(formally know as AIOG)
Beyond the PhD, formally known as Academia-Industry Opportunities Group (AIOG), is a student-led group that supports peer-professional networking and career development for trainees in STEM-based fields. Founded in 2018 by Dr. Robert Pijewski and Dr. Giulia Vigone, at the time a graduate student and postdoctoral fellow, they wanted to learn about their career options and address a need among their peers to find jobs outside of academia.
In the past, the academic career path was conventional for individuals pursuing graduate education in STEM based fields however given the number of professorships available, more PhDs are considering alternative careers outside the pillars of academia. We have found through many of our seminars that there is a high demand among trainees to learn about their options in industry research, medical writing, project management, and policy – just to name a few of our more popular events. But we also want to know what you would like to hear about if there is a career path you would like to pursue. Contact us!
The mission of Beyond the PhD is to provide a platform for trainees to network with career professionals in various fields within academia and beyond academia.
We accomplish this three ways.
One, our Career Discovery Seminar Series and Career Blog we hope to provide an informal space for professionals to share information related to their career journey, advice for job searching, and the daily ins and outs of their position to trainees in STEM related disciplines. Available for free!
Second, we organize an annual networking event. This event bring our connections in industry, academia, and beyond to meet our community of trainees and job seakers. This event has been both in person and hybrid. Plans are still being made for the next Networking Event. Check back in the fall for more information about the 2022/2023 upcoming event.
Third, we created a grassroots progam called our Campus Ambassador Program for upper level college students from surrounding CT and MA colleges to join the Beyond the PhD team during the Spring or Fall semesters. For more information visit our Campus Ambassador page.
For Summer 2022 we are also piloting our Office Hours Program. If you have a CV, resume, cover letter, etc that you would like reviewed with one of our team members sign-up here.
Please browse our website for information about upcoming events, check out our career blog to learn about careers and job advice, view our past event recordings, and more!
All for FREE!
Please encourage your lab mates and colleagues to check us out as well. Subscribe to our newsletter to recieve a weekly digest with upcomng events, news, and other career related information.
