Link to L.E.K. Consulting
2026-04-27 - 2026-04-29 | Online
This year’s Link to L.E.K. program, designed for Life Sciences–focused PhD, MD, and PharmD students. The program will take place online from April 27–29, 2026. Interested candidates should submit a resume online through the L.E.K. website and complete the required assessment before March 8, 2026 (link here).
About Link to L.E.K.
Link to L.E.K. is an immersive program for PhDs, MDs and PharmDs designed to provide participants with an in-depth view of life sciences strategy consulting and more specifically, the Life Sciences Specialist (LSS) role. This program will be held virtually and will feature opportunities to:

Learn more about L.E.K. as a firm and the type of work we do
Gain hands-on experience working through a simulated case with Life Sciences Consultants and present findings to senior management
Network with all levels of Life Sciences staﬀ

Participants will receive an accelerated invitation to final round interviews for 2027 Life Sciences Specialist roles.
Learn more and submit your application on the L.E.K. website.
Contact Lindsey Methia (Recruiting Manager) at li.methia@lek.com with any questions.
Lindsey Methia, U.S. Recruiting Manager
L.E.K. Consulting
75 State Street, 19th Floor, Boston, MA 02109
O: +1 617 289 9768
Li.Methia@lek.com | www.lek.com

Nurture Your Network
2026-04-30 14:00 - 15:30 (America/New_York) | 102 Mann Library, 237 Mann Drive, Ithaca, NY, 14853, United States
Learn why and how to network, conduct informational interviews, and ask practical questions. Incorporate AI tools, a tracking system, and LinkedIn strategies to build reputation and reach.
Workshop outcomes:

Understand why and how to build a network
Leverage the power of LinkedIn to identify and communicate with professionals
Learn to manage a network, and track it with a “Digital Rolodex a/k/a Tres Anillos.”

Networking is a two-way street where you must invest time and energy to nurture and grow it. Being intentional about your interactions can mean the difference between opening and closing doors. You can build something invaluable if you are selective and curate who/what you want to learn more about through informational interviews. AI tools help synthesize information, identify related organizations, and map ideas. A network contributes to collaborative activities such as publishing, presenting, and partnering on projects. We learn about an industry or sector through informational interviews (an opportunity to gather information and share your pitch), do market research, and find areas to collaborate. A genuine connection can organically lead to anything and everything. Integrate Excel with AI to track activities.
Join our in-person only hands-on networking workshop! All disciplines welcome! REGISTER NOW
Event Details
Date and Time: April 30 @2-3:30pm in-person only
Campus Location: Mann 102
Facilitator: Alumna Melissa Reitkopp’85
Accommodations: We strive to make our events accessible to all community members. Individuals who would like to request accessibility accommodations should contact gradcareers@cornell.edu. We ask that requests be made at least one week in advance to help ensure they can be met.
About the speaker: Alumna Melissa Reitkopp’85 is a talent acquisition pro, career coach and community connector who has helped thousands of professionals across non-profit, commercial and government sectors grow their careers and build meaningful networks. She combines recruiter insights with practical tools to help people land jobs they love.
Brought to you through a collaboration with Cornell Alumni Affairs and the Graduate School Office of Professional Development’s Careers Beyond Academia

Science Advocacy Training
2026-05-01 16:00 - 17:00 | Plant Science 404
Shared by the Advancing Science and Policy (ASAP) graduate student run organization:
Want to leverage your role as a scientist to advocate for evidence-based policy, but not sure where to start? Join ASAP today, May 1st at 4 p.m. at 404 Plant Science, for a training hosted in collaboration with Charlotte Selton from American Physical Society (APS), designed for early-career scientists interested in science advocacy.
This interactive workshop will introduce how policy is shaped and the levers through which scientists can engage with that process, both as individuals and in groups. Participants will have the chance to discuss and practice advocacy tools in small groups and explore potential career paths in science policy.
Zoom option also available. Food, snacks, and drinks provided!
Other events, opportunities, and resources:
– DC trip for an Advocacy Day run by Careers Beyond Academia and the Cornell Federal Relations teams May 12-13, register by May 4th
– Stance on Science initiative to reach out to candidates for public office to ask them their positions on science policy issues and disseminate their stances to the voting public
– Partnership for Public Service’s Unraveling of Public Science Federal Harms Tracker resource
– SCIMaP Webinar: Understanding Impact Maps and the FY2027 White House Budget & Data Analysis on May 7 at noon ET
– Join the American Statistical Association (ASA) for a virtual hill day prep session on May 15 @ 1:30 p.m.
– Federation of American Scientists is looking for a Congressional Fellow to be placed within the office of a member of Congress
– Free courses available through the Public Health Communication Collaborative
– Civic Science Fellow role at the Center for Media Innovation and Social Impact at Boston University
– Natural Resources Defense Council is looking for a State Advocate
– Rita Allen Foundation is looking for a Program Events and Digital Engagement Manager
– Alfred P. Sloan Foundation is looking for an Office Coordinator

Doctoral Advocacy Trek to D.C.: Apply by May 4
2026-05-13
Practice public policy advocacy! Apply to travel to Washington, D.C. for Cornell Doctoral Student Advocacy Day on May 13, 2026.
Travel Dates: May 12 & 13
About the Cornell Doctoral Student Advocacy Day
On May 13, Cornell doctoral students are invited to engage in meetings with elected Members of Congress, Congressional staff, and current policy fellows. These meetings will be organized by representatives from the Cornell Office of Federal Relations. In preparation for Advocacy Day, there will be a virtual training led by representatives from the Cornell Office of Federal Relations to prepare participants for their Advocacy Day activities (date TBA). Students from any graduate field are eligible to participate in Advocacy Day.
Because we may only select up to eight doctoral students to participate in the Cornell Doctoral Student Advocacy Day, please do not apply unless you can make yourself available to travel to Washington D.C. from the morning of May 12 through the late evening of May 13 and fully participate in the program.
Register now
Prepare to apply
The application form will ask about your undergraduate education, funding sources for your education, who your Congressional representatives are (if not voting eligible, you can use your local address), a synopsis of your research as part of a short bio, what you hope to get out of the experience and how it can inform your career goals.
Sponsorship
Support for participation in the Cornell Doctoral Student Advocacy Day comes from the Graduate School Office of Career and Professional Development and the Cornell Office of Federal Relations. Travel and accommodations will be at no cost to selected participants.
Questions
Should you have any questions about this opportunity, please contact Susi Varvayanis, Executive Director of Careers Beyond Academia at gradcareers@cornell.edu.

Research Communication Workshop
2026-05-14 14:00 - 16:00 | 102 Mann Library, 237 Mann Drive, Ithaca, NY, 14853, United States
Join this interactive, in-person only workshop. PhD students and postdocs from all disciplines are welcome. Be prepared to discuss your own research!
Learning Outcomes
At the end of this workshop you should:
• Be able to introduce yourself in an engaging and memorable way
• Recognize and develop strategies to explain jargon or complex topics
• Develop skills and confidence to communicate with a variety of audiences
• Use different storytelling approaches to communicate your research
• Identify one or more outlets to communicate your research
• Develop an approach to start your talk and engage your audience immediately
REGISTER NOW
Facilitators:
Cynthia Leifer, Director Cornell Office of Postdoctoral Affairs
Susi Varvayanis, Executive Director of Careers Beyond Academia
Date and time: May 14 from 2:00-4pm
Campus location: will be sent to registrants’ Cornell email prior to the date-tentatively in Mann 102
Brought to you through a collaboration between the Office of Postdoctoral Affairs in the Research and Innovation Division and Careers Beyond Academia in the Office of Career and Professional Development in the Graduate School.

NIH Career Symposium
2026-05-18 - 2026-05-21
Registration for the NIH Career Symposium is open now! Current grad students and postdocs, join us May 18 – 21 to hear from and network with biomedical professionals in a broad range of biomedical careers!
Register here: https://lnkd.in/eeu7j2nH
What to expect:
✨ Panels: Hear from biomedical professionals in industry, academia, science communication, science policy, clinical settings, and more
✨ Networking: Connect with professionals across sectors
✨ Talks and workshops: Enhance job search and career development skills

Finding Your Research Voice workshop
2026-07-09 09:00 - 16:00, 2026-07-10 09:00 - 16:00
Two days July 9 & 10 (9am-4pm both days, must attend both)

Register by July 1
Complete the online registration form to hold a spot on the roster. To confirm a spot in the workshop, submit your video link as directed below in step 2; it will serve as your confirmation of attending both days of the workshop. Questions can be directed via email to: sv27@cornell.edu.
Location will be face-to-face in Clark Hall 294A on Thursday July 9 and Friday July 10. Sessions are only held in person and participants must commit to attending both full days. If you were to pay professionals for this kind of training after leaving Cornell, registration would be at least $750-$1,500. Thanks to sponsorship by Cornell Graduate School’s Careers Beyond Academia, the cost to you is nothing!
Location will be on campus, in Clark Hall 294A. We will break for lunch on your own, and will provide light afternoon snacks.
About the workshop

Learning to tell a compelling research story can have a significant impact on your career. It can make you stand out at professional conferences, pitch competitions, on the job market, or during an ideal networking opportunity. It is easy to tell a research story badly. We provide specific presentation ideas and field tested exercises that will help you improve your talk. Once you’ve learned how to create a dynamic live performance of your research story, you may come to enjoy presenting in public.
This workshop will intensively work your own research presentation and hone your engaging story through a core message. We incorporate theatrical/improv techniques and video feedback to improve your use of body, voice, gesture and to capture wording that resonates with your audience. These workshops have led to a published book that summarizes the exercises and serves as a step-by-step guide to Finding Your Research Voice – Storytelling and Theatre Skills for Bringing Your Presentation to Life. It is fully accessible through the Cornell Library System.

“There are faculty who give terrible talks, and some who make captivating, engaging talks. I want to be in the latter category. That’s why I signed up for this workshop.”–Benjamin Rosche, PhD student, Sociology”
This opportunity is targeted for PhD students in all disciplines, with priority given to those who are ready to present their research. Time: 9 am to 4 pm Thursday July 9 and Friday July 10, with an hour lunch break. You must attend both sessions. Due to the intensive, personalized, mentored interactions during the workshop, participation numbers are limited.
This two-day workshop is designed for any doctoral student in the STEM, social sciences, humanities and arts disciplines interested in an immersion to improve their research communication skills.
“We were an image-oriented species way before development of the written word. The way we include pictures in our presentations can determine if a story will bring us together.”–Itai Cohen, Professor, Physics
Learning outcomes for Finding Your Research Voice:
Creating a Core Message
Applying the Dramatic Arc
Connecting with Your Audience
Expressing Passion for Your Research
Finding a Great Beginning
Chaptering Your Story
Signaling the End
Improving Your Voice
Controlling Your Body Language
Incorporating Gesture Effectively
In advance of the workshop:

Right now, record your ~10 minute research talk draft and upload it to YouTube (if you have a previously recorded talk that’s fine, just the first 10 minutes will be viewed). Don’t worry about professional quality, it can be done informally on your computer with Zoom. Make sure the audio can be heard. Ideally your slides are visible and so are you as you speak. Your 10 minute talk should cover something you would present at a conference, perhaps in a longer format. An hour long talk is often comprised of three separate but linked 10 minute talks. Choose the research/scholarly/business idea that you are most passionate about as the subject for your talk. Make sure you do not disclose any proprietary information (hopefully you consider this with every talk).
Then send the video link before July 1 to confirm your attendance to Itai Cohen (itai.cohen@cornell.edu) and Susi Varvayanis (sv27@cornell.edu). Prior to the workshop we will review your talk, speak generically about what we see during the workshop, and offer you concrete tips for improvement individually. This is an essential way you will get the most out of this workshop! Please honor this deadline so we have sufficient time to review all submissions.
Later, draft a ~1 minute Elevator Pitch of your core research message to bring to the workshop. We will use your Elevator Pitch to hone your core message and to work on your performance skills. It should include who you are, what you do, what you’ve found, and why it is important. This is a short persuasive speech about you and your work. It should last no longer than an elevator ride (30 seconds to 2 minutes) and should be carefully crafted to maximize both information and interest during short encounters with important contacts. An elevator pitch is a 3-4 sentence summary of the main point of your talk. Briefly:

Identify the problem and why it is so important
Explain why this has not yet been solved
Explain how you will solve and why you are the person to do it

Facilitated by:
Itai Cohen, Professor of Physics
Cornell University
http://cohengroup.lassp.cornell.edu
itai.cohen@cornell.edu 617-304-2131

Susi Varvayanis, Executive Director
Careers Beyond Academia
Cornell University Graduate School
gradcareers@cornell.edu

Accessibility Requests:
We strive to make our events accessible to all community members. Individuals who would like to request accessibility accommodations should contact gradcareers@cornell.edu. We ask that requests be made sufficiently in advance to help ensure they can be met.
