Career Development Symposium
2025 Symposium
This unique annual symposium, organized by the Postdoctoral Association (PDA) since 2017 and now in collaboration with Your Future in Science, gathers postdocs and grad students from across the greater Chicago area and country to connect, network, collaborate and learn about different PhD career paths. The goal of this event is to educate postdocs and grad students about careers in academia, industry, communications, business, and beyond. We bring in outstanding speakers and panelists to come share their experience to inspire budding postdocs and graduate students into fulfilling careers.
The 9th Annual Career Development Symposium was held Friday, September 19, 2025 in the Thompson Rooms at UIC Student Center West.
2025 Career Development Symposium: Thank You to Our Sponsors!
2025 Career Development Symposium Agenda
| Time | Program |
|---|---|
| 9:30-9:45 am | Registration and check-in |
| 9:45-10:00 am | Opening Remarks: Dr. Joanna Groden - Vice Chancellor for Research at UIC |
| 10:00-11:00 am | Transferring Your Academic CV to a Resume for Industry Interactive Workshop: Lauren Celano - CEO and Founder of Propel Careers |
| 11:00 am-12:00 pm | Panel 1: Careers at Non Profit Organizations Dr. Jennifer Brummet - Director, Scientific Affairs and Partnerships at CurePSP Dr. Melissa Pierce - Technical Program Director at Current Dr. Patricia Ward - Assistant Vice President, Content and Partnerships and Head Scientist at Griffin MSI |
| 12:00-1:00 pm | Lunch |
| 12:00-5:00 pm | Professional headshots for 50 attendees sponsored by UIC Career Services. Slots will be given on a first come, first served basis at check-in! |
| 1:00-2:00 pm | Panel 2: Changes in Strategies, Funding, and Priorities Dr. Gary McDowell - Chief Executive Officer at Lightoller LLC Dr. Rebecca Milczarek - Assistant Director, Office of Research Development at UIC Dr. Karl Rockne - University Scholar and Director of Research Development at UIC |
| 2:00-3:00 pm | Panel 3: A Day in the Life... Dr. Eliza Jacobs-Brichford - Health Science Policy Analyst at the National Institute of Mental Health Melissa Leone - Director, Spatial & Genome Technologies Core at UIC Tom Ruginis - Chief Strategist at Science Exchange and Former Founder and CEO at HappiLabs |
| 3:00-3:15 pm | Networking Coffee and Cupcake Break sponsored by Proteintech |
| 3:15-4:00 pm | Interactive Fireside Chat with Prem Sundivakkam, PhD, MBA, BCMAS - Executive Lead, Global Medical Affairs & Communications, Pfizer Global |
| 4:00-6:00 pm | Network Reception sponsored by Promega |
Past Symposia
2024 Symposium
The 8th annual UIC PDA Career Development Symposium was held on Friday, September 13, 2024 at UIC Student Center West.
CDS Agenda 2024
| Event Time | Program |
|---|---|
| 9:30-10 am | Registration and check-in |
| 9:30 am-5 pm | Professional Headshot sign-up, sponsored by UIC Career Services. Slots will be given on a first come, first served basis. Headshots will be held on Wednesday, September 18 from 12-2 pm in SCW |
| 10-11 am | Opening Remarks by Joanna Groden, PhD, UIC Vice Chancellor for Research Interactive Workshop: Elevate Your Interview Game-A STEM Professional's Guide with Merle Ward, MBA, Senior Talent Acquisition Advisor at UL Research Institutes Join UL Research Institute's Senior Talent Acquisition Advisor, Merle Ward, for an empowering workshop designed to help STEM professionals stand out with confidence in their interviews. "Elevate Your Interview Game" is a dynamic conversation that will guide you through refining your interview approach, preparing effectively, and articulating both your soft and technical skills in impactful ways. With Merle Ward's insights, you'll learn how to communicate your contribution and worth with strength and respect, setting yourself up for success and career offers. Don't miss this transformative opportunity to enhance your interview skills and advance your scientific career. |
| 11 am-12 pm | Career Panel 1: Entrepreneurship Dimitra Georganopoulou, PhD, General Partner at Qral Ventures Amanda Maldonado, PhD, Innovation Portfolio Manager at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago Karol Sokolowski, PhD, Director of Strategic Growth at Portal Innovations |
| 12-1 pm | Networking lunch |
| 1-2 pm | Panel 2: Applying Your Skills to Industries You May Not Have Considered Kyle Dolan, PhD, Head of Science and Innovation at British Consulate-General Chicago Timothy Duncan, PhD, Research Scientist and Principal Investigator at the US Food and Drug Administration Noah Metoki-Shlubsky, PhD, Technical Project Manager, Center for Translational Data Science at the University of Chicago |
| 2-3 pm | Panel 3: Making the Transition from Academia Jonathan Bisson, PhD, Senior Software Engineer at Collaborative Drug Discovery Schnaude Dorizan, PhD, Venture Acceleration Manager at MATTER Svetlana Kurilova, PhD, Associate Technology Manager at UIC Office of Technology Management |
| 3-3:15 pm | Coffee and networking break |
| 3:15-4 pm | Keynote Address by Sandra Torres, MBA, Business Marketing Manager at Western Digital, Founder/CEO of LaterAcademia, and Women In Bio Chicago Co-Chair |
| 4-5 pm | Networking Reception hosted by CHIentist with raffle from Proteintech |
2023 Symposium
The 7th annual UIC PDA Career Development Symposium was held on Friday, September 15, 2023 at UIC Student Center West.
2023 CDS Agenda
| Time | Program |
|---|---|
| 10:30-11:00 am | Registration and check-in |
| 11:00 am-12:00 pm | Opening Remarks: Dr. Joanna Groden - Vice Chancellor for Research at UIC Keynote Address: Dr. Azurii Collier - Director, Enterprise Innovation at AbbVie |
| 12:00-1:00 pm | Lunch |
| 12:00-5:00 pm | Professional headshots for 50 attendees. Slots will be given on a first come, first served basis at check-in! |
| 1:00-2:00 pm | Panel 1: Careers in Science Outreach and Communication • Kate Golembiewski, MS - PR and Science Communications Manager at The Field Museum • Dr. Priya Mathur - Senior Publications Manager at AbbVie • Dr. Rob Mitchum - Director of Research and Science Communications at UIC • Dr. Alexandra “Sasha” Prokuda - Executive Director of the Chicago Council on Science & Technology (C2ST) • Dr. Mohana Ray - Associate Director, Scientific Communications at HDMZ |
| 2:00-3:00 pm | Panel 2: Research Careers On and Off the Bench • Dr. Mitch Connolly - Data Bioinformatician at ACL Laboratories • Dr. Carrie Franzen - Principal Scientist, Head of Modeling Lab Biorepository at Tempus Labs Inc. • Dr. Elizabeth Glover - Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at UIC • Dr. Shrikant Pandya - Data Scientist and Machine Learning Engineer at Ascension Data Science Institute |
| 3:00-4:00 pm | Panel 3: Careers in Business of Research • Dr. Brian Bunker - Staff Data Scientist at Intelligent Medical Objects • Dr. Michael Fitzsimons - Director of Research Programs and Business Development, Center for Translational Data Science at The University of Chicago • Dr. Elizabeth McMath - Senior Director, New Program Innovation & Entrepreneurship at Chicago Biomedical Consortium • Dr. Amanda Schalk - Co-Founder and COO of Enzyme By Design and Research Assistant Professor at UIC |
| 4:00-5:00 pm | Interactive Workshop-Interviewing for Industry Positions: Dr. Afrida Rahman-Enyart - Product Manager at Proteintech |
| 5:00-6:30 pm | Network Reception with CHIentist |
2022 Symposium
The sixth annual UIC PDA Career Development Symposium was held on Friday, September 16, 2022 at UIC Student Center West.
CDS 2023 Agenda
| Time | Program |
|---|---|
| 11:30 am-12 pm | Registration, check-in, and lunch. To guarantee a boxed lunch, you must register by Friday, September 9th. |
| 12:00-1:15 pm | Opening Remarks: Dr. Joanna Groden – Vice Chancellor for Research, UIC Academic Keynote Address: Dr. Melanie McReynolds - Assistant Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, and Dorothy Foehr Huck and J. Lloyd Huck Early Career Chair in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at Pennsylvania State University Introduction to the Chicago Biomedical Consortium (CBC) and Entrepreneurial Fellows Program by Dr. Michelle Hoffmann, CBC Executive Director |
| 1:15-2:15 pm | Panel 1: Academic Careers and Supporting Academic Research • Dr. Rao Kotamarthi - Senior Scientist in the Environmental Science Division at Argonne National Laboratory • Dr. Lara Leoni - Technical Director of the Integrated Small Animal Imaging Research Resource at University of Chicago • Dr. Sarah O'Brien - Director of Research Development at UIC • Dr. Ming Wu - Research Scientist, Associate Professor of Bioengineering, UIC and Adjunct Associate Professor of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, NU |
| 2:15-3:15 pm | Panel 2: Careers in Physical Sciences and Engineering • Dr. Ana Moraes - Principal Chemist at Ecolab • Dr. Javier Tiffenberg - Scientist at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory and Associate Fellow at Kavli Institute for Cosmological Physics UChicago |
| 3:15-4:15 pm | Panel 3: Careers in Industry On and Off the Bench • Dr. Ivelisse Cajigas - Senior Scientist at Abbott • Dr. Adam Kailiang Li - Sr. Technical Account Manager at GenScript • Dr. Jackee Sanchez - Medical Science Liaison at AstraZeneca • Dr. Pam Schilling - CEO at Archer Career |
| 4:15-5:00 pm | Industry Keynote Address: Dr. Donald Cheatem - Product Development Clinical Lead, Bermekimab CMO, Janssen Pharmaceuticals of Johnson and Johnson |
| 5:00-6:30 pm | Network Reception with CHIentist |
2021 Symposium
The fifth annual UIC PDA Career Development Symposium was held virtually September 20th-24th, 2021.
CDS 2021 Agenda
| Date | Time | Program |
|---|---|---|
| Monday, September 13, 2021 | 4:00-5:00 pm CT | Pre-CDS Workshop: Developing, Enhancing, and Leveraging your LinkedIn Profile Lauren Celano, Co-Founder and CEO, Propel Careers |
| Monday, September 20, 2021 | 12:30-2:00 pm CT | Opening Remarks: Dr. Joanna Groden – Vice Chancellor for Research, UIC Opening Industry Keynote Address: Dr. Jim Audia – Founder and President of Audia Consulting, LLC, Distinguished Scientist at FLARE Therapeutics, and former director of the Chicago Biomedical Consortium Title: Reflections on a Career in the Pharmaceutical Industry |
| Tuesday, September 21, 2021 | 4:00-5:00 pm CT | Careers at Core Facilities Panel • Dr. Jiwang Chen - Director, Cardiovascular Research Core, Research Resources Center, UIC • Dr. Jesse Cushman - Neurobehavioral Core Director, The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences • Dr. Alvaro G. Hernandez - Director of DNA Services, UIUC • Dr. Maria Sverdlov - Director, Histology Core, UIC |
| 5:00-6:00 pm CT | Informal Networking with Panelists | |
| Wednesday, September 22, 2021 | 4:00-5:00 pm CT | Medical Science Liaison Career Panel • Dr. Adriana Bora - Medical Science Liaison, Neurology at Sanofi Genzyme • Dr. Denise Briggs - Medical Science Liaison at AbbVie • Dr. Mitch R. D'Rozario - Malignant Hematology Medical Science Liaison at Genentech • Dr. Sadie Nennig - Medical Science Liaison, Neurology at Bristol Myers Squibb |
| 5:00-6:00 pm CT | Informal Networking with Panelists | |
| Thursday, September 23, 2021 | 9:00-9:45 am CT | Coffee Conversation with UIC Vice Chancellor for Research Dr. Joanna Groden |
| 4:00-5:00 pm CT | Industry Postdoc Panel • Dr. Nabeelah Kauser - Former Postdoc at Merck and Scientist at Mersana Therapeutics • Dr. Lluc Mosteiro - Postdoctoral Scientist at Genentech • Dr. Frank Olechnowicz - Former Postdoc and now Scientist at Behr Paint Company • Dr. Lindsay Stolzenburg - Former postdoctoral Scientist at AbbVie Genomics Research Center and Scientist at Exicure |
|
| 5:00-6:00 pm CT | Informal Networking with Panelists | |
| Friday, September 24, 2021 | 10:30 am-11:45 am CT | Academic Keynote Address: Dr. Antentor "AJ" O. Hinton Jr. - Assistant Professor, Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, Vanderbilt University Title: Becoming Visible in STEM While Finding Your Niche Closing Remarks |
2020 Symposium
The fourth annual UIC PDA Career Development Symposium was held virtually September 21st-25th, 2020.
CDS 2020 Agenda
| Date | Time | Program |
|---|---|---|
| Monday, September 21, 2020 | 9:30-10:30 am | Opening Academic Keynote Address: Zorina Galis, PhD – Chief, Vascular Biology and Hypertension Branch at National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, NIH |
| Tuesday, September 22, 2020 | 11:00-11:45 am | Coffee Conversation with UIC Vice Chancellor for Research Dr. Joanna Groden |
| 4:00-5:00 pm | Careers in Academia Panel • Craig Goergen, PhD - Leslie A. Geddes Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering at Purdue University • Briana Konnick, PhD - Associate Director, Graduate Career Development at University of Chicago • Mark Maienschein-Cline, PhD - Director of the Core for Research Informatics at University of Illinois at Chicago • Giselle Sandi, PhD - Deputy Division Director at Argonne National Laboratory |
|
| 5:00-6:00 pm | Informal Networking with Panelists | |
| Wednesday, September 23, 2020 | 4:00-5:00 pm | Industry and Business of Science Career Panel • Brian Haldeman, PhD - Field Application Scientist at Cytiva • Shyama Majumdar, PhD, MBA - Science Venture Lead at University of Chicago • David Ryba, PhD - Scientist I, Pharmacology at MyoKardia • Eric Schiffhauer PhD - Scientific Collaboration Director at Northwestern University |
| 5:00-6:00 pm | Informal Networking with Panelists | |
| Thursday, September 24, 2020 | 4:00-5:00 pm | Science Communications Career Panel • Minsu Kang, PhD - Senior Medical Science Liaison at Biogen • Kristoffer Myczek, PhD - Senior Medical Writer at Virgo Health • Ana Vicente Sanchez, PhD - Scientific Associate at PrecisionValue • Natasha Wadlington, PhD - Medical Writer at SB Pharma Solutions |
| 5:00-6:00 pm | Informal Networking with Panelists | |
| 5:00-6:00 pm | Virtual Booth with Lynn Hazan & Associates | |
| Friday, September 25, 2020 | 11:30 am-1:00 pm | Closing Remarks by UIC Vice Chancellor for Research Dr. Joanna Groden and Keynote Address by Jim Sullivan, PhD -Chief Executive Officer at Chamisi & Vanqua Bio Title: Delivering Transformative Medicines; Great Science and Teamwork as the Key Ingredients |
2019
The third iteration of the annual UIC PDA Career Development Symposium was held on Friday, September 13th, 2019.
This annual symposium, organized by the Postdoctoral Association (PDA) since 2017, gathers postdocs and graduate students from across the greater Chicago area to connect, network, collaborate and learn about different PhD career paths. The goal is to educate postdocs and graduate students about careers in academia, industry, communications, business, and beyond. The PDA brings in outstanding speakers and panelists to come share their experience to inspire budding postdocs and graduate students into fulfilling careers.
September 13, 2019
12:00pm – 7:00pm
University of Illinois at Chicago
M.M. Thompson Room ABC
Student Center West
828 South Wolcott Avenue
Chicago, IL 60612
Schedule:
12:00pm
Inauguration of Symposium and Opening Remarks
- Joanna Groden, PhD, Vice Chancellor for Research, UIC
- Peyton Bohnsack, PhD, Chair, 2019 Career Development Symposium Executive Committee
12:30pm
Keynote Address
Adam Ruben, PhD, writer, comedian, storyteller, science communicator, and molecular biologist
1:30pm
Lunch Break and Informal Networking with Speakers, Sponsors, and Panelists
2:30pm
Career Track Panels
- Medical Writing
- Kelsey Hodge-Hanson,Gordon Macpherson, Marina Damiano, Ben Marcus
- Careers in Industry (Off the bench)
- Lise I. Loberg, Mike Veenstra, Natalia Marangoni, Amanda Lee
- Legal & Compliance
- Corinna Raimondo, Hyunjin Kim, Matthew McKay
3:30pm
Coffee Break
4:00pm
Career Track Panels
- Policy & Advocacy
- Katherine Moore Powell, Gerald Blazey, Krisztina Eleki
- Research in Industry
- Aparna Vasanthakumar, Thomas L. Lynch, Diana Gutierrez, Yeni Yung
- Data Science
- Lev Reyzin, Sanghamitra Goswami, Bob Tell
5:00pm
Reception and Networking Event
CDS2018
Friday, September 14, 2018
Student Center West
828 S. Wolcott Ave
Chicago, IL 60612
2018
This unique symposium gathered postdoctoral fellows and graduate students from across the greater Chicago area to connect, network, collaborate and learn about different career paths emanating from their postdoctoral experience.
Schedule:
12:00pm
Inauguration of Symposium and introductory remarks
Mitra Dutta, PhD, Vice Chancellor for Research, UIC
Luisa DiPietro, DDS, Associate Vice Chancellor for Research, UIC
Career choices for PhDs – Opening the doors of opportunity
Melanie Sinche, NCC, Director of Education, Jackson Laboratory for Genomic Medicine
Lunch Break and informal networking with speakers and panelists
Career Track Panel Discussion (first iteration)
1. Careers in Academia
Panelists: Jody Martin, PhD; Valerie Miller, PhD; Kathleen O’Hagan, PhD; Amynah Pradhan, PhD
2. Business & Entrepreneurship Careers
Panelists: Garry Cooper, PhD; Melissa Maderia, PhD; Rama Sashank, PhD
3. Science Communication Careers
Panelists: Kim Fischer, PhD; Jeff Mosenson, PhD; Vidhya Sivakumaran, PhD; Stacey Tobin, PhD
4. Industry Careers
Panelists: James E Audia, PhD; Jeffrey Knight, PhD; Mario Neto, PhD; Andy Vick, PhD
Coffee break
4:00pm
Career Track Panel Discussion (repeat)
1. Careers in Academia
Panelists: Jody Martin, PhD; Valerie Miller, PhD; Kathleen O’Hagan, PhD; Amynah Pradhan, PhD
2. Business & Entrepreneurship Careers
Panelists: Garry Cooper, PhD; Melissa Maderia, PhD; Rama Sashank, PhD
3. Science Communication Careers
Panelists: Kim Fischer, PhD; Jeff Mosenson, PhD; Vidhya Sivakumaran, PhD; Stacey Tobin, PhD
4. Industry Careers
Panelists: James E Audia, PhD; Jeffrey Knight, PhD; Mario Neto, PhD; Andy Vick, PhD
Closing remarks and reception
CDS2017
Tuesday, September 19, 2017
Student Center West
828 South Wolcott Avenue
Chicago, IL 60612
2017
This unique symposium will gather postdoctoral fellows and graduate students from across the greater Chicago area to connect, network, collaborate and learn about different career paths emanating from their postdoctoral experience.
Schedule:
- Mitra Dutta, PhD, Vice Chancellor for Research, UIC
- Robert A. Barish, MD, MBA, Vice Chancellor for Health Affairs, UIC
Guest Speaker: Gary McDowell, PhD, Executive Director, Future of Research (FOR) Inc.
2:50pm
Coffee Break
- Panelists: C. Michael Foley, DVM, PhD; Robert Davis, PhD; Amit Patel, PharmD; Cindy Angerhofer, PhD
- Panelists: Kathleen Heppner Goss, PhD; Melissa Geyer, PhD; Monica M. Metzler, JD; Jessica Reimer, PhD
- Panelists: George D. Chellapa, PhD; Mike Burrows, PhD; Prem Sundivakkam, PhD, MBA
- Panelists: Abby Stayart, PhD; Emma Childs, PhD; Leo M. Njongmeta, PhD, RBP, SM(NRCM); Ian Hall, PhD
4:00pm
Break
- Panelists: C. Michael Foley, DVM, PhD; Robert Davis, PhD; Amit Patel, PharmD; Cindy Angerhofer, PhD
- Panelists: Kathleen Heppner Goss, PhD; Melissa Geyer, PhD; Monica M. Metzler, JD; Jessica Reimer, PhD
- Panelists: George D. Chellapa, PhD; Mike Burrows, PhD; Prem Sundivakkam, PhD, MBA
- Panelists: Abby Stayart, PhD; Emma Childs, PhD; Leo M. Njongmeta, PhD, RBP, SM(NRCM); Ian Hall, PhD