)
• Caleb Shearrow, MS (Product Manager)
• Brian Wolf, PhD (Manager, Manufacturing Group)

There will then be the opportunity to continue the discussion with the panelists and other members of the company during a networking lunch.

Sponsored by the Graduate School Office of Professional Development, the Office of Postdoctoral Studies, Thermo Fisher, and WARF.

Employment Opportunities for Postdocs at P&G

The Procter & Gamble Company, the world’s largest consumer products company, is seeking qualified postdocs from multiple disciplines to join their research and development organization.

Company Information Sessions – Monday 9/11 5:00pm-6:30pm
Attend an information session to learn about P&G and potential employment opportunities. A recent PhD/Postdoc who joined P&G will also share their experience going through the job search process and what worked particularly well. Food and beverages provided. Full details here.

• Life Sciences postdocs: Room 1116 Rennebohm Hall
• All other fields: Room 9341 Chemistry Department

Interviews – Tuesday 9/12 and Wednesday 9/13
Interested in being considered for an on campus interview? Submit your resume and a 1-2 page research summary by Monday 8/28.

Career Diversity Panel with Public Humanities Professionals
Tuesday 4/4 12:00-1:00pm. University Club Building, Room 313.

Join us to hear the stories of four Madison-area public humanities professionals who pursued non-academic career paths, from nonprofit administration and consulting to publishing, editorial, and curatorial work. The panel will be moderated by Danielle Weindling, Public Humanities Coordinator at the UW-Madison Center for the Humanities. Questions and topics of interest will be collected ahead of time with time for live Q&A and informal conversation to follow.

Panelists:

• Jason A. Smith, Admin Project Manager at PBS Wisconsin
• Andy Davey, Community Resource Analyst, Madison Community Foundation
• Jolynne Roorda, Co-Director, Arts + Literature Laboratory
• Rita Mae Reese, Co-Director, Arts + Literature Laboratory

For more information on the panelists, click here.

Hosted by the Center for the Humanities and Office of Postdoctoral Studies.

Employment Opportunities for Postdocs at P&G

The Procter & Gamble Company, the world’s largest consumer products company, is seeking qualified postdocs from multiple disciplines to join their research and development organization.

Company Information Sessions – Monday 10/3 6:00pm-7:30pm

• Life Sciences postdocs: Room 2339 Rennebohm Hall
• All other fields: Room 2401 Chemistry Department North Tower
• Technical talks will precede these information sessions (4:00pm-5:00pm).

Interviews – Tuesday 10/4 and Wednesday 10/5

• Interested in being considered for an on campus interview? Submit your resume and a 1-2 page research summary by Friday 9/23.

Department of Engergy ARPA-E Fellows Program – Information Session
Friday 8/5 12:00pm-1:30pm. Room 1130 Wisconsin Energy Institute.

Do you want to work side by side the top minds in energy to solve today’s most profound challenges—and those that lie ahead?

The Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) is an agency within the U.S. Department of Energy that funds out-of-the-box, transformational energy technologies that are too early stage for private investment. ARPA-E is looking for the next generation of scientific leaders to help identify potential breakthrough energy technologies. If accepted to the prestigious, two-year, paid ARPA-E Fellows program, you will have the opportunity to engage with world-class researchers in academia, industry, and government. Working with them, you can bring your own creativity and innovation to bear on the thorniest energy issues of the day.

Applicants must be U.S. citizens and must either possess a doctoral degree already, or be currently enrolled in a doctoral program and planning to graduate within the next year. Apply by 8/31.

During this information session you will learn all about the program from two current ARPA-E Fellows including time for questions. Lunch is provided.

Careers as a Medical Science Liaison
Thursday 12/9 12:00pm-1:00pm. Online event.

Do you have a knack for describing complicated processes or concepts to a broad range of stakeholders outside of your immediate research circle? During this month’s session, we will meet a Medical Science Liaison who combines her subject matter expertise with exceptional communications skills to cultivate and develop commercial partners of all types.

Join Emily Teslow, PhD from Promega, for a discussion of her role helping opinion leaders and business partners understand complex scientific concepts in a way that facilitates alignment and engagement with corporate goals.

Careers as a Technical Consultant
Thursday 10/21 12:00pm-1:00pm. Online event.

Technical consulting firms advise organizations in diverse sectors of the economy, governments, and not-for-profits. Join us to learn what a technical consultant does, and how these firms value your research skills, as we talk with an executive at a firm that provides expert consultancy in the energy sector.

Miriam Goldberg, PhD has a long and successful career as a technical consultant designing, executing and advising on studies that integrate data science, engineering, and social science methods. Dr. Goldberg’s firm routinely hires PhDs who convert complicated information to studies that can lead to actionable improvements. She will discuss the role that PhD talent plays in firms that provide specialized technical advising across all sectors of the economy.

Careers at a Primarily Undergraduate Serving Institution (PUI)
Thursday 9/16 12:00pm-1:00pm. Online event.

Many postdocs at research intensive institutions go on to have rewarding teaching careers at PUIs. A focus on research during your time at UW may, however, make it difficult to acquire and later prove that you have the teaching skills necessary to be competitive. During this month’s career exploration series, we will meet a skilled researcher who navigated this issue and is now an assistant professor at a small Franciscan Liberal Arts University.

Join Carina Collins as we track her career progression from her UW–Madison postdoc to designing and delivering curriculum in biochemistry for undergraduate students at Marion University. The event will be an informal discussion with plenty of time for your questions.

Careers as a Data Scientist
Thursday 8/19 12:00pm-1:00pm. Online event.

Are you interested in careers in industry? Have you ever considered how your research skills are valued outside of academia? During this month’s Career Exploration Series, we will meet a talented social scientist who now works as a Data Scientist at Apple.

Join former UW–Madison postdoc Andréa Davis as we track her career progression from the study of perception and language development in children with autism in the Communication Sciences and Disorders department, to helping Siri with language acquisition. The event will be an informal discussion with plenty of time for your questions.

Careers as a Field Application Scientist/Account Manager
Wednesday 7/15 12:00pm-1:00pm. Online event.

Are you interested in a career in industry? Have you ever considered how the million-dollar pieces of equipment we use in our research were acquired by the university? During this month’s session, we will meet Field Applications Scientists who use their research expertise and lab experience to help universities acquire, maintain and discover new uses for state-of-the-art equipment.

Join former UW-Madison postdocs Juleen Dickson and Kimberly Toops from Carl Zeiss Microscopy (part of Zeiss AG) for a discussion about their roles at a company which develops equipment for research applications in the life sciences, oil and gas exploration, semiconductor design and precise metrology.

Zeiss has open positions for smart and capable people who understand the research institutions which form their customer base. As an end user of their products, you are uniquely qualified for such roles.

Industry Virtual Tour- Aldevron
Wednesday February 10, 2021 12:00pm-1:00pm. Online event.

Are you interested in a career in industry? Would you like to peek inside a brand new, state of the art commercial laboratory? Would you like the chance to meet a manager who works in different roles at a typical scientific company? The up-and-coming biologics manufacturer, Aldevron, is hosting a virtual Grand Opening to kick off their new facility expansion here in Madison.

• Technical keynote by Stanford University’s Matthew Porteus.
• Virtual tour of Aldevron’s expanded Madison facility.
• Discussion of the talent needed to run a scientific business.
• Opportunity to schedule a private 15-minute conversation with an Aldevron employee.

The event concludes with a Virtual Ribbon Cutting with Tom Foti, President of Aldevron, Rick Moss, Senior Associate Dean, UW-Madison School of Medicine and Public Health, Lisa Johnson, CEO, Bioforward and Aaron Olver, Managing Director, University Research Park.

This event is for bio-scientists, physical scientists, social scientists, and those with data analysis skills or anyone curious about how industry solves problems.

Communicating Your Value to Industry
Thursday February 27, 2020 11:30am-2:00pm. Union South (check the Today in the Union screen for room).
Panel discussion with networking and light lunch to follow.

Thinking about a career in industry? Postdocs and graduate students have experience, skills and knowledge that are valued by companies, but in order to really compete, you must present yourself effectively.

What makes you more competitive than a person with 10 years of industry experience but no PhD? You have expertise in cutting edge technologies and innovative research practices, and deep disciplinary knowledge.

Hear from former postdocs, including a CEO and an entrepreneur, who learned how to talk about their work in a way that generated serious commercial interest. The head of the new Isthmus Project, Professor Thomas “Rock” Mackie, and his staff will also be on hand to help you convert your academic thinking to a more commercially sought-after mindset.

Applying Academic Skills in Non-faculty Careers
Monday November 25, 2019 11:00am-1:00pm. Followed by a networking reception.
Auditorium 1111, Genetics-Biotechnology Center.

Academic skills such as research, publishing, grant-writing, teaching, and mentorship apply to a wide variety of jobs, but graduate and postdoctoral training has traditionally focused only on preparation for faculty positions. This event is designed for scholars who want to explore non-faculty or non-academic employment options, and learn about the process of finding and applying for appropriate positions outside of academia.

This informational session will be led by Vanessa Simmering, PhD, Senior Research Scientist at ACTNext, and former UW–Madison Professor of Cognitive and Developmental Psychology. Following her seminar, there will be an interactive networking event with individuals from a wide range of careers who are tackling interesting and important societal problems in their work.

Research Funding Opportunities in Europe
Wednesday October 9, 2019 9:00am-11:00am. Auditorium 1111, Genetics-Biotechnology Center.

Looking for research opportunities in Europe? Fellowships, grants and collaboration opportunities are available to a wide range of scientists and engineers including PhD students looking for postdoctoral fellowships and postdocs interested in collaborating with European partners on research projects.

This information session, led by international relations expert Viktoria Bodnarova of EURAXESS, will include an introduction to Horizon 2020, the EU’s funding program for research and innovation, and presentations on Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions, the European Research Council and EURAXESS. Information about potential resources for scientists interested in relocating to Europe will also be provided.

Careers in Drug Development: Contract Research Organizations
Wednesday August 21, 2019. Auditorium 1111, Genetics-Biotechnology Center.
12:00pm-1:00pm Panel discussion. 1:00pm-2:00pm Networking reception.

Contract Research Organizations (CROs) play a critical role in the drug development pipeline. On behalf of their clients, CROs explore the initial feasibility and safety of new compounds, engage in pre-clinical and clinical trials research, and examine the safety and efficacy of existing drugs used for different illnesses.

Covance provides comprehensive clinical laboratory and end-to-end drug development services to clients in over 60 countries. It is part of LabCorp, the largest among 8 global CROs with more than 50,000 employees.

Panelists with different roles and tenures at Covance will discuss: what motivated them to work in this area, how their work differs from academic research, and what it takes to secure a position and be successful in this exciting field.

Panelists:

• Mike Sievert, PhD, Study Director
• Brita Kilburg-Basnyat, PhD, Study Director
• Tom Ryan, Scientific Proposal Manager
• Amanda Lucchini, PhD, Study Director, Contributing Scientist