Preparing for an Academic Career in the Geosciences Workshop

Note: the 2013 workshop is over. Find out more about the "Preparing for an Academic Career in the Geosciences" workshops, or read on for more information about the 2013 workshop.

July 7-10, 2013
University of Colorado, Boulder

The deadline for applications was March 8, 2013.

This workshop is designed specifically for graduate students and post-doctoral fellows who are interested in pursuing academic careers in the geosciences. Faculty members and administrators will provide guidance and information that will help participants to be stronger candidates for academic positions and to succeed in academic jobs. Session topics focus on becoming both a successful teacher and researcher. Each participant will develop a personal action plan and will take home ideas to improve teaching immediately.

"This was an extremely well run workshop and should prove invaluable to my academic career. The workshop answered questions for me that I didn't even know I had yet. It definitely got me thinking about my future path with more clarity and confidence. It is just what I needed at this particular point in my career where I've been feeling slightly adrift trying to finish my dissertation research. Many thanks!"

"I think the idea of being a university/college teacher seems much more "doable"now and less daunting."

"Overall I feel like my experiences here were broadening and enriching. While some of the material wasn't new to me, I don't feel like anything was a waste of my time and I felt like I came away with some fantastic information that will be very useful to me in my career. It was helpful to meet with people from a broad range of backgrounds and with different experiences and expectations - both participants and leaders. The atmosphere was casual enough to let us relax and get to know each other, but serious enough to make us feel like we were doing something worthwhile."

Note: We have also developed a set of online resources for folks who are preparing for an academic career in the geosciences. These web pages focus on the job search process, preparing to teach, and moving your research forward. You do not have to attend the workshop to view these pages.

Workshop Conveners

Heather Macdonald, Geology Department, College of William & Mary
Rachel O'Brien, Department of Geology, Allegheny College
David Budd, Department of Geological Sciences, University of Colorado at Boulder

Workshop Leaders

Jennifer Anderson, Winona State University
Matthew Kirby, California State University at Fullerton
Rajul Pandya, American Geophysical Union
Sara Rathburn, Colorado State University
Susan Buhr Sullivan, University of Colorado
Joshua Villalobos, El Paso Community College

Cutting Edge Staff

Monica Bruckner, Science Education Resource Center, Carleton College


This workshop is part of On the Cutting Edge, a professional development program for current and future geoscience faculty. The program is supported by the National Association of Geoscience Teachers and funded by the National Science Foundation Division of Undergraduate Education .




      Next Page »