Preparing for success on the job market and beyond

• Understanding institutional fit
• Preparing your job application materials
• Conducting your job search
• Developing your research program
• Advancing your teaching skills

Spring 2025 Training Events

Exploring Teaching Careers at Research Universities with CIRTL Alumni

Tuesday 4/1 11:00am-12:00pm. Online event.

Faculty members who primarily teach, rather than do research, have become increasingly important for delivering courses to STEM undergraduates. Learn about the teaching faculty career path and ask questions of CIRTL alumni who are junior teaching faculty in this online panel event. Panelists will discuss the rewards and challenges of these positions, the opportunities for stability and advancement, and how non-tenure line faculty live in a research department. This is the first event in our three-part series “Exploring Career Paths with CIRTL Alumni.” Register here.

Offered by the Center for the Integration of Research, Teaching and Learning.

What PhDs need to know about the academic job market

Wednesday 4/2 11:00am-11:45am. Online event.

If you’re thinking about going on the academic job market this fall, part of your preparation will involve evaluating your readiness to apply for faculty positions. And if you’re still deciding between an academic and a non-academic career, one factor to consider is the availability of jobs in your discipline and your competitiveness for those positions. Join the Beyond Prof team for this webinar on what PhDs need to know about the academic job market. Register here (select UW-Madison).

Offered by Beyond the Professoriate

Exploring Teaching Careers at Teaching Intensive Universities with CIRTL Alumni

Tuesday 4/8 11:00am-12:00pm. Online event.

Nationally, more undergraduates are educated at community colleges, liberal arts colleges, and specialized BS and MS universities than at research universities. These faculty become leaders at their institutions, usually serve as advisers as well, and may engage in some research. Learn about what it’s like to teaching at a teaching-intensive university and ask questions of CIRTL alumni who are teaching at these institutions in this online panel event. Panelists will talk about how much teaching they do, opportunities for leadership and advancement, and more. This is the second event in our three-part series “Exploring Career Paths with CIRTL Alumni.” Register here.

Offered by the Center for the Integration of Research, Teaching and Learning.

WiscProf: Future Faculty in Engineering Workshop

Monday 5/19 to Thursday 5/22. UW-Madison College of Engineering campus.

4-day, all-expenses-paid workshop tailored for postdocs and advanced doctoral students interested in faculty careers in engineering. The workshop is designed to broaden participation in the nation’s engineering faculty ranks by equipping scholars who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents with the foundation for a successful faculty career in an engineering discipline. Apply here by 3/5.

Offered by the UW-Madison College of Engineering.

Surviving and Thriving in the First Year as a Faculty Member

Tuesday 5/27 2:00pm–3:00pm. Online event.

Join us for an online webinar designed for postdocs transitioning into their first faculty position. In this webinar, we will discuss issues related to navigating the landscape of academic life, offering expert guidance on balancing teaching responsibilities, maintaining an active research agenda, strategically engaging in service, and effectively building your professional reputation. We will share practical strategies for recruiting students, engaging in reflective teaching practices, and maintaining research productivity while establishing yourself in your professional field. Webinar from the National Postdoctoral Association (NPA). Join for free as an affiliate here, then register for the webinar here.

Offered by the National Postdoctoral Association.

Other Helpful Resources

Five Simple Rules for Future Faculty

Get ready for the faculty job market with this Office of Postdoctoral Studies series which breaks down the faculty job search process into actionable insights and concrete strategies to help you be as competitive as possible. Access the recordings here.

Faculty Corner – Recorded Interviews/Talks about Becoming a Professor

Do you ever wonder what the joys and challenges are of being a professor? How best to prepare for a tenure track job? How to achieve work-life balance? What the best practices are in running a lab? Learn the answers to these types of questions in these recorded events with University of Michigan faculty. Access the recordings here.

Future PI Slack Group

The Future PI Slack group is an informal peer mentoring group for biomedical postdocs who are interested in staying in academia. They also have channels for those exploring non-academic options. They use the Slack messaging service to communicate about grant applications, conferences, the faculty job search, and other topics of common interest. The community has approximately 1,500 active members from around the world as of January 2024. Join here.

The Academic Job Search Handbook

The Academic Job Search Handbook is the comprehensive guide to finding a faculty position in any discipline. Beginning with an overview of academic careers and institutional structures, it moves step by step through the application process, from establishing relationships with advisors, positioning oneself in the market, learning about job openings, preparing CVs, cover letters, and other application materials, to negotiating offers. Of great value are the sixty new sample documents from a diverse spectrum of successful applicants. The handbook includes a search timetable, appendices of career resources, and a full sample application package. This fifth edition features new or updated sections on issues of current interest, such as job search concerns for pregnant or international candidates, the use of social media strategies to address CV gaps, and difficulties faced by dual-career couples. The chapter on alternatives to faculty jobs has been expanded and presents sample résumés of PhDs who found non faculty positions. E-book available through the UW–Madison library here.