Office of Postdoctoral Affairs
Career Resources
These webpages are intended to be used by not only Jefferson postdoctoral fellows, but Jefferson’s graduate students as well. The majority of programs are open to anyone at Jefferson, except the Intramural Professional Development Programs which are open only to faculty and postdoctoral fellows. The individual career counseling is open to JGSBS postdoctoral fellows and graduate students. Please write to Lisa Kozlowski if there are other items that you would like to be included on this webpage.
Also see Seminars & Training for more professional development opportunities.
Career Paths for Postdoctoral Fellows Seminar Series
Throughout the academic year, the Office of Postdoctoral Affairs provides up to seven career seminars. These seminars are given by PhD or MD scientists that have gone into a variety of careers from academia to industry to non-traditional, such as writing and venture capital. Some of the speakers have been alumni from Jefferson. Go to the Events Calendar for upcoming events. Past career seminars are also listed. All are welcome to attend these events.
Dr. Kozlowski, Assistant Dean for Postdoctoral Affairs, is always open to suggestions for speakers or career topics. If you have a suggestion or know of someone that you would like to come speak, please contact Dr. Kozlowski by e-mail or at (215) 503-5750.
Career Survival Skills
In addition to learning about a variety of career paths, postdoctoral fellows need to enhance their career skills, such as networking, resumé writing, presentation, and interviewing. The Office of Postdoctoral Affairs hosts both internal and external speakers on these topics. See the Events Calendar for upcoming seminars and access previous seminars through the link below. All are welcome to attend these events. Previous Career Survival Skills Seminars.
Alumni Career Interviews
There are many Jefferson alumni from our biomedical PhD, MS, and postdoctoral programs. Several years ago, the JGSBS Alumni Association bylaws were changed to include as alumni postdoctoral fellows who have trained at Jefferson for at least a year, once they leave Jefferson. Alumni provide a tremendous networking opportunity. Three alumni interviews were conducted by Pragati Katiyar, PhD, Vice-President of Career Development for the Jefferson Postdoctoral Association (JPA). She interviewed a PhD alumnus and two postdoc alumnae for JeffPost 2010, the JPA’s annual newsletter. Excerpts from the interviews are in the newsletter, while the entire interviews can found here.
- Interview with Ayanna Augustus, PhD, Project Manager; Office of Drug Evaluation II, Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER), US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
- Interview with Steven Bass, PhD, President, Bass BioPharm Consulting Group, LLC
- Interview with Denise Fitzgerald, PhD, Lecturer in Immunology; Centre for Infection and Immunity, School of Medicine, Dentistry and Biomedical Science, Belfast, Northern Ireland
Individual Career Counseling
Dr. Lisa Kozlowski, Assistant Dean in the Office of Postdoctoral Affairs, offers individual career counseling to both postdoctoral fellows and PhD graduate students. She will advise you on the whole job search process. This includes discussions on self-assessment, information on career paths, contact information for those in the fields, and resume/CV and cover letter review.
Human Resources Training Programs
Some examples of the programs are "Dealing with difficult people," "Dynamic presentations," "Powerful proofreading," "Before and after maternity leave" and much more... A booklet of courses is sent around in September and January. The Office of Postdoctoral Affairs will also send out an announcement with appropriate classes for postdocs noted.
Intramural Professional Development Programs
Through the generosity of the Office of Faculty Affairs in the Jefferson Medical College, these faculty development programs are open to both faculty and postdocs. Workshops have included grant writing, negotiation skills, teaching techniques, and computer skills such as searching PubMed and using bibliographic software. Please note that class sizes are limited.
Career Books
The Office of Postdoctoral Affairs has worked with the Scott Library to buy the science career-related books listed here. All these books are now available to be checked out of the library.
Career Basics Booklet
Career Basics Booklet, includes a series of articles addressing all manner of career development issues for potential and young scientists and researchers.
Job Search Strategies
- Biotech Career Fairs for Job Seekers 101: Control Your Experience
- Ask the Headhunter
- Expect the Unexpected: How to Handle Off-the-Wall Interview Questions
Job Listings
Job listings can be found in a multitude of places. Please look under the following for a
listing of websites.
Additionally, the Office of Postdoctoral Affairs e-mails job listings several times a month. If you have not received these e-mails, please send your e-mail address to Dr. Lisa Kozlowski.
