Career Cohorts
Career Cohorts
Is joining a Career Cohort for you?
Interested in finding peers focused in the same career path as you are? Want to learn more about a variety of possible career options? How about starting your professional network right now? It all starts here, with our six Career Cohorts: trainee-led clubs that focus on specific career tracks identified by a group of like-minded individuals. Meet peers, network with colleagues, and find specially tailored activities created by and for each of our Career Cohorts! To learn more about each career cohort, click below…
More information:
TIBBS sponsors a number of affiliated career cohorts (our student led career clubs) in line with our career and professional development programming, thanks in large part to funding from our NIH-BEST Award. Here you can find a list of our student clubs, along with ways to follow them on the web and on social media to learn more about who they are and what they have to offer.
Other Clubs:
There are also a variety of other student clubs can also expand your experience outside of the lab here at UNC!
TIBBS: Your one-stop-shop to professional development resources and information!
Graduate Business Careers Club
Learn More at: (GBCC website; GBCC LinkedIn Page):
GBCC is focused on exposing current graduate students, professional students, and post doctoral students interested in the sciences and business to career paths beyond academia.
Learn more at (SPAG website or Follow @ SPAG_Facebook @ SPAG_Twitter)
SPAG is an organized forum where students, postdoctoral fellows, faculty, and staff can learn about and advocate for science policy. Their mission is to promote the role of science in public policy and to expand public access to, and awareness of, scientific innovation.
Lear more at: (FuSE_Facebook)
FuSE welcomes graduate students and post-docs interested in science education, administration, and science outreach. Our focus is to develop job application materials, career exposure, and to build skills/experience relevant to teaching-intensive careers.
Learn more: (Follow @ARIC_Facebook)
The mission of the ARIC Association is to prepare students and post-doctoral fellows for a career as a principal investigator in a research-intensive environment by developing the skill set required to be competitive in the current job market. 
Learn more: (@MSLUNCCH)
MedRAC@UNC is committed to providing education, career development, and advocacy opportunities to trainees interested in medical and regulatory affairs professions.
American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists (Follow @UNC_AAPS): The mission of the UNC AAPS Student Chapter is to advance the capacity of pharmaceutical scientists to develop products and therapies that improve global health. Student Chapter goals include assisting members to achieve a successful career by providing educational seminars and networking opportunities to members, fostering valuable collaborations and friendships between fellow members; and conducting outreach events to promote interest in pharmaceutical sciences.
DNA Day & DNA Day CONNECT (NC DNA Day): North Carolina DNA Day is an annual event where scientists from NC’s leading research universities and institutions visit over 100 high schools statewide to present interactive, hands-on lessons about genetics, genomics, and biotechnology, as well as their own research. Scientist ambassadors can also partner with a teacher for reoccurring learning opportunities as part of DNA Day CONNECT. Join us each year for the accompanying DNA Day 5k Run!
For a list of current science outreach opportunities, check out this resource created and curated by Micah Hysong, GMB PhD candidate in the Raffield lab. Other contributors include Dave McDonald, Patrick Brandt, JP Flores, Beka Layton, Fenella Saunders. If you have any additions or edits to the list of outreach opportunities please email Micah.
The WinSPIRE (Women and underrepresented genders in STEM Promoting Inclusion in Research Experiences) Organization works to improve gender diversity and equality in STEM through our Summer Research Program, which provides hands-on research experience, college preparation, and mentorship to high school students who identify as a historically marginalized gender in STEM. In an effort to create a more gender-inclusive research environment at UNC, we also provide mentorship and instructional training and experiences for STEM researchers. Additionally, we host annual community events to foster a supportive and inclusive STEM community.
Looking to connect with others, network, and share professional development experiences? Learn more about our six student-led community building groups!
NETWORKING
TIBBS LinkedIn Network & Groups: Start your professional development network with TIBBS now by joining our growing network of science professionals on TIBBS LinkedIn! Or choose one of the following…
TIBBS LinkedIn Science and Business Network
TIBBS LinkedIn Science Policy Network
TIBBS LinkedIn Science Writing Network
TIBBS LinkedIn Science Education Network
TIBBS LinkedIn Academic and Research Intensive Career Network
Choose from these specialized TIBBS LinkedIn subgroups (listed above) tailored to your particular career interests, or simply join in the TIBBS LinkedIn group to more generally to start the networking process.
TIPS: If you don’t have a LinkedIn profile yet, consider starting a basic one with your position titles and dates, a photo, and an uploaded CV or Resume. Its like your electronic business card–and its free! This is a great way to begin your networking experience, especially if you’re just getting started!
Networking Resources: Here are a few resources for effective networking tips, including the UNC-University Career Services list of networking and social media resources. Learn more about creating an effective LinkedIn profile, if you’re new to the game – or about polishing it up, if you’re already an expert social networker! Check out Inside Higher Ed’s Carpe Careers weekly column on graduate career development topics, including some insights on networking! These are just a few to to help get started.
Connect with UNC Alumni on LinkedIn: Use the LinkedIn alumni search tool to find alumni in your career areas of interest and sort by geographic region, skill areas, degree specialty, and more! Connect with people who do what you want to do – or even explore career areas you didn’t know existed. UNC’s alumni network is 190k+ strong and counting – so don’t miss tapping into our greatest resource at Carolina, our people – one day you can give back by answering student career exploration inquiries when you’re in a career you love a few years down the line!
Not sure where to start? Curious where UNC PhDs go? Check out Data for Biomedical and Biological Scientists: The Office of Graduate Education has compiled career outcomes data for recent graduates (from 2000-2014) in the biological and biomedical sciences. We invite you to explore the data (click here).
Career Coaching & Networking Strategies: If you’d like to learn more about a particular career area you see featured, are unsure of what career areas you are interested, or want help expanding and building your professional network, consider making an appointment to meet with Patrick Brandt or Rebekah Layton to discuss which slice of the career-pie you might fit into and make a plan to get there!