Academic Job Search Series
Upcoming Events
Interviewing and Negotiation for Academic Positions
- February 12, 2025 from 12:00 pm to 1:30 pm ET (Meets by Zoom)
- Register to Attend
- Presenters: Yael Levitte, Senior Associate Vice Provost for Faculty Development and Diversity, and Christine Holmes, Director of Postdoctoral Studies
Accommodations: We strive to make our events accessible to all community members. Individuals who would like to request accessibility accommodations should contact futurefaculty@cornell.edu. We ask that requests be made at least one week in advance to help ensure they can be met.
Archived Presentations
We are pleased to make video-on-demand recordings, slides and handouts for recent workshops available to the broader Cornell community. For accessibility questions or requests, please contact futurefaculty@cornell.edu
- Recordings on Cornell Video on Demand (requires Cornell Net ID)
- Slides and handouts in Box (requires Cornell Net ID)
- Past Academic Job Search Series – from 2018-2021
- Resources and support for the academic job search
About the Series
In 2024-2025, we are offering two types of events, both co-sponsored by the Office of Postdoctoral Studies and Future Faculty and Academic Careers. All events are currently offered as Zoom meetings or webinars.
Academic Job Search Workshops
Interested in learning more about the Academic Job Search process, and the materials you will need to gather for an application? Come to interactive workshops to learn more through presentations and activities. Remote connection is available via Zoom with advance registration. You can always check out our video on demand recordings and archived presentation slides and handouts, linked above.
Job Search Discussion Groups
We are gathering a supportive community of peers where you can discuss your experiences while preparing for job searching and as a candidate. Bring questions, problems, and things you’ve always wondered about to these periodic discussions aimed at graduate students and postdocs. RSVPs are required.
For questions or accessibility needs to participate in the Academic Job Search Series, please contact the sponsoring Cornell Graduate School Career and Professional Development offices at: futurefaculty@cornell.edu or postdocs@cornell.edu
Or, contact us about your suggestions for future programming or to book an individual consultation!
Past Events
Developing a Narrative For Your Teaching Statement
- Monday, June 24, 2024 from 11:00am-12:15 pm ET
- Presenters: Derina Samuel, Associate Director for Graduate Student Development, Center for Teaching Innovation and Colleen McLinn, Associate Dean for Professional Development, Cornell Graduate School
- Explore essential elements of a teaching statement for an academic job application. Come prepared to brainstorm key ideas of your statement. Leave with peer feedback on a first draft of your teaching statement, or ideas on how you might revise an existing draft to ensure it accurately reflects your approach to creating inclusive classrooms.
The Application Process for an Academic Job
- Tuesday, June 11, 2024 from 11:00am-12:00 pm ET (Meets by Zoom)
- Presenters: Christine Holmes, Director of Postdoctoral Studies and Colleen McLinn, Associate Dean for Professional Development, Cornell Graduate School
- To kick off the 2023-2024 Academic Job Search Series for Cornell graduate students and postdocs, come learn about the process of searching for a U.S. faculty job from start to finish: when to apply for faculty and other academic positions, what documents are required (CV, cover letter, etc.), and how long the process takes. Bring your questions for an interactive online discussion.
Related: Pathways to Success Symposium
- Tuesday, June 4, 2024 from 9:30am – 4:30pm
- Sessions: Leadership Visioning, Faculty Who Failed – Lessons Learned for Moving Forward, From Books to Space: My Journey from an English Ph.D. to a Career at NASA (Abram Coetsee, PhD ’22), and Diverse Career Pathways in a University Ecosystem. Includes coffee breaks, lunch, and an ice cream social to end the day!
- In person in 146 and 148 Stocking Hall
Getting a Faculty Position: Lessons Learned During the Academic Job Search
- Thursday, May 23, 2024 from 11:00 am to 12:30 pm ET (Meets by Zoom)
- An online panel discussion and Q&A featuring postdoctoral scholars and graduate students who were offered faculty positions this year reflecting on their strategies and experiences. Bring your questions!
Should I Do a Postdoc?
- November 12, 2024 from 12:00 pm to 1:00 pm ET
- March 28, 2024 from 12:00 pm to 1:00 pm ET
- Presenters: Christine Holmes, Director of Postdoctoral Studies; Colleen McLinn, Associate Dean for Professional Development; Susi Varvayanis, Executive Director of Careers Beyond Academia
- Topics discussed will include: reasons to do a postdoctoral position, types of postdocs, how to apply and get funded
Interviewing and Negotiation for Academic Positions
- November 20, 2024 from 12:00 pm to 1:30 pm ET
- February 7, 2024 from 12:00 pm to 1:30 pm ET and November 15, 2023 from 12:00 pm to 1:30 pm ET
- February 10, 2023 from 12:00 pm to 1:30 pm ET and October 31, 2022 from 12:00 pm to 1:30 pm ET
- February 10, 2022 from 11:30 am to 1:00 pm ET and November 10, 2021 from 12:00 to 1:30 pm ET
- February 3, 2021 from 12:00 to 1:30 pm ET and November 18, 2020 from 12:00 to 1:30 pm ET
- Presenters: Yael Levitte, Senior Associate Vice Provost for Faculty Development and Diversity, and Christine Holmes, Director of Postdoctoral Studies
- Archived recordings available in Cornell Video on Demand and slides and handouts in Cornell Box
Writing a Research Statement for a Primarily Undergraduate Institution
- Wednesday, June 21, 2023 from 12:00-1:30 pm ET
- Presenter: Jeffrey Werner, Professor of Chemistry, SUNY Cortland
- Through an interactive online discussion, presenter Dr. Jeffrey Werner (Professor of Chemistry at SUNY Cortland) will help job-seekers interested in faculty positions at four-year colleges and universities (e.g., primarily undergraduate institutions, or PUIs) outline a research statement that highlights plans to mentor undergraduate students in research.
Developing a Narrative For Your Teaching Statement
- Wednesday, June 28, 2023 from 12:00-1:30 pm ET
- Presenters: Derina Samuel, Associate Director for Graduate Student Development, Center for Teaching Innovation and Colleen McLinn, Associate Dean for Professional Development, Cornell Graduate School
- Through presentation and discussion, we will explore essential elements of a teaching statement for an academic job application. You’ll leave prepared to start your first draft Teaching Statement or to revise an existing one to make sure it accurately reflects your philosophy and experience.
Writing a Statement of Contributions to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
- Wednesday, June 14, 2023 from 12:00-1:30 pm ET
- Facilitators: Derina Samuel, Associate Director for Graduate Student Development, Center for Teaching Innovation; Christine Holmes, Director of Postdoctoral Studies; Colleen McLinn, Associate Dean for Professional Development, Cornell Graduate School
- Come discuss how to approach writing the diversity statement sometimes requested as part of academic faculty or postdoctoral job applications. We will share examples and guidance from Cornell and other colleges and universities and prompt you to think about ways in which you do, or could, contribute to a university’s mission.
- Slides and handouts available in Box (requires Cornell Net ID)
The Application Process for an Academic Job
- Wednesday, May 31, 2023 from 12:00-1:15 pm ET (Meets by Zoom)
- Presenters: Christine Holmes, Director of Postdoctoral Studies and Colleen McLinn, Associate Dean for Professional Development, Cornell Graduate School
- To kick off the 2022-2023 Academic Job Search Series for Cornell graduate students and postdocs, come learn about the process of searching for a U.S. faculty job from start to finish: when to apply for faculty and other academic positions, what documents are required, and how long the process takes. Bring your questions for an interactive online discussion.
- Slides available in Box (requires Cornell Net ID)
- Recording of May 31 on Cornell Video on Demand
Related: Future Professors Institute: Advancing Diversity and Inclusion in the Academy (2023)
- Tuesday, June 6 and Wednesday, June 7, 2023
- Sessions: Exploring Your Institutional Fit, Academic Career Pathways Outside of the Tenure Track, and disciplinary breakout sessions on Establishing Your Scholarship and Research Agenda as a New Faculty Member, plus a keynote talk by Dr. Damani White-Lewis, University of Pennsylvania.
- Space limited! Priority Registration Dates: May 26 (for In-Person Participation), June 2 (for Virtual Participation)
Graduate Student and Postdoc Job Search Virtual Discussions
- Thursday, January 18, 2023 from 3:00 to 4:00 pm ET
- Monday, December 12, 2022 from 11:00 am – 12:00 pm ET
- Friday, January 21, 2022 from 11:00 am – 12:00 pm ET
- Wednesday, September 29, 2021 from 10:00-11:00 am ET
- Wednesday, July 21, 2021 from 10:00-11:00 am ET
- Tuesday, May 25, 2021 from 11:00 am to 12:00 pm ET
- Tuesday, April 20, 2021 from 1:00 to 2:00 pm ET
- Tuesday, March 23, 2021 from 10:00 to 11:00 am ET
- Come ask any questions you want, and “meet” the Graduate School career and professional development staff who support research degree students and postdoctoral scholars! This discussion will cover academic and non-academic careers.
- Facilitators: Christine Holmes, Director of Postdoctoral Studies; Colleen McLinn, Associate Dean for Professional Development; Susi Varvayanis, Executive Director of Careers Beyond Academia
- Accommodations: We strive to make our events accessible to all community members. Individuals who would like to request accessibility accommodations should contact futurefaculty@cornell.edu. We ask that requests be made at least one week in advance to help ensure they can be met.