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7 LinkedIn Profile Tips for Graduate Students

Why linkedin is important for graduate students like you.

LinkedIn is the best social media platform for graduate students. This guide tells you why.

I’m Jennifer van Alstyne. Welcome to The Social Academic blog, where I share how to manage your online presence. I write about websites and social media for academics.

In this article, learn 7 ways to improve your LinkedIn profile for graduate students

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7 ways to improve your LinkedIn profile while in grad school

Your headline should be descriptive

How do you write a LinkedIn headline as a student? Most grad students I see on LinkedIn have a Headline like “Graduate Teaching Assistant at University of Iowa” or “PhD Student at Temple University.” The information I see most is Job Title + Affiliation, but it’s not enough.

You need more information in your Headline to invite people to explore your profile. Communicating who we are in just 120 characters is hard.

In my article on LinkedIn for Professors and Researchers, I talk about how your Headline is the one piece of information about you people are guaranteed to read if you

• write them a message
• appear in their search results
• send a connection request

Be specific when writing your LinkedIn Headline. Include as much detail as you can in 120 characters. A good formula to follow is “Keyword + Job Title or Student + affiliation | Area of specialization.”

A headline like, “Political Science PhD Candidate | Graduate Research Assistant at Duke University | Security, Peace, and Conflict” is descriptive. It uses keywords people may search on LinkedIn when looking for connections (i.e. political science, Duke University, security, peace, conflict).

When your friend asks what to put in their LinkedIn headline as a student, send them this post.

Join my LinkedIn profile course for academics.

Profile photos that focus on your face are easier to recognize

When you choose a profile photo for LinkedIn, choose one that focuses on your face.

Some people prefer an upper body headshot that includes your chest and face. On mobile screens it’s much harder to recognize upper body headshots than face headshots.

Choose a profile photo of your face. And don’t forget to smile!

Here’s how to take a professional headshot for free on your phone.

Write an About section with a friendly bio

Write a short bio for your LinkedIn profile that introduces you to profile visitors. I start mine with “Hi, I’m Jennifer…” because real people visit my profile and I want to be friendly.

Include in your bio the information you most want people to know.

This is not a traditional academic bio. You can talk about your

• work experience
• educational background
• volunteer/service experience
• hobbies and interests

Add the bio to your LinkedIn Experience section.

Let people know how to contact you

People may want to get in touch with you beyond sending a connection request on LinkedIn. In your About section, after your bio, include contact information.

How do you most want to be contacted? Some grad students like to use their institutional email address. Any email address is fine, as long as it’s one you check.

Maybe you spend more time on Twitter than checking your email. Including social media handles where you can be contacted is another great option for graduate students.

Share links in your Experience and Education sections

Your Experience and Education sections on LinkedIn can be dynamic! You can include links and other media to entries in these sections.

For example, in your Education section you could include a link (URL) to your

• School or department website
• Research lab
• Publication
• Blog post or interview
• News or media mention

You can also include other types of media like images and PDFs.

Choose 50 skills that make sense for you now

You can add up to 50 skills on your LinkedIn profile. Many of you may be headed on the non-academic job market.

Skills on LinkedIn are an important part of applying to jobs through LinkedIn. Basically, the LinkedIn algorithm matches your profile (including your Skills) to the requirements jobs you apply to through LinkedIn. Hiring managers get a score that says how closely your profile matches the job. So if you don’t include skills on your profile, your application may not even be viewed.

Check out my tips for social media and the job market.

Add 50 skills to your LinkedIn profile. The Skills section is a good one to update each year.

Your LinkedIn profile will change over time

As you grow and change, so will your LinkedIn profile. LinkedIn is the best alternative to a website because it

• Shows up high in Google search results and other search engines
• Can be updated and edited whenever you need
• Can include links and media making it more dynamic
• Can be extensive without being overwhelming
• Has advanced search capabilities making it easy to find the right connections
• Is helpful if you’re an academic for networking with your scholarly community
• Is highly recommended when applying for jobs (non-academic)
• Is becoming more social (more conversations are happening on LinkedIn)

But your LinkedIn profile won’t change if you don’t update it. Review each section of your profile at least once a year. Add an update to your calendar now. The best place to start your is by updating your student LinkedIn headline.

Your online presence helps your real life

Grad students, I have faith that you can do this. You can make a great LinkedIn profile that helps people understand who you are and what you care about. People that want to help you.

Want step-by-step training to update your LinkedIn profile? Here’s my online course to help you do-it-yourself.

If you want more help with LinkedIn, don’t hesitate to reach out! I’d love to work with you. Graduate students have used university funds (professional development funds, academic department, and graduate school) to pay for support when they work with me on 1:1 online presence services.

Ask your university to bring me in as a speaker. My workshops are fun and interactive. And you’ll build confidence when showing up online. I’m here to help you. Learn more about my workshops.

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Jennifer van Alstyne View All →

Jennifer van Alstyne is a Peruvian-American poet and communications consultant. She founded The Academic Designer LLC to help professors build a strong online presence for their research, teaching, and leadership. Jennifer’s goal is to help people feel confident sharing their work with the world.

Jennifer’s personal website https://jennifervanalstyne

The Academic Designer LLC https://theacademicdesigner.com

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• Pingback: Graduate Students: Tips to Improve Your LinkedIn – Custom Career Content | UM Alumni | University of Miami

• 11 . 24 . 19
• Build Your Network , LinkedIn

I Reviewed 53 PhD Linkedin Profiles. Here’s What I Saw

• Posted by: Chris

One morning in December, I put the call out on Twitter that anyone with an advanced degree looking to build a career should join the new Roostervane group on LinkedIn.

Plus, I promised to do a LinkedIn review of anyone who joined that day.

The requests started rolling in quickly. And by the end of the day, I’d reviewed 53 profiles. It was amazing to see the caliber of people in the group. So many with fantastic skill sets and interesting backgrounds. And while so many of the profiles had so many great things, I noticed a few common places where they could be improved.

This post may contain links to affiliate products, which–if you choose to purchase–pay us a commission at no extra cost to you. This helps to support our work. We only promote products we’ve used and love.

You can read my story about leaving academia in Doctoring: Building a Life With a PhD–Available on Amazon.

1. Work from top to bottom

Go look at a few LinkedIn profiles and see what you notice. If you’re like most people, you see:

• The Picture
• The Headline
• The “About” Section
• The “Experience” Section
• Anything else

Exactly in that order.

When you fill out your Master’s or PhD LinkedIn profile, the temptation is to put the most work into the “Experience” section—like a resume—to show what you’ve done.

But the thing about LinkedIn is that people open a page, start at the top, and stop reading if they get bored. Unlike a resume, they can’t glance down at your history; they have to scroll.

When people have all their career details buried in the “Experience” section, which some readers will never get to, it hurts the profile.

Since the “About” section comes first by default on LinkedIn—some people never get there.

Make sure your profile starts with a strong headline, at least a few sentences of “About” that are interesting and show some personality.

2. The Picture

So arrange your priorities based on the list we just wrote.

What’s the first thing people notice? Before they even click on the link that takes them to your site?

The picture!

This is so important. The picture should be clear and close up. It needs to be close enough that people can look into your eyes and trust you. And if you’re smiling it goes a long way!

Professional headshots are great. But if you don’t have that, wash your face, do your hair, put on something clean and professional, and stand against a wall outside and smile directly into your phone’s camera-selfie lens. You’ll get something that looks good. (I know it’s awkward. I’ve done it too. Push through it.)

Allow me to demonstrate.

This picture is me.

This picture is also me.

Crooked tie, I know. But still, it’s obvious which one is best.

The thing that’s vital… and I mean vital… to understand, is that a connection request from the first picture will get ignored. The second might get some traction.

3. Make your headline shine

If employers or recruiters search for a role they need to fill on LinkedIn, your name will only come up if you have some of the keywords they’ve searched for. Then, they see your name on a tiny little list of people that pop up.

Try it yourself.

Search for a job title in the LinkedIn search bar and notice what you see. Which profiles stand out to you?

If you’re trying to get a non-academic job in a specific field, it’s important to add a field-specific word to your headline. “Researcher” doesn’t mean much, so it’s way better to have “AI Researcher” or “Historical Researcher.” I’d identify a field here with ONE ADJECTIVE ONLY. Keep it tight.

Also, if you’re looking a PhD for a non-academic job, I’d recommend having “PhD Candidate” or “PhD Student” as part of your headline—BUT ADD MORE THAN THIS! This is a bad PhD LinkedIn.

Fill it out a bit with a few extra descriptives.

If you are changing fields or are in a field that’s less relevant to non-academic work, try adding an aspirational title to your headline that identifies a specific value you bring to the job market.

For example, you might be a “Project Manager,” “Data Analyst,” or an “Editor.”

So all together, this could look like: “AI Researcher | Data Analyst | PhD Candidate” or “Historical Researcher | Research Project Manager | PhD Student.”

I format mine like this—with the tiny little bars—but you don’t have to. Have a look around LinkedIn at different ways to do it.

4. Be careful with academic jargon

This advice depends. If you’re looking for altac work splicing genoisotopic hormones of CHN—and there’s an industry for that—totally leave it in. (I just made that up, so don’t google it.)

But if you’re looking to make yourself hireable to a wider variety of employers, I’d keep it simple. “I do gene splicing,” or “I’m a conservation archeologist.”

And for humanities students in obscure fields (like my ancient history degree was), I wouldn’t talk too much about your research. Focus more on general value propositions you bring. So “my research is on ancient Egyptian sacrificial urns” might become “I’m a historian studying how people build meaning into their lives…” or something like that.

5. Let’s talk “About”

The “About” section is important. As I said above, it’s the thing people often see first, and sometimes the only thing they see.

I love an “About” section that’s engaging and shows some personality.

Remember, a lot of employers see academics as being out of touch and having their heads in the clouds.

There’s no better way to contradict this than with an engaging career story that shows that you’re more than just a pretty brain. ( I also wrote this post about assumptions employers make about PhDs and how to counteract them .)

Use first person.

Tell your career story with limited jargon.

Don’t just talk about your research field. Talk about the skills you bring to the workplace that employers want.

And don’t be afraid to say where you want your career to go.

6. Lead with your thoughts

If you’re on the non-academic job market or you will be soon, it can be great to engage in some thought leadership on LinkedIn. Start sharing links of posts in your field. Comment (kindly and intelligently) on things others have written or shared. And write your own material on LinkedIn or a blog and share it!

It’s a great way to get eyes on you and your profile and to establish yourself as an emerging voice. ( I wrote this post about the value of thought leadership ).

A few final thoughts about your PhD LinkedIn…

There are different seasons of a PhD LinkedIn. I’m not job-searching anymore. I’m an entrepreneur. And so, I don’t need potential employers to be impressed by my LinkedIn.

However, I do use LinkedIn for thought leadership! So I use my LinkedIn differently. And opportunities now come to me from my network.

LinkedIn was a great tool in building this network in the first place. And a LinkedIn reach-out literally got me my first job. So the possibilities are endless!

Finally, there’s no one way to do LinkedIn. If you search for advice on how to do it, you’ll find different things. People have different opinions on what works, and it changes regularly.

But if you focus on 1. Who you are, 2. What your skills are, and 3. How they can solve a problem for an employer —You’ll be fine.

Hey! If you’re in the process of building a career with a PhD, check out my book about leaving academia– Doctoring: Building a Life After a PhD — now available on Amazo n.

  Psst… Did you know Roostervane has a YouTube channel? Here’s a video I made with some quick networking tips. Don’t forget to subscribe!

Read More About Making Your LinkedIn Shine

10 powerful linkedin tips to take your networking game to the next level., linkedin for phds: how to use it to build an amazing non-academic career.

Consulting Secrets 3 – Landing Clients

Photo by Christian Sterk on Unsplash There’s a new type of post buzzing around LinkedIn. I confess, I’ve even made a few.  The post is

You’re Not Good Enough… Yet

Last year, I spent $7k on a business coach. She was fantastic. She helped me through sessions of crafting my ideas to become a “thought

$200/hr Expert? Here’s the Secret!

Photo by David Monje on Unsplash I was listening to Tony Robbins this week. He was talking about being the best.  Tony asks the audience,

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7 Tips to write a Perfect Graduate Student LinkedIn Summary (With examples)

• November 20, 2020
• CAREER SKILLS

LinkedIn is one of the best and commonly known online, professional networking services. Many graduate students can take advantage of this platform to grow professionally, especially since LinkedIn is one of the places where different companies find their employees through recommendations .

However, since every student has a profile on LinkedIn, you should strive to make yours stand out in ways that will capture the attention of the reader. Since everyone is focused on their LinkedIn profiles, the LinkedIn summary is often overlooked. As a graduate student, you can focus on your LinkedIn summary to stand out from the rest of the students from all areas of study.

Another important reason why you should consider writing a good graduate student LinkedIn summary or the “about” section is because this is the third part that your readers will see after seeing your profile picture and name. The profile picture and the name may be appealing, but if the summary is not well written, the reader will lose interest even before reading the summary further.

Unlike other platforms which may limit you to the number of words that you need to use in your summary, LinkedIn allows you to write a summary about yourself in about 2000 words. Some of the best tips for writing the best graduate student LinkedIn summary include the following.

1.Start your first sentence with a hook

The first sentence of your graduate student LinkedIn summary should capture the attention of the reader and make him or her want to read more. Managers have so many things to do, and if they are looking for the best graduate student LinkedIn summary, yours should stand out in unique ways. To make your LinkedIn summary stand out, you need to make the reader want to know more about you and to effectively do this, use a hook in the first sentence of your LinkedIn summary.

2.Use specific- keywords

Using keywords help in putting you closer to the top. This is because most employers use keywords when looking for the best candidates for a specific position. This is why a graduate student LinkedIn summary should incorporate keywords, to help find a student fit for a specific position easily.

For instance, you can write that “I am currently in my last year as a Law Student at Harvard University” . When an employer is looking for law students, you are most likely to appear at the top because you have used the keyword “law student”. In addition to that, all the other students with the same keyword will also appear at the top of the search.

3.Always write from a first-person perspective

Most of the professional biographies usually take the third-person narrative. However, when writing a graduate student LinkedIn summary, you should always use the first-person narrative. This makes the reader know more about you at a personal level  from just reading your voice.

The tone that you use in your LinkedIn summary will also tell the reader more about yourself, and if you are very passionate about your professional achievements. Confidence is one of the key things that most employers look for in their candidates, making it very important to portray a high level of confidence in your graduate student LinkedIn summary.

For instance, you can say that “I know how much teamwork can cause a positive change in the company and for individuals. I believe that teamwork makes dream work, and I consider myself a good team layer.” The fact that you have written the summary from a first-person perspective shows the reader that you are talking about “you”, and that you have recognized some of your best qualities that you think are important when put to use.

4.Use short to medium-length paragraphs

A well-written paragraph should have at most seven to eight lines. This makes it easier for the reader to get the point of the whole graduate student LinkedIn summary. Consequently, writing long paragraphs will only make your work look boring and unpleasing to the reader. However, if the paragraphs are short or medium length, the reader will be interested in going on reading your LinkedIn summary.

In addition to that, also ensure that your paragraphs do not have long sentences. Have short sentences that are punctuated correctly, and can give the reader time to relax and get the whole point behind the graduate student LinkedIn summary.

5.Include information about your personal life

Remember that the reader also wants to know more about your personal life, and the things that you find interest in. since LinkedIn is an online platform that is used mainly for professional purposes, it is better to show the reader that you are a human being, and that you also have a life outside work.

Some students think that listing only their professional life will get managers attracted to their profiles. However, when you cannot find something fun to do after work, getting productive at work will be difficult because you will be burnt out and exhausted from working all the time.

The reader also wants to see the personal side of your life too. In your graduate student LinkedIn summary, you can include a few of your hobbies, the things you find interesting, and even your pets. Listing this on the summary is important especially since the rest of the LinkedIn profile says everything there is about your professional life.

For instance, you can say that “I am a football fan, and I spend most of my free time watching my favorite teams. If I am not glued to the screen watching a football match, you will find me walking my dog, mostly in the evenings.” You want to portray that you are human and you also have a life outside of work.

6.Avoid saying you are Unemployed

Telling the reader that you are unemployed only shows that you are not optimistic and that you are not ready for whatever may happen in the future. For instance, if you are a graduate teacher, engineering student, or law student, then you should focus on what the future holds for you. You are not unemployed, rather you are the future professor, engineer, and lawyer that the country needs. Therefore, whenever you are writing your graduate student LinkedIn summary, avoid using the term “unemployed” to refer to your current situation. It would be better to show some level of optimism.

7.Explain what you are doing currently

The experiences that you have gained so far need to be recognized in the graduate student LinkedIn summary. The employers need to know why you are doing what you are currently doing. Writing about your current experiences also shows the reader whether you are fit for the task at hand in a given company. However, when explaining what you are currently doing, focus on making it as simple as possible, so that it is easy for the reader to understand.

Writing a clear, straightforward, and concise summary is very important as compared to writing long LinkedIn summaries. A LinkedIn summary does not need a conclusion because the summary itself gives the information that the reader wants to know. Concluding a summary only makes you repeat everything you have said.

8.Common graduate student LinkedIn summary mistakes

The above tips help students write the perfect graduate student LinkedIn summary. However, there are some common mistakes that students tend to make in their LinkedIn summary. Some commonly made mistakes include the following.

Not having a profile picture

A profile picture helps the reader to know who he or she is dealing with. Failing to have a LinkedIn profile picture looks unprofessional and possibly could give a negative expression to a person who is interested in your graduate student LinkedIn summary. Not having a picture can deliver the wrong message that you may be a fraud.

Unprofessional profile picture

LinkedIn is an online professional platform where most people can be recommended for work. This means that most of the information you have on your profile should be professional, including your profile picture  . Having an unprofessional profile picture will not get you any readers.

Spelling, grammar & punctuation mistakes

Human beings are prone to make mistakes. However, since you want to appear professional, you should go through your graduate student LinkedIn summary to ensure that there are no typing errors in your summary.

Not mentioning your core strengths

You have to mention the things that you are good at, both personal and professional in your LinkedIn summary. However, some students fail to include their skills in their summaries, and this makes their whole summary irrelevant. Readers go through LinkedIn summaries to get the best candidate, with the desired skills to hire.

9.Examples of Graduate Student LinkedIn Summaries

How a student writes a LinkedIn summary depends on his or her major. This is what will help you sell yourself and will make you appear at the top of the search list. In this case, we are going to focus on two examples of graduate student LinkedIn summary, which will be mainly focused on a Finance student and an Education student.

Finance graduate student LinkedIn summary

This market requires you to sell yourself through marketing your main background skills on LinkedIn. An example of the LinkedIn summary is as follows.

“I am a 2016 Finance graduate student from Cambridge University. I have a passion for Entrepreneurial Finance and have used my communication skills for the best interest of both my team members and the company as a whole. I have worked in the real world, with real challenges, and getting solutions to these challenges is always very satisfying. Over the past year and a half, I am honored to say that my company has made me grow in ways I thought impossible. I consider myself aggressive, passionate, and a problem-solver. I love getting things done and I take pride in seeing everyone happy with my work. I am also a pet lover, who loves taking long walks with my dog when not on work duty,”

Education graduate student LinkedIn summary

Education is a major that is taken by various students. It is therefore advisable that anyone who wishes to pursue a career in education, to focus on any experience they may be having in the classroom. If you are passionate about teaching, then that is an added advantage. An example of a eduacation graduate student LinkedIn summary is as follows.

“I knew I wanted to be a teacher from the moment I kept tutoring my nieces. I realized that my passion for teaching grew immensely and I made sure that it did not stop at tutoring my relatives. I pursued a career in Education and graduated in 2017 from the University of Massachusetts. Teaching has been my long-term passion, and I am confident to say that I love teaching Literature at Yale University. I find teaching refreshing and my communication skills have positively impacted the lives of my students. Problem-solving has been made much easier through communication and understanding.”

Engineering graduate student LinkedIn summary

A well-written description will immensely help students in engineering and other technical programs—the engineering sector values participants who can communicate effectively and market themselves well. Using bullet points would be efficient to describe yourself to people. An example of an engineering graduate student LinkedIn summary is as follows.

I thrive on building connections between materials science and computational engineering and have spent several years in the domains of surface engineering and nanotechnology. I’m a graduate of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Moratuwa, Sri Lanka. Freelance Academic Writer and Tech Blogger: Helping scholars and young professionals to advance in their carriers. Data Analyst : Modelling / Visualization / Data management /Mining / Wrangling. Proficient in : MATLAB / COMSOL Multiphysics / Solidworks / Creo Parametric / R Studio. Learning never stops.

10.Conclusions

All the above graduate school summaries have one thing in common: they were all written from the first-person perspective. This shows the reader that you are talking about yourself and your experiences and depicts a level of confidence that may just help you secure a chance in a given company. The paragraphs are short, with precise and clear sentences that are easy to read and understand, making work easier for the reader. Therefore, a graduate student LinkedIn summary should be straight to the point and should show some skills that you possess and think that will help you secure a chance in another institution.

Images Courtesy : Photo by inlytics | LinkedIn Analytics Tool & Photo on Unsplash , Vector icon from freepik , Background photo created by rawpixel.com – www.freepik.com

Aruna Kumarasiri

Founder at Proactive Grad, Materials Engineer, Researcher, and turned author. In 2019, he started his professional carrier as a materials engineer with the continuation of his research studies. His exposure to both academic and industrial worlds has provided many opportunities for him to give back to young professionals.

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This is really worthy article. Thank you very much for sharing your knowledge with everyone.

Thanks, Supun! That’s great to hear.🙂

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The Savvy Scientist

Experiences of a London PhD student and beyond

How to Master LinkedIn for Academics & PhD Students

Whichever stage you’re at in your academic journey it’s never too soon to start building up your presence on LinkedIn. While LinkedIn is commonly known as a platform for job seekers and professionals, it also provides a great way for academics and PhD students to showcase our research and engage with others in our fields.

In this post we’ll walk through my top tips for networking with LinkedIn. We’ll begin with covering why having a LinkedIn profile can be a good idea, move on to polishing your profile and how to engage with the community, then discuss how to expand your network.

I’ve also included a few bonus tips at the end for anyone who’s approaching the end of their PhD and looking to make the move into industry.

Tight on time? Be sure to download my LinkedIn Top Tips guide from the free resource library so you can start putting these suggestions into practice.

Why You Should Use LinkedIn as an Academic Researcher

I’ll admit that I used to think that LinkedIn wasn’t useful for anyone outside of the corporate world. However, despite not using any other social media, I’ve been actively using LinkedIn as a researcher for a number of years and think it is well worth setting up an account.

Here’s why:

1. Stay up to date with developments in your field

Yes, us researchers do use LinkedIn! I see loads of new and interesting work getting shared on LinkedIn: not just people announcing their own papers getting published but also highlighting interesting studies they’ve seen.

You can follow updates for academics on places like Google Scholar but the perk of LinkedIn is that: 1) people will also share their own take on the work 2) since LinkedIn is a network you’ll also be exposed to new work from your connections connections etc. I know that a lot of people like Twitter/X for this stuff too.

For this reason I suggest adding people that you meet at conferences, currently work with, or would like to work with (more on that in a second!).

2. Learn from others

Alright so I’ll admit that the idea of using any social media platform to learn things can quickly descend into doom scrolling.

However, given that people generally treat LinkedIn as a lot more of a professional platform than most others, it does seem to be a lot more curated (i.e. useful) if you’re following the right people. I often see people sharing useful tutorials, workflows, interesting findings, etc, alongside general cool science.

3. Expand your reach

You can of course use LinkedIn as a platform to share your own research, thoughts etc. This makes it more likely that relevant researchers could see your work and will help you to build your own personal brand if you’re into that.

4. Career moves and job opportunities

The obvious reason! I see loads of job adverts on LinkedIn and it’s easy to set up alerts for specific companies or job roles. If you’re considering moving into industry at some stage this can be a fantastic place to look for open positions.

Sometimes I’ve known PhD students or academics to urgently set up a LinkedIn profile out of desperation when they’re looking for a job. It is much better to gradually set one up, as we’ll come onto shortly.

5. Collaborations

Maybe you’re not looking for a job, but networking via LinkedIn can still be a useful way of building connections with people you may want to work with: by collaborating!

For this reason I suggest adding interesting people you meet, or reaching out to people who you know do cool work. We’ll discuss more about the best ways to connect with them shortly.

6. I nteresting academic opportunities

LinkedIn can act as a notice board for different opportunities which may become available.

For instance:

Now that we’ve covered off some of the benefits of using LinkedIn as a researcher, we’ll next go into some practical ways to network on LinkedIn.

Polish your Profile

Your LinkedIn profile is the first impression you make on potential connections, fellow academics, collaborators, and employers. So the best place to start is by enhancing your profile to ensure it accurately represents who you are and what you do.

Some of my key recommendations are:

• Start early and enhance it over time – filling out a lot of blank spaces can seem intimidating, so make things easier for yourself by just doing a high level summary now and gradually fleshing it out.
• Make it visually appealing – use a professional headshot and interesting background picture.
• Regularly add new projects and publications – it can be tricky to remember your achievements after a lot of time has passed, so make it a regular habit to add new information to your LinkedIn. While you’re at it I’d also encourage this for your CV as well.

Once you’ve got your Linkedin profile set up, you’ll be ready to move onto the next step: interacting with others on the platform.

Engage with the Community

LinkedIn isn’t just a place to display your credentials, it’s a dynamic community where you can build relationships and share your insights.

Here are a few ways you can start engaging on LinkedIn:

1. Add People You Already Know

Search for people you already have connections with, this could include both your current colleagues and previous course-mates. Building this initial network creates a strong foundation for what will come next.

2. Interact with Other Posts

I feel like a YouTuber saying this but like, comment, and share posts related to your field. Offer meaningful comments that showcase your expertise.

This not only helps you build relationships but also increases your visibility.

3. Get Active!

Interacting with other posts is all well and good, but it’s also important to actively share your knowledge and research with your network.

Write posts about interesting papers, developments, or challenges in your field. This invites discussion and shows that you’re actively engaged in your area of study. Sharing your work could also lead to collaboration opportunities!

Expand Your Network

Building a meaningful network on LinkedIn involves more than just connecting with your immediate contacts. It’s about expanding your reach and connecting with professionals and researchers who share your interests.

Here are some ways you can expand your LinkedIn network as a researcher:

1. Join Relevant Groups and Follow Hashtags

LinkedIn groups are like virtual conferences and seminars, where people in your field gather to discuss the latest research and trends. Find groups related to your research interests and join them. Participate in discussions, share your insights, and connect with group members.

It’s also possible to follow hashtags to stay updated on topics of interest. Check out the video below for further information on how to do this.

2. Find Your LinkedIn QR Code for Faster Networking at Conferences

LinkedIn offers a QR code feature that makes connecting with new people easy. When you meet someone at a conference, simply give them your QR code to scan and you’ll be connected!

You can find your QR code by logging into the LinkedIn app on your phone and clicking on the search bar. Upon doing so a QR code symbol should appear on the right-hand side. Once clicked it will provide your code, ready to be shared and scanned.

3. Add a Personalised Note When Cold-Contacting People

While connecting with people you know is straightforward, you’ll also want to reach out to professionals and researchers you haven’t met yet. When sending connection requests to people you haven’t interacted with before, always include a personalised note.

This is really important! Personally I don’t ever tend to accept invites from people I don’t know if they’ve not added a note, or aren’t clearly working on interesting topics. I can only assume other people take this approach too.

Also, even if someone does accept your invite, if you’ve not sent them a message they don’t have any reason to know why you’re interesting in connecting.

• If you’ve met someone at an event, just send them a quick note reminding them of who you are.
• If you’ve never met them before, explain why you want to connect, how your interests align, or what you hope to gain from the connection.

This extra step will significantly increase both the chances of them accepting the invite and how meaningful your connection with them is.

Example notes you can use

• “Hey {X}, I really enjoyed your talk at {a conference} and would love to connect. Thanks”
• ”Hi {X}, after my PhD I’m hoping to move into {new career field} and would really appreciate a quick call to hear about how you were able to make the leap.”

It’s worth saying that yes, you can ask for something immediately, but it’s even better if you’re able to offer your new connection something as well. Do expect that they will look at your profile before accepting.

Bonus: LinkedIn Job Search Tips

Finishing up your PhD and/or considering a move into industry?

If you’re in that position now, here are a few things you can do to maximise your chances of securing a role.

1. Target Specific Companies

Already have a specific industry or company in mind? Below are three ways to boost your chances of success.

• Stay Informed: Follow companies you are interested in working for to stay up to date about job openings, company news, and developments in your chosen field.
• Engage: Interact with the content companies post on LinkedIn. Commenting and sharing their updates might get you noticed by their recruiters.
• Leverage the Alumni Tool: Use LinkedIn’s Alumni Tool to see where graduates from your university work. This can help you identify companies that have hired people with your academic background.

2. Optimise Your Profile for Job Searches

Use relevant keywords in your profile to make it easier to discover in job searches. Include skills, qualifications, and job titles you’re interested in.

3. Use LinkedIn Job Search Tools

LinkedIn has an abundance of tools specifically designed for job seekers.

Here are two ways to use these to your advantage:

• Activate Job Preferences: Let recruiters know you’re open to job opportunities by discreetly activating the “Open to Work” feature in your profile.
• Set Job Alerts: Create job alerts based on your preferred criteria.

4. Utilise Networking

Your LinkedIn network can be an incredibly valuable resource when searching for job opportunities. Start by reaching out to connections who work in your desired industry and seek advice or referrals. I personally know of people who have been successful in securing roles this way after struggling to otherwise get a foot in the door after graduating.

It can also be a good idea to follow thought leaders in your chosen field and engage with their posts. This will help to ensure you stay up to date on the latest insights and there’s always the chance it could end up leading to a job opportunity.

Finally, be sure to look out for and attend online webinars and events within your industry to further expand your network.

Summary: How to Master LinkedIn for Academics and PhD Students

LinkedIn can be a powerful tool for academics and PhD students, it allows you to showcase your research and can help to open up opportunities for collaboration.

By following these tips you can build your online presence, stay informed about the latest trends in your field and put yourself in the best position for your next career move.

You can find all of the key points available in my free LinkedIn Top Tips guide, available to download from the resource library .

I’d highly encourage everyone to set up a LinkedIn profile, even if you’re at an early stage in your PhD and dead-set on staying within academia. It’s so much easier to build it up gradually than to try and tackle it all in one go and you never know what opportunities it may lead to! If you want to add me here is my profile .

Happy networking!

Do you have any other suggestions for how academics and PhD students can use LinkedIn? Let me know in the comments!

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Effective LinkedIn headlines for master’s students (+ examples)

LinkedIn headlines matter: what you include in the headline tends to be people’s first association with your name on the platform. Master’s students can benefit from effective LinkedIn headlines if they know what elements to include and what to avoid.

Why LinkedIn headlines are important for master’s students

Your student status, your current work, your focus area, your ambition, what to avoid in linkedin headlines as a master’s student, example linkedin headlines for master’s students.

A LinkedIn headline is a 220-character section right under your profile picture on LinkedIn.

LinkedIn headlines are extremely important for establishing a network and for personal branding, which are essential for master’s students in the preparation for entering the labour market.

A LinkedIn headline is the only text that appears next to one’s name and profile picture in numerous instances, including

• LinkedIn searches,
• LinkedIn job applications,
• private messages,
• connection requests,
• when featured in someone’s ‘people you may know’ suggestion,
• when featured in someone’s ‘people also viewed’ suggestions.

In short, a LinkedIn headline is a sort of digital business card.

Furthermore, when someone googles your name, your LinkedIn profile shows up in the results with – guess what? Your LinkedIn headline as a preview.

The three main reasons why master’s students should have an effective LinkedIn headline are the following:

• To build a professional network: No one is going to accept your connection request if they don’t know who you are and what you do. And if they cannot figure out why you would try to connect with them.
• To support your job hunt: Whether you are looking for internships, traineeships, or a full-time job: it should be immediately visible to potential employers who you are and what you are looking for.
• To be visible to recruiters: Nowadays, a lot of headhunting happens via LinkedIn. If you are (soon) looking for a position anyways, why not increase your chance to be contacted by a recruiter?

Elements of effective LinkedIn headlines for master’s students

As a master’s student, you are, well, a student. Thus, it makes sense to include it in your LinkedIn headline. However, just writing that you are a student – even if you add the university – is not very informative. Unfortunately, it is very common:

Thus, indicate what you are studying, and at what level. For instance, you can be a MA Art History student, MSc Applied Physics candidate or a Master’s Student in Psychology.

If you work next to your studies, it can be worth including in your LinkedIn headline as well. However, always critically reflect on whether you want to highlight a job or not.

For example, it won’t be beneficial to emphasise your part-time gig as a babysitter or bartender when your ultimate goal is to work in banking…

Next, think about your focus area, key skills and expertise. Even if you indicate that you are a Law student, it is much more informative if you emphasise your focus on criminal or family law.

This element can also be forward-looking, indicating for instance the type of law that you want to make the focus of your career.

And lastly, be clear about what you are looking for. If you are looking for a job that is. This can be an internship, entry-level position, senior CFO position, etcetera.

Spell it out: you want to appear in the search results if someone looks for people searching, for instance, an internship.

• As explained above, do not just write ‘student’ as your one-word LinkedIn headline.
• Similarly, do not write ‘unemployed’. Even if you don’t have a paid job as a student, you are not unemployed. Being a student is your occupation.
• Don’t list unrelated jobs, such as being a babysitter or bartender, if they are disconnected from your professional goals.
• Don’t make grammar or spelling mistakes. When in doubt, use a spell and grammar checker like Grammarly.
• Avoid long sentences. It is better to use keywords, separated by vertical bars.
• Do not only use capital letters (NO SCREAMING PLEASE!)
• Be careful with the use of emojis. When in doubt about whether emojis in your LinkedIn headline is professional enough, simply don’t risk it.
• Don’t lie. Don’t be too humble but also don’t inflate your skills or lie about your positions. It will most certainly backfire.

Now that we know why LinkedIn headlines are important, what to include and what to avoid, let’s look at some good examples.

The first fictional master’s student Valeria studies Clinical Psychology. She clearly emphasises her focus on autism and early childhood development, which is important as clinical psychology is a vast field of study and practice. Furthermore, she states what she is looking for and where:

The second fictional master’s student Boris follows a similar setup: describing his degree programme, indicating where he studies, mentioning his key interests, and specifying that he is looking for an entry-level position in a specific sector:

The third fictional master’s student decided to indicate her graduation date. She is looking for a PhD position and specifies her target area, which is related to nano electronic materials:

The last example showcases the LinkedIn headline of fictional master’s student Carlos. In contrast to the previous headlines, Carlos included his current position as an intern. Looking at the keywords in his headline, this makes sense as the position is related to finance and can increase his chance of finding a traineeship in FinTech, which he is looking for:

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10 Stunningly Good Graduate Student LinkedIn Summary Examples

How much thought did you put in while crafting your LinkedIn profile, more importantly, your LinkedIn student summary? You probably did a good job, but are you interested in seeing 10 stunningly good summary graduate Student LinkedIn Summary Examples? If so, read on!

Much like Facebook and Instagram serve as our social identities, LinkedIn cultivates our professional identity and serves as a professional database for our digital footprint.

We all have digital footprints, whether we create them intentionally or unintentionally. Businesses, entrepreneurs, HR recruiters, and industry leaders have increasingly started recruiting professionals and freelancers from LinkedIn.

Setting a good first impression is of the utmost importance, and a LinkedIn profile that you created hastily will cast a negative light on your professional identity. So, if you’re looking for lucrative opportunities to market your skills and explore career advancement opportunities, your LinkedIn student summary is a crucial element that needs to be perfected. 

Why is a LinkedIn student summary so important? 

Your LinkedIn student summary is the most significant element of your entire LinkedIn profile. It should be engaging, impressively written, well-structured, and, most importantly, it should be grounded in reality.

HR recruiters, mentors, and executives have a keen eye for professional aesthetics and content regarding  LinkedIn  profiles. 

Recent graduates and students seek to build up their resume, refine their digital footprint, and engagingly present their professional LinkedIn profile. LinkedIn graduation posts have become increasingly popular across student LinkedIn accounts, and they serve a significant purpose. 

Recent graduates enter the industry with an innovative and upgraded skillset, enhancing their  marketability  for talent Scouters and firms that recruit fresh talent. Many students create LinkedIn profiles to keep up with the trend, and their LinkedIn student summary sections are either blank or consist of one-liners and odd phrases. 

Students who are just about to embark on their professional journeys need to focus on cultivating their digital profile and marketing their skillsets as early as possible. The global job market has become increasingly competitive, with freelancers and remote professionals claiming immense prominence-because of their ability to market their services and skills effectively. 

It’s crucial to set aside all distractions and focus on crafting a LinkedIn graduation post. Your post should be inspiring, detailing your experience and skills, and reflecting your ambitions and life goals. 

This article will walk you through ten impressive LinkedIn summary examples for graduates, alongside some pro tips to craft an engaging LinkedIn student summary for your profile. Take a look:

Compelling LinkedIn Student Summary Examples 

• Mikaila V. Smith 

In a highly impressive profile, Mikaila has detailed her academic and professional achievements in a truly engaging manner. This is one of the best LinkedIn summary examples for students who wish to attract professional opportunities and market their skillset strategically. 

• Samantha Manguiat

This is a cleverly crafted LinkedIn student summary. It allows Samantha to outline her academic experience, professional capabilities, and passions with a well-written introduction. It’s a great example to follow if you’re finding it difficult to craft your LinkedIn summary. 

• Maks Fraszka

Here’s an excellent example of taking inspiration from infusing your LinkedIn student summary with creativity. Maks Fraszka tells his life story in a brief yet engaging student summary. He details his academic and professional pursuits with a lighthearted banter that reveals his personality and interests. 

• Tiffini Simmons

This is another impressively detailed profile and a highly presentable LinkedIn summary for students to learn how to market their skills effectively. Tiffini outlines her academic exposure, skills, and work experience by just getting to the point. 

• Megan McDonnell 

Here’s an example that reveals that an impressive LinkedIn student summary doesn’t necessarily have to be lengthy to make an impact. You can impact engagement by focusing on engagement and highlighting the strengths that will make you an excellent asset for any firm and industry. 

• Anthony Fioretto

Anthony Fioretto has used his LinkedIn student summary to discuss his academic pursuits, professional experiences, and interests. He has used this crucial LinkedIn space to reflect his personality, share his passions, and underscore the factors that motivate his ambitions. This LinkedIn student summary example can help you craft a brief yet impactful summary to make your Student LinkedIn account appear highly promising!

If you still have a few years of academic learning left and want to build up your resume with prestigious internships and volunteer opportunities, here’s a compelling LinkedIn student summary to check out. Matt Pell has outlined his academic and professional experiences and his future goals, with a well-written summary that reflects his ability to market his skillset effectively. 

• Noah Delumpa

One of the most inspiring LinkedIn student summary examples shared in this article, Noah Delumpa’s summary, is highly engaging and moving. With great craft, Noah has outlined his academic and professional pursuits. Instead of boring the reader with heavy jargon and big brand names, he talks about his professional values, ethics, and drives.

• Kaitlyn O’Connor

Another excellent example for students who are still navigating through their academic journey. Kaitlyn’s LinkedIn student summary does not include any prestigious internships, but it is just as impressive because she candidly shares her motivations behind her academic pursuits. 

• Will Hubber

Are you looking for good internships while completing your academic journey? Will Hubber’s LinkedIn student summary offers a lighthearted introduction to his academic pursuits and professional values and strengths. An excellent strategy to get noticed and make a lasting impression without using too many words! 

Tips to Write an Impressive LinkedIn Student Summary 

We’ve explored some examples to walk you through the contents of an impressive Linkedin summary for students. Now, let’s turn our attention towards some tips that can help you craft one for yourself. 

• Define your academic journey

Your LinkedIn student summary must reveal your academic pursuits and the motivations that inspired you to embark on your chosen degree. Recruiters, mentors, and observers are not just interested in the institutions you are affiliated with or the degrees you have completed. 

They want to know more about why you choose a particular major and how you plan to use it. Luckily, your LinkedIn graduation post is the right space to explain why your chosen academic path inspires you. Modern-day employers seek fresh graduates who are inspired and motivated, and you can cast a powerful impression by presenting your drives and academic interests in detail. 

• Professional experience and pursuits 

Since LinkedIn is a professional database, your LinkedIn summary must outline your experiences, internships, and other accolades on your resume. Only listing down your experiences won’t make a desirable impact. You have to use each experience to outline what you’ve learned, and how that particular opportunity helped you grow professionally. 

Writing about professional experiences allows you to present your strength and even discuss crucial projects you’ve worked on. It is an opportunity to show your skills in a highly engaging manner and discuss your strengths by revealing how you have cultivated them. 

• Your values and ethics 

Do you consider yourself to be a natural-born leader? Or perhaps, you firmly believe in your abilities to cool off tensions and arbitrate disputes? Do you believe in teamwork and thrive in nurturing environments, or do you prefer to work alone? 

All of the LinkedIn summary examples for graduates introduced above discuss professionals’ values and ethics because employers are keen to extract knowledge that reflects your values. Instead of allowing them to make their own assumptions, you can directly demonstrate who you are. 

Use your student LinkedIn bio to present the qualities and values that make you an excellent fit for any organization. What do you have to offer as an employee, a colleague, a subordinate, and a community member? Your summary must touch upon your values and ethics, however briefly or expressively you prefer. 

• Humanize your profile 

Employers and recruiters are not looking for bots that can be programmed to perform specific tasks. They are looking for bright and talented graduates with vibrant personalities and the potential to make meaningful contributions to their organizations. It is instrumental in humanizing your account with a creative flair and a narrative grounded in your real experiences. 

Instead of mimicking the student LinkedIn summaries, you’ve seen in our list or elsewhere, concentrate on presenting your own experiences and struggles. What are the elements, passions, and values that define you as a person? What were the defining moments of your academic journey or professional experiences that clarified your professional goals? 

Where did you travel to study or work, and what are your interests other than exploring lucrative professional opportunities? It is crucial to present a human side to your professional profile to balance the narrative and cast a good impression. 

• Maintain clarity 

It is crucial to define the goals of your LinkedIn graduation post or student summary throughout the narrative. What are your professional goals? What is the nature of your skillset and talents? What kind of work environment are you looking for? Are you currently pursuing your education or looking to get hired by a reputable firm? 

Maintaining clarity is of the utmost importance, so avoid dragging out ideas too much. The best LinkedIn student summaries strike a balance between too short and too long and present just enough information to hook the reader without causing them to work too hard. 

• Focus on keywords 

Keywords are the most significant element to be mindful of as they will make your LinkedIn student summary optimized for search results. LinkedIn has a considerably higher ranking in Google’s search results, and focus keywords will help you enhance your digital footprint and, consequently, your marketability. 

Be sure to incorporate the most relevant keywords to your professional skills, industry, institution, and interests. It is ideal to do your research on your keywords before you start writing the draft. There’s a dashboard located right below the summary, where you can find “search appearances” to identify the keywords used by your searchers. 

Scoop up all the keywords relevant to your professional goals and career pursuits, but be sure to avoid jamming them into the summary tactlessly. 

• Originality and uniqueness

It may seem overwhelming, but once you start writing, it will get more comfortable and you can work on refining your draft. It is crucial to go through all the LinkedIn summary examples for students given above and take notes of the keywords, narration, and themes. 

This will help you create a mental structure of the summary you want to introduce your academic and professional pursuits and offer an impactful glimpse into your personality. There’s no point in imitating these LinkedIn summary examples since uniqueness and originality are of the utmost significance to make you stand out. 

Cultivate your own unique blend of creativity and focus more on humanizing your experiences. Often, when we admire the experiences and portfolios of others, we unconsciously end up judging ourselves against them, which can be quite destructive if practiced routinely. It is crucial to take pride in everything you have accomplished so far and present it with confidence. 

Be sure to outline your personal goals, professional values, and use this summary to display your unique blend of intellect, wisdom, and creativity. Be sure to add an action point at the end of your LinkedIn summary, encouraging people to contact you for a collaborative and rewarding professional relationship. 

Focus on creating a narrative that reflects your personality and outlines your academic and professional goals, not like a resume. Still, like a fun introduction, one would give at an orientation meeting. 

We hope that this guide was helpful and inspiring in crafting a creative and impactful LinkedIn student summary. If you need further guidance about perfecting your LinkedIn profile as a recent graduate or student, please check our online training section and profile optimization service. We’re always happy to help young adults at the cusp of professional greatness! 

Main Photo by inlytics | LinkedIn Analytics Tool on Unsplash

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Email forwarding for @cs.stanford.edu is changing. Updates and details here . CS Commencement Ceremony June 16, 2024.  Learn More .

Incoming CS PhD Students

Main navigation.

This page will detail the schedule of orientation events sponsored by the Computer Science Department. There are many other campus-wide orientation events that we encourage students to explore. Please visit the Graduate Life Office website (in September) for detailed information.

PhD Student Orientation Schedule

• Date : Thursday, September 21, 2023 
• Time : 10:00am (PST) - 5:00pm (PST) 
• Location : Gates Building, Room B01 and B03
• This meeting is mandatory for all PhD students including change of degree and additional degree students.
• The PhD Program Chair, IT Manager, Director of Finance and Operations, CS PhD Program Director will be available to answer questions and distribute information during the PhD information session. 
• This meeting leads into a month-long series of specially designed seminars for all new PhD students, which serves as an introduction to the faculty and their respective research areas/groups.

PhD Additional Information

• The first day of classes is September 26th and we recommend that you arrive one week prior to this date. If you will be looking for housing, consider arriving even earlier that one week prior to the first day of classes. 
• If you are an international student and will be attending the orientation activities at the Bechtel International Center (I-Center), please check the I-Center's website (in mid-August) for detailed orientation information. 
• Your student advisor is your student buddy mentioned in your admit letter. This student advisor is in addition to your faculty advisor and will provide you with less formal and more broad-ranging help. We encourage you to get to know your student advisor, as they can be of assistance with a range of issues; academic, social and more. They can connect you with other students, faculty members, and inform you of departmental news.
• Email  [email protected]  if you need clarification on your specific PhD Student Buddy.
• Contact Jayanthi Subramanian ( [email protected] ) for inquiries regarding the PhD program.

Meet our incoming PhD students: Autumn 2022

Management Science and Engineering is excited to welcome all incoming students as we begin the academic year!

As they arrived on campus, we had the pleasure of meeting some of our vibrant, diverse, and talented 2022 PhD cohort. The students come from specializations in a variety of fields, such as quantitative modeling, entrepreneurship, journalism, theoretical computer science, defense, non-profits, renewable energy, and more.

Get to know some of our newest PhD students below:

Meet Korina Arpášová

Hometown: Adelaide, Australia "I am a quantitative researcher and modeler with extensive experience working in data analysis and modeling for defense and national security."

Get to know Korina

Meet Noah Benjamin-Pollak

Hometown: Boston, Massachusetts "Through my work in journalism, I became fascinated by the qualities that differentiate how organizations respond to innovation and change within their industry."

Get to know Noah

Meet Jiale Chen

Hometown: Hangzhou, China "I am motivated to observe and understand my surroundings, find the inefficiency, turn it into a theoretical problem, and design algorithms for improvements."

Get to know Jiale

Meet Keertana Chidambaram

Hometown: Kochi, India "I hope to contribute to the theoretical understanding of algorithms that have interesting applications in the real world."

Get to know Keertana

Meet Zachary Dodge

Hometown: Seattle, Washington "I am passionate about optimizing the many variables around satellite constellation replenishment. My work will contribute to the inevitable challenges that come with the new era of satellite proliferation."

Get to know Zachary

Meet Morgan Knowlton

Hometown: Atlanta, Georgia "My goal is to improve the well-being of children, especially those in foster care."

Get to know Morgan

Meet Ervin L. McWilson II

Hometown: Pensacola, Florida " I want to expand our knowledge of how African-American tech entrepreneurs succeed by developing a framework for characterizing their success."

Get to know Ervin

Meet Nick Okafor

Hometown: Dallas, Texas " I plan for my research to document the consequences of disruption and abolitionist business models toward innovation, as well as accelerate the responsible use of technology within the urban environment."

Get to know Nick

Meet Xueye Ping

Hometown: Wuxi, China "I hope to leverage my expertise in quantitative modeling in finance to propose more efficient approaches to decision-making problems in the financial industry."

Get to know Xueye

Meet Amanda Pratt

Hometown: Wisconsin "I hope to contribute to a better understanding of how to facilitate technology change and adoption and provide practitioners with information that will enable successful transformations."

Get to know Amanda

Meet Jarrod Shingleton

Hometown: Albuquerque, New Mexico "I would like to provide the leaders of the Army with options based on empirical analysis and the available data."

Get to know Jarrod

Meet Mike Van Ness

Hometown: Connecticut "I would love to be able to use my PhD to promote data science for positive social impact in industry, and/or to teach the next generation of data scientists through academia."

Get to know Mike

Meet Joyee Wang

Hometown: Suzhou, China " I hope to utilize theories of mathematics and tools of computer science to solve challenges in areas including, but not limited to, energy, healthcare, and finance."

Get to know Joyee

Meet Anders Wikum

Hometown: Green Bay, Wisconsin "I want to be in a position where I can work on problems in operations research and computer science that are both theoretically interesting and have a direct impact on people’s lives."

Get to know Anders

2024 senior projects: Optimizing for social impact

Social science takes the stage in a live storytelling event at the Cantor Arts Center

MS&E Newsletter April 2024

Incoming Ph.D. Students

Welcome to uw-madison.

You are an integral part of our community and your contributions to research, teaching, and outreach activities will help shape the success of this department. We look forward to having you join us in Madison in Fall 2024.

The faculty and staff look forward to being part of your journey as you develop your unique scientific personality and contribute to the broader scientific community.

Onboarding Information

• Important Dates More
• Orientation 2024 Faculty Talks More
• Orientation Schedule More
• New Student Checklist More
• International Student Information More

Program Information

• First Year in Graduate School More
• Chemistry Department Handbook More
• Course Descriptions More
• Dept Expectation for Students More
• Catalyst More
• Community & Diversity More

More Information

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Instructions for Registering for Fall 2024 Courses during the Summer

Starting on June 24, 2024, incoming graduate students can register for fall courses. Please register for 8 credits in the research course, Chem 990, before you arrive on campus. Registering for 8 credits of research in the summer will make you a full-time student in the fall and allow you to get your UW-Madison ID card as soon as you arrive on campus. During Orientation, you will receive guidance about which lecture courses you should take for the fall 2024 semester. At that time, you will sign up for  a total of 15 credits and may need to change the number of research credits.

Please sign up for section 1 in the research course Chem 990 . Section 1 is the section for the incoming graduate students. The professor listed in section 1 is the associate chair of the graduate program and will serve as your advisor for the first semester.

Waiver for Prior Graduate Chemistry Courses

A graduate student can receive a waiver from the Department for up to 12 credits toward UW-Madison Ph.D. course requirements for graduate courses taken at other institutions. These courses will not appear on the UW-Madison transcript nor count toward the Graduate School cumulative GPA or credit requirements, but will fulfill the Department’s requirement toward coursework if approved. Coursework earned ten or more years prior to admission to a doctoral degree is not allowed to satisfy requirements.

To confer credits, you will need to fill out the Chemistry Course Waiver Form and:

• Identify a graduate course at UW-Madison that is similar to the course taken at another institution.
• Identify a faculty member who has taught the UW-Madison course.
• UW-Madison course number and number of credits
• Course name, instructor, number of credits, grade, a short description, and syllabus of the course taken at the other institution
• Ask the UW-Madison faculty to email Graduate Program Office with permission granted and the number of credits.
• Submit the Chemistry Course Waiver form with the attached syllabus here .

Off-Campus Housing Services

To help you in the search for housing, please check out our University Housing website , the off-campus housing market , and other housing resources . These resources are provided to help students navigate off-campus housing options and make the best choice for themselves and/or their families.

One of our graduate students additionally put together the attached spreadsheet with detailed information about a variety of rentals offices in Madison here . 

If you are trying to find a roommate, please fill out the Google sheet linked here . Check back occasionally to see who else has filled it out – and if you think that someone would be a good fit, reach out to them! The sheet also has a link to join the GroupMe (at the top of column L) if you would like to chat with others about finding housing/roommates. 

Important:  You  must  be signed in with your wisc email in order to access the spreadsheets

Employment Verification

If you need verification of income to rent an apartment, please contact Marc Willadsen ( [email protected]  or 608-265-9227) or have the rental agency contact Marc.

Welcome Check

In September, the incoming graduate students will receive a Welcome Check of $1000 to help cover some of the transition expenses until the student receives the first full paycheck. The Welcome Check is in addition to the guaranteed stipend.

Health Insurance

Graduate assistants, including TAs and RAs, and graduate fellows have the option to receive excellent benefits through the university’s  state group health insurance plan . This is the same health insurance that covers faculty and staff. For the calendar year 2024, the typical state group health (HMO) insurance rates for graduate assistants are $56/month for an individual or $138/month for a family (including spouses and children).

For individuals and families who need the flexibility to select specific health care providers, or who need to access health care throughout Wisconsin or nationwide, the Access Plan provides a second option for coverage through the state group health insurance program. For the calendar year 2024, the monthly rates for the Access Plan are $133.50 for individuals and $331.50 for families.

Student Fees

Graduate students are required to pay student fees called University Segregated Fees , which amount to approximately $1,900 for the 2023-24 academic year (depending upon course hours enrolled). These fees are paid fall and spring semester and summer term.  The payment schedule is here.

Graduate students are supported by teaching assistantships, research assistantships, and fellowships. Most first-year chemistry graduate students receive teaching assistantships. Teaching experience helps strengthen the mastery of the subject matter taught and develops poise and maturity in working with individuals and groups. Students with fellowships benefit by doing some teaching, and can usually supplement their stipends. The department does not, however, require that graduate students teach. In later years, graduate students usually serve as research assistants for their thesis advisers. Summer support for Ph.D. candidates is routinely available.

A limited number of summer research and teaching positions are also available from the department for new students who have accepted the department’s offer for the following fall. Contact the Graduate Program Office for more information.

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Graduate Student Life is a microsite for new and incoming graduate students. It includes information on housing, transportation, living in Madison, being a student at UW–Madison, thriving in graduate school, and a section for international students.

Please contact the Graduate Program Office at [email protected] if you have general questions. Contact Marc Willadsen , payroll specialist, at [email protected] if you have questions about benefits or payroll.

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Grad Student Profile: Riley Lawson

Earlier this year the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs named NC State among 12 colleges and universities with the highest number of students, faculty and administrators selected for both the Fulbright U.S. Student and Fulbright U.S Scholar Programs. The Fulbright U.S. Scholar program offers teaching and research awards to U.S. citizens in more than 130 countries, and we had a chance to sit down with College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Fulbright Scholar Riley Lawson to talk about her graduate education experience and the opportunity to conduct research in France.

Tell us about your journey to graduate school and what led you to NC State. When I was looking at graduate schools during my senior year of undergrad, I knew I wanted to change course from my bachelor’s degree major of aerospace engineering and study something new. My undergraduate mentor at the University of Alabama, Dr. Rob Morgan, encouraged me to look into Biological and Agricultural Engineering. When I began to research the discipline, I realized that it was a perfect way to combine my skill set of mechanical design with my passion for food equity and environmental sustainability. NC State’s BAE Graduate program is consistently ranked in the top 5 nationally, and I was excited to be closer to my parents for my next round of schooling. I then visited Raleigh for our recruitment weekend, and I was sold!

Tell us about your research. My research focuses on developing soil biosensors to accurately determine soil nutrient concentrations. The standard practice for sampling soil often takes weeks to receive results, so we are creating a soil sensor that can be implemented in the crop field and provide real-time readouts of soil nutrients, particularly nitrogen. Nitrogen, or nitrate as it is most often found in the soil, is crucial to plant growth. Excessive nitrate in the soil can then be washed away and is damaging the surrounding ecosystem. If we can develop a platform that shows farmers exactly where in the field they need to apply fertilizer and in what quantity, we can not only improve their bottom-line, but also directly benefit the environment.

Tell us about your U.S. Fulbright opportunity.

Next academic year, I will conduct a research project in Rennes, France as part of the U.S. Fulbright grant program. During my time there I will study a rapeseed crop variant’s response to fluctuations in soil nitrogen levels and be able to better inform my sensor development when I return.

How has NC State and the Graduate School helped you with your professional development? NC State offers many opportunities for professional development. I participate in both the Writing and Teaching Certificates offered by The Graduate School. I also have made my own opportunities by serving as my department’s Graduate Student Association President for the past two years.

The Executive Board and I have planned several seminars, including highlighting post-masters and -doctoral opportunities, listening to the experiences of women in academia, and learning how to properly submit one’s thesis or dissertation through the ETD portal. My department also sends graduate students to the annual meeting of our professional society, which I have attended thrice and at which I made many connections.

What advice do you have for new or current graduate students? Transitioning from undergraduate to graduate studies is challenging. You have to reframe your mind to not only be a student but also a working researcher. Spending adequate time being creative and thinking of solutions to various roadblocks is crucial but prioritizing your well-being with work-life balance is the only way to get through. If you choose a research project that you are wholly invested in, it will make the work all the easier.

What does the future have in store for Riley? After graduation I would love to be a professor! If I can find the right position at the right university, it would be a dream come true to teach and encourage the next generation while having the flexibility to continue researching game-changing innovations.

Tell us a fun fact about yourself . From eighth grade through college, I wanted to be an astronaut. I would still go into space in a heartbeat!

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School of Public Policy

Reflecting on seven years of leading the school of public policy.

In my last editorial column as School Director, it is my absolute pleasure to introduce our incoming School Director, Dr. Angela Eikenberry , to our public service community, students, alumni and non-UConn colleagues. Dr. Eikenberry will be the leader who takes the School of Public Policy ( SPP ) to the next level in terms of teaching, research, service and subsequently our local, state, national and international reputation. In the next couple of paragraphs, I would like to indulge in celebrating what Team SPP has done in the past seven years.

Congratulations to our graduates. This year SPP celebrated 84 graduates from our Master of Public Administration ( MPA ), Master of Public Policy ( MPP ) and Master of Arts in Survey Research and Data Analysis ( SRDA ) programs. Our four graduate certificate programs also honored their graduates. Governor Lamont delivered an excellent graduation keynote that demonstrated his deep appreciation for public service professionals. Admitting students into our programs, preparing them to be the best professionals and graduating them to serve our public and nonprofit agencies is the mission of our School and the most important thing that we do. In the past seven years, we graduated about 500 amazing professionals who are now doing exceptionally competent public service work. Our team of faculty, staff and alumni (yes, alumni are part of our team) is proud of every one of these graduates.

We also celebrated the graduation of 25 leaders who went through our Encore Connecticut program this year, as well as 10 Emerging Nonprofit Leaders of Color in our third cohort that we run in cooperation with The Community Foundation for Greater New Haven. These programs are part of our outreach to Connecticut residents and are critical to our mission of preparing future and current leaders for employment in the public and nonprofit sectors. Consistent with that mission is also the success of our six year old Public Service Executive Leadership Collaborative ( PSELC ) which provided quality training to about 300 public servants this year, and more than 1,200 over the past six years. PSELC provides an important continuing education resource to our public service community, alumni and executive students.

Our team has accomplished plenty in the last seven years. Thanks to our hard-working faculty, our funded research revenue is up ten-fold, our revenues have more than doubled and our scholarly research has also increased substantially. Thanks to our staff, our MPA, MPP and Fellows programs have healthy enrollments. Our expansion into Stamford as of this Fall will undoubtedly be successful.

Our internship program is as healthy as ever and our student job placement rate is second to none. Our faculty is more diverse than ever and our student body is also substantially more diverse than ever. Our alumni , who have always been our biggest asset, are more engaged than ever in our program through our internship program, through our continuing education program and through our mentoring program.

I am very proud of everything our team of faculty, staff, alumni and students accomplished together. I came to UConn because of its amazing reputation in the fields of public policy and public administration. After seven years of leading the now-School of Public Policy, I am more convinced than ever that we have amazing days ahead of us. I want to thank our students, faculty, staff, alumni and public and nonprofit leaders for all they did to help us succeed in the past seven years. I look forward to working with them in my new capacity as a Professor in the School starting August 2024.

– Mohamad Alkadry , SPP Professor and School Director

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PTSD Has Surged Among College Students

The prevalence of post-traumatic stress disorder among college students rose to 7.5 percent in 2022, more than double the rate five years earlier, researchers found.

By Ellen Barry

Post-traumatic stress disorder diagnoses among college students more than doubled between 2017 and 2022, climbing most sharply as the coronavirus pandemic shut down campuses and upended young adults’ lives, according to new research published on Thursday.

The prevalence of PTSD rose to 7.5 percent from 3.4 percent during that period, according to the findings . Researchers analyzed responses from more than 390,000 participants in the Healthy Minds Study, an annual web-based survey.

“The magnitude of this rise is indeed shocking,” said Yusen Zhai, the paper’s lead author, who heads the community counseling clinic at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. His clinic had seen more young people struggling in the aftermath of traumatic events. So he expected an increase, but not such a large one.

Dr. Zhai, an assistant professor in the Department of Human Studies, attributed the rise to “broader societal stressors” on college students, such as campus shootings, social unrest and the sudden loss of loved ones from the coronavirus.

PTSD is a mental health disorder characterized by intrusive thoughts, flashbacks and heightened sensitivity to reminders of an event, continuing more than a month after it occurs.

It is a relatively common disorder , with an estimated 5 percent of adults in the United States experiencing it in any given year, according to the most recent epidemiological survey conducted by the Department of Health and Human Services. Lifetime prevalence is 8 percent in women and 4 percent in men, the survey found.

The new research also found a sharp rise in the prevalence of a similar condition, acute stress disorder, which is diagnosed less than a month after a trauma. Diagnoses rose to 0.7 percent among college students in 2022, up from 0.2 percent five years earlier.

Use of mental health care increased nationally during the pandemic, as teletherapy made it far easier to see clinicians. Treatment for anxiety disorders increased most steeply, followed by PTSD, bipolar disorder and depression, according to economists who analyzed more than 1.5 million insurance claims for clinician visits between 2020 and 2022.

PTSD was introduced as an official diagnosis in 1980, as it became clear that combat experiences had imprinted on many Vietnam veterans, making it difficult for them to work or participate in family life. Over the decades that followed, the definition was revised to encompass a larger range of injury, violence and abuse, as well as indirect exposure to traumatic events.

However, the diagnosis still requires exposure to a Criterion A trauma, defined in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders as “death, threatened death, actual or threatened serious injury, or actual or threatened sexual violence.”

It is not uncommon for young adults to experience traumatic events. A 1996 study of Detroit residents found that exposure to traumatic events — such as violent assaults, injuries or unexpected death — peaked sharply between the ages of 16 and 20. It then declined precipitously after age 20.

Research suggests that less than one-third of people exposed to traumatic events go on to develop PTSD.

Shannon E. Cusack, an academic researcher who has studied PTSD in college students, said there was division within the field about whether the profound disruptions that young adults experienced during the pandemic — abrupt loss of housing and income, social isolation and fear about infections — amount to triggering events.

“They’re causing symptoms that are consistent with the PTSD diagnosis,” said Dr. Cusack, a clinical psychologist and an assistant professor of psychiatry at Virginia Commonwealth University. “Am I not going to treat them because their stressor doesn’t count as a trauma?”

The prevalence data, she said, points to a pressing need for PTSD treatment on college campuses. Short-term treatments developed for veterans, such as prolonged exposure therapy and cognitive processing therapy, have proved effective in managing PTSD symptoms.

Stephen P. Hinshaw, a professor of psychology at the University of California, Berkeley, said that the disruptions of the pandemic might have left college students emotionally depleted and less resilient when faced with traumatic events.

“Midway through this study, there may have been legitimately more trauma and death,” he said, adding that the lockdowns may have caused more general despair among young people. “With the general mental health deterioration, is it harder to cope with traumatic stressors if you do get exposed to them?”

Some changes to the diagnostic manual may have blurred the line between PTSD and disorders like depression or anxiety, Dr. Hinshaw said. In 2013, the committee overseeing revisions to the manual expanded the list of potential PTSD symptoms to include dysphoria, or a deep sense of unease, and a negative worldview, which could also be caused by depression, he said. But the changes, he added, do not account for the sharp increase in diagnoses.

Ellen Barry is a reporter covering mental health for The Times. More about Ellen Barry

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Thinking of Pursuing a PhD in Economics? Info on Graduate School and Beyond

Kasey Chatterji-Len and Anna Kovner

Becoming a PhD economist can provide a fulfilling and financially secure career path. However, getting started in the field can be daunting if you don’t know much about the preparation you’ll need and the available job opportunities. If you’re wondering what it means to be an economics researcher or how to become one, please read on. We’ll review how to prepare for a career in economics research, what an economics PhD program entails, and what types of opportunities it might bring. Economic education is a core component of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York’s mission to serve the community. To empower would-be economists, this post provides information for students who seek a career in economics research. We hope this information will be helpful to students interested in economics, regardless of their background and economic situation.  This information is most applicable to students applying to programs in the United States.  

The Breadth of Economics Research  

Academic disciplines conduct research in different ways, so it’s important to have a basic understanding of the types of questions economists ask and how they approach answering them. There are many definitions of economics, but a broadly useful one is the study of how people, organizations, and governments make decisions under different constraints, and how those decisions may affect their outcomes. 

When answering these questions, economists seek to ground their analyses in models and to be quantitatively precise about the effects they assign to any given cause. The range of topics economists can study is wide, but the accepted approaches to answering questions are stricter. Some examples of what economists might ask: 

• How do different public housing programs affect the children who live there? 
• Does a certain type of law encourage businesses to innovate? 
• How will a change in the interest rate affect inflation and unemployment rates? 
• How much does affordable health insurance improve people’s health? 
• How can poor countries eradicate poverty? 

There are many different subfields within economics, including, but not limited to behavioral, econometrics, energy/environmental, development, financial, international, monetary, public, and urban economics. You can familiarize yourself with the latest work in economics by subscribing to working paper series, such as NBER’s New This Week or the New York Fed’s Staff Reports . To get an idea of the breadth of questions economists can answer, you could listen to Stephen Dubner’s “ Freakonomics Radio ” podcast. You may also want to explore the Journal of Economic Perspectives , the New York Fed’s Liberty Street Economics blog, VoxDev , or VoxEU .  

What Is a PhD Program Like?    

Economics PhD programs typically last five to seven years. Unlike masters programs, they are often fully funded with a stipend, though most require students to complete teaching assistant and/or research assistant (RA) work as part of their funding package. In the first two years, students take classes, many of which are mathematically demanding. The rest of the program can include additional classes but is primarily devoted to original research with the aim of producing publishable papers that will constitute the dissertation.  

Faculty advisors are a central part of PhD programs, as students look to them for guidance during the research process. Economics PhD programs are offered within university economics departments, but there are similar programs in public policy and business schools. You can look at their websites to understand any differences in coursework and subsequent job placements. 

What Can You Do with an Economics PhD?  

Upon graduation, students can obtain jobs in a variety of industries. Many PhD students hope to become university professors. Governments and public policy-related institutions such as the Federal Reserve System, the U.S. federal government, the World Bank, and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) also hire economists to work on policy, lead programs, and conduct research. Finally, economics PhD graduates can also find employment at a variety of private sector companies, including banks, economic consulting firms, and big tech companies. The pay for these different positions can vary. According to the American Economics Association (AEA), the average starting salary for economics assistant professors in 2022-23 was approximately $140,000 at PhD granting institutions and $98,000 at BA granting institutions. 

Programs often publish the placements of their PhD graduates, so you can look online to see specific employment outcomes. See, for example, the University of Maryland’s placements . Ultimately, economists are highly regarded as authorities on a variety of topics. Governments, nonprofits, philanthropic foundations, financial institutions, and non-financial businesses all look to economists to answer important questions about how to best achieve their goals. Thus, earning an economics Ph.D. can potentially help you to influence issues that are important to you. 

Preparing for an Economics PhD Program  

There are several components to an economics PhD program application: college transcripts, GRE scores, letters of recommendation, and personal statements. Please download the Appendix linked below to learn more about transcripts and letters of recommendation. The Appendix details ways in which you can select coursework, obtain research experience, and develop relationships to position yourself for success as a PhD applicant.  

If you feel that you are too far along in your academic career to take enough of the classes described in the Appendix, this does not necessarily preclude you from pursuing an economics PhD. For example, it’s possible to take some of these classes through a master’s program, or through a pre-doctoral RA job. Some pre-doctoral RA jobs, such as the one here at the New York Fed , may enable you to take classes in preparation for graduate school. If you are concerned about your transcript, reach out to an economist at your university for advice; program standards for coursework and grades vary, and it’s a good idea to get more personalized advice. 

Research Experience   

If you’re interested in becoming an economics researcher and applying to PhD programs, it’s best to get research experience as soon as possible. Working as an RA is a great way to learn how to conduct research and get a better idea of whether it’s the right career path for you. Additionally, it can help you obtain a letter of recommendation for graduate school applications and improve your qualifications.  

All types of academic research can be enriching, but it’s beneficial to gain experience working directly with an economist. To find a position, you can reach out to professors whose work you find interesting or find an RA program at your school. Typical RA tasks may involve data collection and cleaning, as well as running analyses and creating charts to represent results. This is where coding skills become crucial; having taken math, statistics, and econometrics courses will also enable you to take on more responsibilities. 

You may also have the opportunity to conduct your own research, possibly under the supervision of a professor at your university. This research could be self-initiated or part of a course such as a thesis workshop. Self-directed research is a great opportunity to learn about all stages of the research process. It’s also an excellent opportunity to create a writing sample for graduate school applications. Ultimately, though, your motivation for conducting your own research project should be that you want to answer a question.  One thing economists have in common is a love of answering questions using data and theory. 

Research experience is also often obtained after completing an undergraduate or master’s degree. Taking on a full-time RA position before applying to PhD programs is very common and can make you a more competitive applicant. You may either get an RA job working for a professor or participate in a pre-doctoral RA program.  

Research assistant programs are more structured than positions with individual professors or projects, which could be helpful. Universities, parts of the government, think tanks, research organizations, and the Federal Reserve System are all good places to look for research assistant programs. To help you decide which opportunities are most desirable, you may want to ask potential employers : Where do people in this program tend to go afterward? Will I be working directly with an economist? How much of my time will be spent on academic research work? Will I be able to take classes as part of this program? Considering whether an economist will be able to evaluate your performance is an important factor for recommendation letters. The ability to take classes, either through tuition reimbursement or waivers, can also be an important benefit. 

The Research Analyst program here at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York is one example of these programs and you should check it out here . The Federal Reserve Board of Governors also has a large program, and many other regional Federal Reserve Banks have similar programs. In addition, the PREDOC website and the  NBER post listings of RA opportunities. J-PAL and IPA also tend to recruit RAs for economic development projects. Another source of RA opportunities is the @econ_ra account on X. 

Who Should Get a PhD in Economics?  

A PhD may not be for everyone, but it is for anyone—people of all genders, religions, ethnicities, races, and national origins have PhDs in economics. Many economists majored in economics, but others majored in math, physics, or chemistry. Because economics is such an integral part of policymaking, it is important that economists come from a wide range of backgrounds so policy can be stronger and more effective. The inclusion of differing perspectives helps ensure that the contribution of economists to work in public policy, academia, and beyond effectively serves the broadest range of society. 

• Coursework Appendix

Kasey Chatterji-Len is a research analyst in the Federal Reserve Bank of New York’s Research and Statistics Group.

Anna Kovner  is the director of Financial Stability Policy Research in the Bank’s Research and Statistics Group.

How to cite this post: Kasey Chatterji-Len and Anna Kovner, “Thinking of Pursuing a PhD in Economics? Info on Graduate School and Beyond,” Federal Reserve Bank of New York Liberty Street Economics , May 31, 2024, https://libertystreeteconomics.newyorkfed.org/2024/05/thinking-of-pursuing-a-phd-in-economics-info-on-graduate-school-and-beyond/.

You may also be interested in: AEA: Resources for Students

PREDOC: Guidance for Undergraduates

RA Positions-Not at the NBER

Disclaimer The views expressed in this post are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the position of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York or the Federal Reserve System. Any errors or omissions are the responsibility of the author(s).

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Liberty Street Economics features insight and analysis from New York Fed economists working at the intersection of research and policy. Launched in 2011, the blog takes its name from the Bank’s headquarters at 33 Liberty Street in Manhattan’s Financial District.

The editors are Michael Fleming, Andrew Haughwout, Thomas Klitgaard, and Asani Sarkar, all economists in the Bank’s Research Group.

Liberty Street Economics does not publish new posts during the blackout periods surrounding Federal Open Market Committee meetings.

The views expressed are those of the authors, and do not necessarily reflect the position of the New York Fed or the Federal Reserve System.

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Geology Graduate Student Recognized With Global Award for Outstanding Women Geoscientists

Cal State Fullerton geology graduate student Samantha Dunn became fascinated with collecting rocks and exploring the great outdoors as a child.

Dunn credits her maternal grandmother, a middle school earth science teacher, who sparked her interest in learning about the natural world.

“Geology is my true passion,” Dunn said.

For her outstanding field mapping and data acquisition skills, Dunn is the recipient of the 2024 Brunton Award from the Association for Women Geoscientists. The worldwide organization introduces girls and young women to geoscience careers. She received a Brunton compass, which geologists use in the field.

“It’s gratifying to receive such a distinguished award. It makes me think, ‘I have put a lot of hard work and effort into my research, and I am worthy of this recognition,’” Dunn said.

Her research adviser, Valbone “Vali” Memeti, associate professor of geological sciences, shared that Dunn is an exceptional student, researcher and geologic field mapper. A geologic map shows the distribution of different rock types and structures. 

“Samantha has a bright future that will include promoting field mapping to future generations,” Memeti said.

Dunn has received accolades for her research and grants to help pay for graduate school and her project, including a $2,500 grant from the Geological Society of America. In 2023, she was awarded a $10,000 research grant from Advancing Geochronology Science, Spaces and Systems.

At the annual South Coast Geological Society poster session in May, she won the best graduate poster award for her research project. She also received the Department of Geological Sciences Outstanding Graduate Award this year.

Dunn’s thesis project focuses on magmatic systems in the Sierra National Forest to learn more about inactive volcanic magma chambers and what triggers volcanic eruptions. 

She is investigating the connection between the volcanic and plutonic rocks at the 99- to 97-million-year-old Jackass Lakes pluton. Her project seeks to understand magma plumbing systems and the physical and compositional relationship of the plutonic and volcanic rocks.

“Samantha has the rare opportunity to tease out the answers to important questions that volcanologists and pluton geologists have been puzzling over for some time both in the field and analytically,” Memeti said.

Dunn is conducting a petrologic analysis (the study of rocks) of the Jackass Lakes pluton. Rarely are volcanic and plutonic units of similar age juxtaposed to one another, allowing a petrologic comparison to better understand the nature of magma plumbing systems in magmatic arcs (where magma is rising), she explained.

“This research can be used to study and better understand active volcanic arcs, a chain of volcanoes, such as the Cascades, a mountain range that extends from Northern California through Washington,” Dunn said.

Over the past two summers, Dunn spent a total of eight weeks backpacking, camping and mapping the geologic features in the Sierra Nevada. 

In the summer of 2022 , Dunn and fellow student researchers used pack mules to take food and supplies into the wilderness field area. Last summer, Dunn backpacked to all her mapping destinations, which was quite the feat. 

The maps produced from this fieldwork will be submitted this summer to the U.S. Geological Survey’s EDMAP program, a mentor-guided program designed to teach students geologic mapping techniques through rigorous field mapping.

“The lab techniques and field skills I have learned at CSUF will only help me as I take my next steps,” Dunn said.

Her career goal is to become a college professor and researcher. She plans to apply to doctoral programs in the fall, including at universities in New Zealand and the United Kingdom. 

Dunn is working on completing lab work and writing her thesis, which she plans to finish in the fall. She also intends to submit her research for publication in a peer-reviewed, scientific geology journal. 

“My research experience has made me a better communicator, collaborator, writer, and overall scientist,” Dunn said. “Dr. Memeti set a high bar — and pushed me to achieve.”

Contact: Debra Cano Ramos [email protected]

Meet the 2024 Waterloo.AI Graduate Scholarship Winners

Learn more about the four winners of the $5,000 Waterloo.AI 2024 Graduate Scholarship 

Each year, Waterloo.AI awards $5,000 scholarships to graduate students conducting exceptional research in AI. Here are the 2024 winners and their fields of research.

Masha Golchoubian - PhD Candidate (ENG - Systems Design)

Mahsa's PhD research focuses on developing a human-aware navigation algorithm for autonomous vehicles operating in pedestrian-rich environments. She uses AI techniques to predict pedestrian trajectories in interactive settings and employs these predictions to create an interaction-aware deep reinforcement learning motion planner that accounts for the uncertainty in pedestrians' future behaviors. The designed decision-making algorithm promotes safe, farsighted, and socially compliant vehicle navigation among pedestrians, aiming for a future where autonomous agents can coexist safely with humans.

Olha Anastasia Wloch - Master's Student (MATH - Computer Science)

Olha is currently pursuing her master’s degree under the supervision of Dr. Lukasz Golab and Dr. Robin Cohen. Her research focus is on building Explainable AI (XAI) frameworks and applications which directly help healthcare practitioners. Currently, one of the biggest bottlenecks of AI integration within fields such as healthcare is trust and reliability in these models. As the potential of AI models increases, our understanding of how these models make decisions decreases. Olha’s research is working towards developing XAI tools that help with the clinical decision-making process. These tools can decrease hospital length of stay and mitigate physician burnout and intra-physician variability in decision making.

Yudong Luo - PhD Candidate (MATH - Computer Science)

Yudong’s Ph.D. research focuses on Reinforcement Learning, an emerging field within AI, under the guidance of Professor Pascal Poupart. His work delves into the problem of time-sequential decision-making under uncertainty and risk. His research applies to various real-world domains necessitating risk-aversion and safety considerations, such as minimizing substantial financial losses in portfolio management and ensuring safe behaviour in autonomous driving scenarios.

Shawn Reeves - PhD Candidate (SCI - Chemistry)

Shawn's Ph.D. research is in biochemical engineering under the supervision of Professor Subha Kalyaanamoorthy. His research seeks to leverage deep learning to improve the properties of proteins, which are renewable, functional biomaterials. He is specifically focused on improving the activity, solubility, and stability of catalytic proteins (enzymes) used in industrial processes, including carbon dioxide sequestration and plastic recycling.

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Some college graduates only need to make a $50,000 salary for a decade for their degrees to be worth it

• College degrees are under fire given the pain of student debt and political and economic troubles.
• Some public university graduates only need to earn over $50,000 for a decade to make a return.
• Graduates pay more to live in popular states but they can win due to better job markets there.

Crushing debt , political furor , and a brutal economic backdrop of historic inflation and higher borrowing costs have fueled fresh skepticism about the value of a college degree.

Yet, stumping up the cash for one may still be worth it financially if it results in significantly higher earnings. That's especially true for public universities that charge in-state tuition: their average alumnus only has to make $50,000 a year during the decade after graduation to make a positive return on their investment, The Wall Street Journal reported , citing new research from Strada Education Foundation.

Alternatively, graduates who can amass $500,000 before taxes over 10 years typically come out ahead and can repay their student loans. The finding holds for state-school graduates across sectors, The Journal said.

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"As long as you're above that $50,000, even in the most expensive states, you'll still have that positive return on investment," Nichole Torpey-Saboe, Strada's vice president of research, told the newspaper.

It costs more to live in states like New York and California, but recent graduates can still outearn their peers because of the superior job markets in those states, which often provide better access to internships and entry-level roles.

Strada found that around 80% of state-school graduates in those states scored a return on their college investment, compared to 60% in West Virginia and just over 50% in Idaho, The Journal said.

The nonprofit also revealed that community college doesn't provide as big an earnings bump, and private nonprofit universities tend to be more expensive at $8,000 a year and another $11,000 for room and board.

Taking out a student loan and getting a four-year degree can be daunting for many people, as student loans can haunt borrowers for decades, and college campuses have become a hotspot for protests and political clashes. The prices of food, fuel, and housing have all soared, and monthly payments on credit cards, cars, and mortgages have jumped.

But an affordable degree that bolsters someone's earnings potential and career prospects without breaking the bank can still pay off nicely.

Watch: Student loans are canceled for former students of Corinthian Colleges

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