Preparing for an Academic Career in the Geosciences

June 30 - July 3, 2014
University of Pittsburgh

The deadline for applications was March 3, 2014.

This workshop is designed specifically for graduate students, post-doctoral fellows, and others 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 or revise a plan for the next career stage and will take home ideas to improve teaching immediately.

Show quotes from past workshop participants

"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 those 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

Barbara Tewksbury, Department of Geosciences, Hamilton College
Rachel O'Brien, Geology Department, Allegheny College

Workshop Leaders

Scott Bair, Department of Geological Sciences, Ohio State University
Rosemary Capo, Department of Geology and Planetary Science, University of Pittsburgh
Kyle Fredrick, Department of Earth Science, California University of Pennsylvania
Matthew Kirby, Department of Geological Sciences, California State University Fullerton
Becca Walker, Earth Sciences and Astronomy Programs, Mt. San Antonio College

Cutting Edge Staff

Monica Bruckner, Science Education Resource Center, Carleton College
Carol Ormand, Science Education Resource Center, Carleton College

*If you are in the process of applying for tenure-track or other permanent faculty positions, we encourage you to apply to both this workshop and the Early Career Geoscience Faculty workshop, with a note that you are in the process of applying for such positions. The Early Career Geoscience Faculty workshop is designed for those who have a tenure-track or equivalent faculty position.

This workshop is part of the On the Cutting Edge professional development program for current and future geoscience faculty, and is sponsored by the National Association of Geoscience Teachers with funding provided by NAGT, and a grant from the National Science Foundation - Division of Undergraduate Education and other contributing sponsors.