Develop, hone, and communicate your skills

Check out upcoming Professional Development events in the GMS calendar.

Missed a workshop or don’t see your current needs covered in the list of upcoming events? Check out the next drop-down menus below.

Self-paced online training modules for PhD students with PhD Progression (topics span communication, management & leadership, self-awareness, career development, research, teaching…). Browse and access training modules here, and learn more about the design and impact of PhD Progression in this paper.

The National Center for Faculty Development and Diversity (NCFDD) provides graduate students with workshops, online resources, and more, on writing, mentoring, navigating the academic job market, etc. Activate your institutional membership (it is free, BU paid for it) and enjoy NCFDD for graduate students!

Access previous workshop, career panel discussion, and event recordings on the BU BEST website.

PhD students can also access recordings of previous workshops offered by the PDPA (Professional Development and Postdoctoral Affairs) office on the PDPA MyMedia channel (job search-, dissertation-, financial-related support, and more!).

Postdocs looking for professional development opportunities can check out the BU Postdoc Affairs professional development offerings, as well as the following online training opportunities:

• The Postdoc Academy – mentoring resources and two online courses to support postdocs in being successful throughout their postdoc and prepare for their next career step.
• The Inclusive STEM Teaching Project – online course created to advance ability and awareness towards creating inclusive learning environments.
• The National Center for Faculty Development and Diversity (NCFDD) provides postdocs with workshops, online resources, and more, on writing, mentoring, navigating the academic job market, etc. Activate your institutional membership (it is free, BU paid for it) and enjoy NCFDD for postdocs!

Handshake is BU’s online hub for career resources, including internship and job listing, in the U.S. as well as around the world. It offers 24/7 access to on-campus event registration, career counseling appointments, and portals to upload resumes, cover letters and other employment-related documents. Students and Alumni can register for Handshake here.

The Educational Resource Center has several programs and services available for BU graduate students; they include writing support (for dissertations, articles, etc.), English Conversation Groups, and academic support via individual coaching and workshops.

The Boston University Center for Career Development empowers students and alumni to make intentional decisions about their professional futures. The CCD offers a variety of services, including:

• Workshops on career-related topics
• Resume and cover letter reviews
• Mock interviews
• Individual career counseling sessions
• Internship or job search strategies
• Career-related events

Check the CCD Event Calendar for upcoming events, and the CCD “BU + Beyond” blog for tips and advice on all aspects of career development.

The PDPA office is home base for all BU postdocs, and offers orientation information, support, community, professional development (workshops, office hour and IDP review meetings…) to postdocs, and informs related BU policies to continue to improve the postdoc experience. Learn more about PDPA Postdoc resources here. Below are some perks for postdocs:

• Postdoc Travel Awards
• Free Postdoc Business Cards

Postdocs looking for online training opportunities can also explore:

• The Postdoc Academy – mentoring resources and two online courses to support postdocs in being successful throughout their postdoc and prepare for their next career step.
• The Inclusive STEM Teaching Project – online course created to advance ability and awareness towards creating inclusive learning environments.
• The National Center for Faculty Development and Diversity (NCFDD) provides postdocs with workshops, online resources, and more, on writing, mentoring, navigating the academic job market, etc. Activate your institutional membership (it is free, BU paid for it) and enjoy NCFDD for postdocs!

The PDPA Office also provides online training and professional development opportunities for PhD Students.

The Alumni Medical Library provides students, faculty, and staff with a wide range of resources to support them in their research endeavors, search for specific books and resources, citation management, and the use of library databases, including:

• The AML created a GMS Resource Portal for all GMS members to access tailored resources and support from the GMS Library Liaison.
• The GMS Professional Development LibGuide for all GMS students to access books, articles, and videos focused on 7 Core Competencies: Career Development, Communication, Discipline-specific Knowledge, Management and Leadership, Research, Self-Awareness, and Teaching. To share a resource that could be helpful for students, please email Barbara Slover, Librarian and Liaison to GMS, at bslover@bu.edu.
• Feel free to explore the other AML LibGuides, on various topics, including Artificial Intelligence, Bioethics, and specific course reserves.

TOTAL is a web platform that allows sharing of professional development and networking opportunities for students (MS, PhD, MD, MD/PhD) and postdoctoral scholars from across various units, departments, and programs at BU as well as other local institutions (Northeastern University, UMass Boston, Tufts…), and organizations and clubs (MassBioEd, Consulting and Biotech Clubs…). 

To learn more about TOTAL and how to use it as an app or website, check out the TOTAL webpage.

Visit mytotalcareer.org to register and access and sign up for upcoming events.

The Training Opportunities To Augment Learning (TOTAL) Project has been generously funded by the Burroughs Wellcome Fund (Career Guidance in Training Award) and the BU Digital Education Incubator.

Access (BU credentials needed) lists of key resources and offices to get support from to pursue and secure funding opportunities as early-career researchers, both for research and career advancement purposes.

The Graduate Training Program in Biological Feedback Control is an NSF-funded Research Traineeship (NRT) that will equip PhD students with the knowledge and skills needed to decipher the rules of biological feedback control and to harness those rules to control and synthesize natural, engineered, and biohybrid systems. Students will be trained in methods for modeling feedback control, analyzing how biological systems implement control in natural contexts, and identifying opportunities for novel designs.

Learn more about the Training Program in Biological Feedback Control here, or attend an info session held on the CRC on 11/22 at 2pm, or an info session on 12/4 at 4pm on the Medical campus.

We will post information here as it becomes available.