Aligned with Princeton University’s mission to serve all nations and humanity, and in partnership with the Rita Allen Foundation, the Graduate School seeks a Graduate Student Professional Development/Civic Science Fellow as part of a joint commitment to creating equitable pathways to opportunity for Ph.D. students at Princeton and across the country. The Fellow will participate in the Rita Allen Foundation's Civic Science program cohort designed to bring together post-doctoral fellows, organizations, and institutions who are committed to investing in talent and community by generating and connecting research and practice. The Fellow will engage, as part of a cohort, in a comprehensive professional development program sponsored by the Rita Allen Foundation while carrying out pioneering work to co-create pilots, partnerships, knowledge, models, and programs that foster greater collaboration between science and society.
Reporting to the Associate Dean for Professional Development & Director of GradFUTURES and collaborating with the entire team, the Civic Science Fellow will assist with several projects designed to demonstrate the importance and impact of offering holistic and transformative professional development for graduate students. These special projects and analyses will assist the Graduate School in producing reports regarding the impact of its professional development initiatives for all graduate students and identify recommended ways to expand and refine those efforts. Through sharing some of the aggregate findings and trends in select external publications, the Graduate School can serve the field with important insights to help advance professional development at other graduate institutions around the country and the world. Ultimately, the goal is to enhance the professional development of doctoral students to expand the impact of the Ph.D. and to create a strong and supportive network of civic-minded leaders across organizations, disciplines, and communities, explicitly focused on ways to enhance social impact.
The Fellow will collaborate closely with staff across campus and on the various teams at the Graduate School (Academic Affairs, Admissions, Student Affairs, and Access, Diversity, and Inclusion), and other partners. The Civic Science Fellow will also contribute to other events and programs to ensure the overall success of the GradFUTURES initiative and the priorities of the Office of the Dean of the Graduate School.
This is an 18-month appointment.
Potential projects include:
• Assist with internal and external publication of a report on the Future of Work and Future of Graduate Education trends, which explores labor market demand and career pathways for Ph.D.s and master’s level graduates. Using labor market data and projections obtained through the Graduate School’s partnership with Lightcast and the Burning Glass Institute, graduate alumni career outcomes data obtained from the partnership with Academic Analytics, the Fellow will help create a comprehensive overview of fields, professions, and skills and competencies in demand by discipline. Internal distribution of this report may include the Academic Planning Group (APG), department chairs, and faculty committees. A public version of the report will be created for external distribution and possible publication in journals and media outlets.
• Conduct a campus-wide survey of all 43 academic departments to understand the specific professional development needs and existing programs. The Fellow will generate a report with findings and recommendations for ways the Graduate School can elevate and support the efforts of the departments and design customized programs in partnership with the departments that align with the needs identified. This report will also include a summary of the level of graduate student engagement with GradFUTURES for the department to inform and encourage greater collaboration and integration of professional development within the departments.
• Conduct a benchmarking study regarding experiential programs (internships, fellowships, and externships) developed by graduate institutions in the U.S. and abroad for graduate students to participate as part of their graduate training within diverse roles in academia and beyond. Assist with writing articles and reports related to the state of experiential programming for graduate students at the doctoral and master’s level (including highlighting Princeton’s pioneering work in this area). This report will focus on the range of academic-industry partnerships and interdisciplinary research collaborations involved in experiential programs at the graduate level, emerging trends regarding the impact of these programs on first-destination career outcomes, and recommendations for graduate institutions. Internal distribution of this report may include the Academic Planning Group (APG), department chairs, and faculty committees. A public version of the report will be created for external distribution and possible publication in journals and media outlets.
• Conduct a benchmarking study to explore best practices in graduate alumni mentorship programs and curate resources from organizations such as the National Academies and the National Center for Faculty Diversity and Development to develop a comprehensive orientation and professional development curriculum to support mentors and mentees alike in building skills and competencies related to inclusive mentorship. This will include developing a micro-credential for graduate alumni mentors who complete a co-curricular certificate program to elevate and enhance their mentorship skills.
• Research and curate best practices in graduate student professional development from government agencies such as the NEH and NSF as well as major scholarly and praxis-based associations such as the MLA, ACLS, AHA, AAAS, FAS, and IEEE, among others. Develop a resource guide for graduate students listing annual programs and typical timeframes for applications, etc. In addition, the Fellow will assist with outreach to these organizations to propose potential collaborations with the Graduate School.
• Assist with the creation, implementation, and assessment of innovative graduate student professional development programs hosted by the GradFUTURES team and their partners at the Graduate School.
- A Ph.D. (in any discipline).
- At least one or two years of research and data analysis experience while in a doctoral program or via work experience within or outside of higher education.
- Experience using database languages such as SQL, R, or Python; spreadsheet tools such as Microsoft Excel or Google Sheets for statistical analysis; and data visualization software such as Tableau. Mathematical and statistical skills are also valuable to help gather, measure, organize, and analyze data while using these common tools.
- Proven ability to use statistical tools to interpret data sets, paying particular attention to trends and patterns that could be valuable for diagnostic and predictive analytics efforts within the context of local, national, and global trends with implications for graduate education at Princeton and beyond.
- Exceptional writing and public speaking skills and the ability to prepare reports and presentations that communicate trends, patterns, and predictions to a broad audience.
- Knowledge of instructional design, experience with online, hybrid, and in-person modalities for program delivery, and best practices in program assessment.
- The ability to work in a fast-paced enviroment, and on a highly entrepreneurial, collaborative, and innovative team.
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