Where Do I Go From Yale?

Explore public service through careers in government agencies, policy-making institutes, foundations, and non-profit organizations.  Engage with distinguished professionals who have dedicated their careers to public service, shaping policies, and driving social change. They will help you evaluate options in policy analysis, public administration, or contributing to a non-profit mission.

Panelists

Nancy E. Brune, Ph.D. '06 PhD Political Science
Councilwoman, City of Las Vegas

Nichole A. Nelson '20 PhD History
Senior Policy Advisor, National Community Reinvestment Coalition
OCS People Spotlight

Martin B. Nemer '03 PhD Engineering & Applied Science
Principal Member of Technical Staff, Sandia National Laboratories
OCS People Spotlight

Ian D. Simon '08 PhD Microbiology
Director, Office of Long COVID Research and Practice, US Department of Health and Human Services

 Moderator

Federico Galizia, Ph.D. '98 PhD Economics
Chief Risk Officer, Multilateral Development Bank
OCS People Spotlight

Thinking about the law?  Explore ways to leverage your field of graduate study – whether business, technology, humanities, social science, or the sciences – for jobs in the law. Learn how your Ph.D., combined with a law degree, can provide you with a valuable edge in a legal career.  And if you want to try out the law before committing three more years of your life to yet another graduate school, our panelists will tell you about law related jobs – such as science advisor or policy analyst – that you can do without a law degree, and get a taste of the law. 

Panelists

Gauri M. Dhavan '99 PhD Molecular Biophysics & Biochem
Chief Intellectual Property Counsel, ZOLL Medical Corporation, An Asahi Kasei Group Company
OCS People Spotlight

Jennifer L. Hall-Witt '03 PhD Molecular Biophysics & Biochem
District Judge, United States District Court for the District of Delaware

Philip J. Rosenthal '88 BS, PhD
Co-founder of Fastcase, Inc and Chief Growth Officer of vLex, Inc
OCS Profile Spotlight 

Moderator

Anne Toker '88 BA '98 PhD Molecular Biophysics & Biochem
Partner at Quinn Emanuel

Are you interested in a data scientist position in Silicon Valley, Big Pharma, or Wall Street? Learn about the experiences of industry experts, thought leaders, and successful professionals in data science, artificial intelligence, and other emerging information technologies.  Discover diverse career opportunities from data analysis and machine learning to cutting-edge applications of artificial intelligence.  This event will help you gain valuable industry insights and connect with potential employers at the forefront of innovation in these fields. 

Panelists

Emma G. Castiglia '22 PhD Physics
Data Scientist, Meta
OCS People Spotlight

Adam J. Trexler '13 PhD Molecular Biophysics & Biochemistry
Principal Data Scientist, Elder Research Inc.
OCS People Spotlight

Mariko Yanagawa, '06 PhD Linguistics
Senior Director, Avanade
OCS People Spotlight

Moderator

Bhaskar "BG" Ghosh '95 PhD Computer Science
Partner & CTO, 8VC

Learn about career opportunities in the consulting industry (e.g., McKinsey, BCG), financial institutions (e.g., banks, hedge funds, private equity), and newer business ventures.  Join seasoned consultants, rocket scientists-turned quants, and entrepreneurs as they share their experiences and insights, both from the domestic and the international perspective. 

Panelists

Ran Duan, Ph.D. '08 PhD Physics
Executive Vice President, PIMCO
OCS People Spotlight

Rachel N. N. Laryea '22 PhD African American Studies
Wealth Management Researcher - JPMC, Founder - Kelewele
OCS People Spotlight

Sophia Ononye, Yale Postdoc
Founder and CEO, The Sophia Consulting Firm
OCS People Spotlight

Justin J. White '14 MAR '20 PhD Religious Studies
Project Leader at Boston Consulting Group (BCG)
OCS People Spotlight

Moderator

Jia Chen ’00, PhD Physics
Senior Director, Medidata AI, Medidata Solutions

Yale Graduate Students in any year and in any department or program are invited to a casual buffet dinner with Graduate School Alumni Association Board (GSAAB) members and Where Do I Go from Yale panelists spanning 6 decades of graduates and a diverse representation of professional expertise.

This informal gathering promises an evening of engaging conversation and delectable cuisine. Discover the diverse, sometimes unexpected, journeys of our alums as they share their post-Yale experiences and the paths that led them to where they are today.

We encourage you to take advantage of this opportunity for one-on-one discussions, table hopping, and mingling in intimate groups. Whether you can join us for a short time or stay for the entire two-hour event, your presence is valued.

Limited capacity event. This event is only open to Graduate School students.

8:30 – 9:00 AM: Coffee Reception

9:00 – 9:10 AM: Welcome and Introduction: Dean Lynn Cooley

9:20 – 10:20 AM: Strategies for Managing the Early Years of Grad School to Further Your Career

This session is designed to provide you with practical advice and strategies to help you manage the early stages of your graduate career.   Learn how to map the path early on from your chosen field of graduate study to the job you would like to have – through internships, choice of subject matter to focus on for your dissertation, early networking, and more.  

Concurrent Sessions in STEM and in Humanities and Social Sciences

~~ Humanities and Social Sciences Panel~~

Panelists

Xuesong Han '10 PhD Epidemiology and Public Health
Scientific Director of Health Services Research, American Cancer Society 
OCS People Spotlight

John F. Klaess ’19 PhD Music
Customer Education Manager, Tulip Interfaces
OCS People Spotlight

Zachary G. Smith '19 PhD Religious Studies
Sr. Principal, Research at Gartner
OCS People Spotlight

Chen Sun '20 PhD Economics
Vice President with Compass Lexecon

Moderator

Edward J. Balleisen '95 PhD History
Vice Provost, Duke University

~~ STEM Panel ~~

Panelists

Ariana G. Hackenburg '18 PhD Physics
Senior Quantitative Researcher, Google
OCS People Spotlight

Weipeng Li '07 PhD Engineering and Applied Science
Software Engineering Manager, Meta

Thomas G. Magaldi '12 PhD Genetics
Associate Dean, Gerstner Sloan Kettering Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences
OCS People Spotlight

Traci A. Mansfield '98 PhD Genetics
Executive Director, Global Product Leader, Hematology at CSL Behring
OCS People Spotlight

Moderator

James V. Staros '74 PhD Molecular Biophysics & Biochemistry
Professor Emeritus & former Provost, University of Massachusetts Amherst

10:20 – 10:50 AM: Networking Coffee Break

10:50 – 11:50 AM: Entering the Corporate World

Join a discussion with industry professionals and alumni in the corporate world who have successfully leveraged their graduate school training to enter corporate life.  Learn about effective networking and job search strategies, mastering interviews, and adapting to corporate culture.  Also learn how to understand and present the value of the knowledge and skills you have acquired in your specific field of study to market yourself most effectively to corporate employers.

Concurrent Sessions in STEM and in Humanities and Social Sciences

~~ STEM Panel ~~

Panelists

Emily B. Cohen '14 PhD Genetics
Senior Scientist, Discovery Biology, Krono Bio
OCS People Spotlight

Marisa P. Dolled-Filhart '05 PhD Genetics
Vice President, Translational Research (TME CICT TRC), Bristol Myers Squibb

Erling T. Donnelly '05 PhD Pharmacology
Vice President, US Breast Cancer Franchise Lead at Pfizer, Inc.
OCS People Spotlight

Jun Wang '07 PhD Physics
Managing Director, Barclays Bank
OCS People Spotlight

Moderator

Sandra Kuzmich '89 PhD Biomedical Sciences
Managing Partner, Haug Partners LLP
OCS People Spotlight

~~ Humanities and Social Sciences Panel ~~

Panelists

Chris M. Faulkner-MacDonagh '01 PhD Economics
Portfolio Manager, Global Multi-Asset Division, T. Rowe Price Investment Services
OCS People Spotlight

Kathryn N. Graves '23 PhD Psychology
Associate Analyst, Equity Research, UBS
OCS People Spotlight

Max A. Perez Leon Quinoso '19 PhD Economics
Economist, Amazon
OCS People Spotlight

Moderator

Carol L. Chiodo '14 PhD Italian
Director of Distinctive Collections and Digital Scholarship at The Claremont Colleges Library
OCS People Spotlight
 

12 - 1 PM : Plenary Session:  Exploring Research Options After the Ph.D. 

Wondering about options for doing research after grad school?   Trying to decide between research scientist positions or postdoctoral positions, whether in academia, non-academic research institutions (e.g., NIH, FDA), or even corporate settings?  In this session you'll hear the insights of seasoned researchers, professionals, and recent postdocs who have navigated diverse research landscapes.  They'll help you explore the tradeoffs between research in academia and research in industry or research-focused non-academic institutions.

Panelists

Kimberly T. Fowler White '05 PhD Cell Biology
VP of Technical Assistance and Research Center at the National Council of Urban Indian Health (NCUIH)

Xuemei Han '11 PhD Forestry & Environmental Studies
Principal Data Scientist, Economic, Demographic, and Statistical Research Unit, Fairfax County, VA Government
OCS People Spotlight

Eric N. Jin '18 PhD Applied Physics 
Research Physicist at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory, Washington, DC
OCS People Spotlight

Jeffrey A. Mankoff '06 PhD History
Distinguished Research Fellow, National Defense University (NDU) and Senior Associate (non-resident), Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS)
OCS People Spotlight

Moderator

James L. Shulman '93 PhD Renaissance Studies
Vice President and Chief Operating Officer at The American Council of Learned Societies
OCS People Spotlight
 

1 – 2 PM: Light lunch and Networking Period