Division of Biology and Medicine
Office of Graduate Studies
Professional Development
Internal and external resources designed to help you reach your personal and professional goals.
Professional Development
Internal and external resources designed to help you reach your personal and professional goals.
Internal Resources
Biology Career Opportunities Networking (BioCON)
BioCON is a graduate student-led initiative that offers seminar series dedicated to learning about diverse STEM-related career paths outside of academia. BioCON aims to provide graduate students with seminars from leaders across the life sciences industry space and other non-academia careers and is open to graduate students and medical students.
Initiative to Maximize Student Development at Brown (IMSD@Brown)
The goal of the Initiative for Maximizing Student Development (IMSD) research training program is to strengthen research training environments and promote broader participation in the biomedical research workforce by expanding the pool of well-trained scientists earning a PhD.
Online Learning
Students have free access to LinkedIn Learning's library of video courses for business, software, technology and creative skills to achieve personal and professional goals.
The Writing Center
Writing Center provides individual and group writing support free of charge to any member of the Brown community. Writing Center staff help students with all stages of the writing process, from finding a topic through drafting, revising, and final editing.
Versatile PhD
Versatile PhD is a web-based community that demystifies nonacademic careers and provides peer and professional support for advanced graduate students and PhDs interested in careers beyond the academy. Supported by subscriptions from member institutions, Versatile PhD allows you to network with "Versatile PhDs" in and out of the academy through web chat, career panel discussions, and related events. Learn how others have leveraged their graduate education for professional success! Access to Versatile PhD is password protected for members of the Brown University community.
Massachusetts Biotechnology Council
Brown is a member of the Massachusetts Biotechnology Council, an association of more than 650 biotechnology companies, universities, academic institutions and others dedicated to advancing cutting edge research. This enables those in the Brown community to access workshops, courses, networking opportunities, discounts, and more. Explore their website for more information and membership benefits.
Center for Career Exploration
Brown’s model of career exploration gives students the skills they need to successfully prepare for and navigate a lifetime of evolving career opportunities and pathways. We help translate those skills into personal and professional success.
Center for Computation and Visualization
Center for Computation and Visualization (CCV) offers three levels of Certificates in High-Performance Computing (HPC) for Brown postdoctoral researchers who complete workshops in topics ranging from basic to advanced. The goal of this program is to help train participants with diverse backgrounds to use computing more effectively in their research at Brown and beyond. The program's focus is on practical and timely knowledge that participants can apply immediately to their own research and that, in the long term, will broaden their career options in both academia and industry.
External Resources
- ASM-GAP - Graduate & Postdoc Opportunities website (American Society of Microbiology) is your entry to professional skills development in grantsmanship, scientific publishing, scientific presentations, teaching and mentoring, scientific ethics, career planning, and networking
- Interfolio - Credential Service Offers individuals one central place to store their most important documents, while also providing the means to distribute these materials to any institution
- HHMI - Lab Management - Resources for the Development of Early Career Scientists (Includes link to book "Making the Right Moves")
- BioSciEdNet - BioSciEdNet (BEN) is a digital library portal for teaching and learning in the biological sciences. The BEN Portal provides access to education resources and is managed by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). Over 19,290 reviewed resources covering 77 biological sciences topics are available. BEN resources can help you engage student interest, shorten lesson preparation time, provide concept updates, and develop curricula that are in line with national standards for content, use of animals and humans, and student safety. For more information and to complete a free registration in order to use the service, visit the BEN portal.