Careers Beyond Academia

Info session for Runway Startup Postdoc Program
2025-01-30 12:00 - 14:00 (America/New_York) | Online
Applications are now open for next year’s Runway Startup Postdoc Program at Cornell Tech in NYC. This program is designed for recently graduated STEM PhD who have a startup idea and are interested in pursuing entrepreneurship as a career path.
Information sessions will be held Tuesday, January 21, 11am – noon, and Thursday, January 30, 12 – 2pm. Register to attend
The Runway Startup Postdoc Program is part business school, part research institution, and part startup incubator. Based at the Jacobs Technion-Cornell Institute, Runway ushers recent PhDs in digital technology fields through a paradigm shift — from an academic mindset to an entrepreneurial outlook.
Startup Postdocs arrive with ideas for unproven products and markets that require time and specialized guidance to develop. These startups demand more than a few months to launch. They need a bit of a “runway.” That’s why our program lasts 12–24 months and incorporates academic and business mentorship.
Runway provides an impressive package valued at $175,000 in the first year and $150,000 in the second year, which includes a salary, research budget, housing allowance, space and more. Learn more about benefits and perks here.
The application deadline is February 15.

Animal Health Hackathon
2025-01-31 | Schurman Hall
This interdisciplinary event has all your favorite things about hackathons. Networking with Mentors and sponsoring companies, food, merch, workshops, meeting other Students and $9,000 in cash prizes for winning teams.
ALL STUDENTS ARE WELCOME AND INVITED TO PARTICIPATE!
This event is brought to you by the Center for Veterinary Business and Entrepreneurship with support from Triad Foundation, Purina Pro Blan, Care Credit, Veritas Veterinary Parnters, Zoetis, Idexx, VPP, Destination Pet, Encore Vet Group, Boehringer Ingelheim, & VetTriage.
Event runs: Friday January 31 (5pm-9:15pm), Saturday February 2nd (9am-8pm) and Sunday Feb 4th (9am-3pm)
This only happens once a year, don’t miss your chance to experience it! You deserve this! SIGN UP ASAP- this event will fill and a waitlist will form at least a week prior. Participation limited to 125 students.
Register now to participate
Learn more now
Cornell’s College of Veterinary Medicine, in partnership with the Center for Veterinary Business & Entrepreneurship, and Entrepreneurship at Cornell, is pleased to host this annual (and very popular) hackathon for the 9th year in a row!

University-Wide online Career Fair
2025-02-05 12:00 - 16:00 | Online
See the list of employers, register for sessions and connect with employers through this Handshake link. Open to all students.
The online University-Wide Spring Career Fair is on Wednesday, February 5, 12:00 pm – 4:00 pm,
Prepare and get the most out of the career fair
Handshake has several articles and videos:

Handshake’s Guide to Attending a Virtual Fair
Participating in a Virtual Fair
View Employers Attending an Upcoming Career Fair

Cornell Career Services curates these Career Development Toolkit modules:

Prepare for and Navigate Career Fairs
Networking

See also their Media Library of recorded workshops
Questions can be directed to
Kimberlee Swartz kms273@cornell.edu
Associate Director, Manager Employer Relations
Cornell Career Services | Student & Campus Life
Cornell University
210 Barnes Hall | Ithaca, NY 14853
w 607.255.7464
career.cornell.edu

Learn skills to address misinformation
2025-02-11 16:30 - 17:30 | Bradfield Hall 101
Join this workshop with alumna Kara Rode Webber PhD’22, founder of Vaccination Conversations with Scientists (VaCS) on:
Addressing Misinformation through Meaningful Conversation
The graduate student groups Advancing Science and Policy (ASAP) and Vaccine Conversations with Scientists (VaCS) are collaborating to hold this workshop teaching skills to address misinformation, with a VaCS info session to follow. This will be open to the campus community and held on Feb 11th at 4:30PM in Bradfield 101. Snacks and light refreshment will be provided!

CV To Resume Workshop
2025-02-20 15:00 - 16:00 | Zoom
This webinar will help you target common terms used in industry, non-profit and government jobs; basic resume structure and tips on highlighting your PhD skillsets to position YOU as the preferred job candidate.
This webinar is open to all PhD students and postdocs.
To Register
For more events, please visit 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 at least one week in advance to help ensure they can be met.

Science Policy Career Exploration Week
2025-02-25 12:00 - 13:00, 2025-02-26 12:00 - 13:00, 2025-02-27 12:00 - 13:00, 2025-02-28 12:00 - 13:00 | Online
The National Science Policy Network offers free webinars to learn about how you can be involved in affecting policies you are passionate about. Explore diverse career paths in science policy with NSPN’s four-part webinar series. Learn about positions in federal & state government, nonprofit and private sectors. Each session will provide practical guidance and inspiration for navigating these impactful fields.
Register now

NSPN | Science Policy Career Exploration Week

Feb 25, 2025 noon-1:00 PM
Feb 26, 2025 noon-1:00 PM
Feb 27, 2025 noon-1:00 PM
Feb 28, 2025 noon-1:00 PM

Engineering Luncheon: Entrepreneurship Networking
2025-02-28 12:00 - 13:00 | 226 Weill Hall, 237 Tower Road, Ithaca, NY, 14853, United States
Looking for support to commercialize your technology? Cornell Engineering and the Entrepreneurs in Residence program offer connections to mentorship, funding opportunities, legal information, entrepreneurship programs, and other commercialization resources in Cornell’s robust entrepreneurial ecosystem. Open to Cornell Ph.D. candidates and postdocs in the College of Engineering only.
Join us for this exclusive lunchtime discussion hosted by the college’s Entrepreneurs in Residence program to learn about the resources available to you as you explore entrepreneurship and commercialization.
Cornell Engineering alumni who have leveraged college resources to found and scale successful startups will be in attendance.
Engineering Luncheon: Entrepreneurship Networking
Friday, February 28 | 12:00 – 1:00 p.m. ET | Weill Hall Room 226
Lunch will be served

Register now: https://bit.ly/3Cd1C5m

Explore Careers Outside Academia
2025-03-12 12:00 - 13:00 | Zoom
In today’s day and age, more and more postdocs and graduate students are open to the idea of careers beyond academia. Have you ever wondered how to start this transition and what are some things you need to think about before taking action? In this session, we will talk about how to start exploring career options outside of academia and some of the thought process behind it. Register to attend.
Presented by Graduate School Career and Professional Development staff and aimed at Ph.D. students and postdoctoral scholars.
Presenters: Christine Holmes, Director of Postdoctoral Studies; and Susi Varvayanis, Executive Director of Careers Beyond Academia

Public Communication of Science panel (and workshop)
2025-03-14 16:30 - 19:00 | Kennedy Hall 105
This weekend workshop trains researchers in the sciences (including natural sciences, engineering, experimental social sciences, etc.) to communicate effectively with nonscientists such as policy makers, political stakeholders, the media, and the general public. A public panel discussion on Opportunities in Science Communication kicks off the COMM 5660 course and is held Friday 4:30-6:30pm. The Friday session is open to the public.
Learn about the range of opportunities for public engagement and ways to integrate public engagement with your other professional activities. The speakers will share how they got into science communication, reasons why they continue to do so, opportunities and challenges of integrating communication activities with other professional activities, specific skills to work on that are useful elsewhere, and goals they have for future science communication activities. There will be opportunities to ask questions of the panelists and informal discussion will follow.
To participate in the full weekend workshop, you must register for the COMM 5660 course(1cr.) Bruce Lewenstein.
Dates and Times:
Panel on Opportunities for Public Communication of Science March 14 @4:30-7pm (open to the public)
Workshop continues March 15 & 16 @ 9-5pm (workshop participants only)
Location: Kennedy Hall 213 for the Friday panel open to all (no registration required)
Friday March14 in Kennedy Hall 213
4:30 pm Panel: Opportunities for public communication of science
Speakers

Allasandra Valdez, Julia Felice, a representative from the Sciencenter, Kayla Jones…

7:00(ish) pm Informal discussion supported by pizza and veggies
Starting with a public panel discussion on Opportunities for Public Communication of Science, this weekend workshop trains researchers in the sciences (including natural sciences, engineering, experimental social sciences, etc.) to communicate effectively with nonscientists such as policy makers, political stakeholders, the media, and the general public. Training activities may include role-play, mini lectures, reading/discussion, hands-on writing blog posts and other outreach materials, real-time practice being interviewed for the media, and discussion with invited speakers. Several guest speakers will be featured throughout the weekend. The below public panel discussion on Opportunities in Science Communication kicks off the COMM 5660 course and is held Friday 4:30-7pm. The weekend workshop runs 9-5pm Saturday and Sunday. Lunch is on your own. Must attend all three sessions for credit.
Testimonial:
“One of the most engaging Careers Beyond Academia/BEST experiences for me was a science communication workshop that I attended taught by Bruce Lewenstein. This was an excellent crash course on science communication and forced me to think through how the public receives and perceives scientific news and how I could best communicate my own work to the public without over complicating it.”-Felicity Emerson, Biomedical and Biological Sciences
Weekend workshop will be held in Kennedy 105
9-5 Saturday March 15 COMM 5660 continues with writing science for the public, developing and writing your own stories, a presentation on Integrating communication with your graduate research, discussion of pictures and video, and learning about the science communication system
9-5 Sunday March 16 COMM 5660 continues with re-writing press releases/blog posts following critique, developing and delivering media messages with guest speaker from Cornell Media Relations, being interviewed, science policy
Learning Objectives:
After participating in this workshop, students will be able to:
Discuss science communication opportunities, both within traditional scientific careers and as standalone careers
Begin identifying characteristics of potential audiences for science communication
Write drafts of short texts (such as blog posts, tweets, and similar items) for non-scientific audiences
Begin planning for media interviews
Discuss social, ethical, and scholarly issues associated with science communication
Credit:
To get credit for the class you must attend all sessions. Enroll now via class roster. If past the add/drop deadline, please email Susi Varvayanis (sv27@cornell.edu) with your Cornell netID.
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 at least one week in advance to help ensure they can be met.
Supported by Cornell’s Department of Communication and Careers Beyond Academia in the Graduate School.

Navigating Your Future: Strategies to Explore Career and Global Professional Options
2025-03-17 17:00 - 18:30 | Online
Do you have concerns for how changes in the U.S. may impact International Graduate and Professional Students? Join us for a webinar on how to use available resources to answer your questions. Staff from across campus will be present to share practical steps focused specifically on international graduate and professional students. Register here!
Join via Zoom on Monday March 17, 5:00 – 6:30 p.m.
Hosted by the Office of Global Learning in concert with the Diversity and International Students Committee-Graduate and Professional Student Assembly (DISC-GPSA), Counseling & Psychological Services (CAPS) | Cornell Health, and the Graduate School Office of Career and Professional Development.
Connect with us!
Careers Beyond Academia LinkedIn group
Read more: International Graduates and Postdocs Struggle with Career Confidence
Facilitators and presenters:
Leslie Whitcomb, International Student Inclusion Specialist in the Office of Global Learning
Susi Varvayanis, Executive Director, Careers Beyond Academia in the Graduate School Office of Career and Professional
TBD, TITLE, Counseling & Psychological Services (CAPS) at Cornell Health
Additional co-organizers and supporters:
Aleesha George, doctoral candidate, Chemistry, Diversity and International Students Committee of the Graduate and Professional Student Assembly
Zong-Yan Liu, doctoral candidate, SIPS Plant Breeding and Genetics, Diversity and International Students Committee of the Graduate and Professional Student Assembly

Strategies for Getting Published: Journal Editor Panel Discussion
2025-03-18 15:00 - 16:30 | Online
Scholarly communications can have many pathways and outcomes. Please join Cornell University Library as it hosts a moderated discussion about the peer review and publishing process focused on helping PhD candidates in engineering; animal, life, and physical sciences. Please bring any questions you might have. Panelists include Cornell faculty Xingen Lei (Animal Science); Karl Niklas (emeritus Plant Science); Csaba Csaki (Physics); Emmanuel Giannelis (Engineering) who are experienced journal editors, peer reviewers and authors.
Date: March 18 @3-4:30 pm online
Questions? Contact: Henrik Spoon, <h.spoon@cornell.edu>, Susi Varvayanis <sv27@cornell.edu>
Join the Cornell Library and the Graduate School’s Careers Beyond Academia to learn tips on all the steps in the editing and publishing process from a panel of experienced faculty journal editors.
Panelists
Xingen Lei (Animal Science)
Karl Niklas (emeritus; Plant Science)
Csaba Csaki (Physics)
Emmanuel Giannelis (Engineering)
Register and Join Zoom
Please register for this online only discussion.
Organizers and sponsors
Organized by Henrik Spoon Physics, Astronomy, and Mathematics Librarian and co-sponsored by the Graduate School’s Careers Beyond Academia. Questions can be directed to Susi Varvayanis, Executive Director of Careers Beyond Academia.

2025 Three Minute Thesis (3MT) Competition
2025-03-19 15:00 - 16:30 | G10 Biotechnology Building, 526 Campus Road, Ithaca, NY, 14853, United States
Three Minute Thesis (3MT) is a competition for graduate students to develop and showcase their research communication skills.
The 2025 final round competition will be held in-person on Wednesday, March 19, 2025 in G10 Biotech. We will also offer a virtual attendance option by Zoom for those outside of Ithaca. Attend and vote for your favorite presentation for the People’s Choice Award!
3MT challenges research degree students to present a compelling story on their dissertation or thesis and its significance in just three minutes, in language appropriate to a non-specialist audience. In addition to the first place and second place winners from among the finalists, audience members on March 20 will be asked to select a People’s Choice Award Winner.
Event registration is open.

2025 GradFUTURES Forum
2025-03-24 - 2025-03-28 | Webinar
Hosted by the Princeton University Graduate School, the GradFUTURES Forum is a weeklong professional development conference for graduate students offering opportunities for meaningful professional growth and exploration of futures within and beyond the academy. This year’s theme is Meeting the Moment, featuring a combination of in-person and virtual sessions, inspiring keynote speakers, interactive workshops, career panels, and networking receptions designed to help graduate students learn, explore, and connect.
The 2025 GradFUTURES Forum is free and open to the broader graduate community at Princeton and beyond. View the full schedule of events and register here.

Create an Employer-Ready LinkedIn Profile
2025-03-27 12:00 - 13:30, 2025-04-22 12:00 - 13:30, 2025-05-01 12:00 - 13:30 | 341 Caldwell Hall, 121 Reservoir Avenue, Ithaca, NY, 14853, United States
We’ll start with a short overview presentation with pro tips on how to use LinkedIn, some exercises to identify a good tagline, and a very interactive session where participants work on their own profiles and critique others’ –so you will need to bring your own computer. Handy tips will be shared among participants at the hands-on session.
Due to the interactive nature of this in-person workshop, we will limit the number of participants to 15. So if something comes up after you register, be sure to let us know so we can invite someone else to take your place.
Register via this Google form for the date that works for you with your Cornell netID.

Women in Animal Science Panel
2025-03-27 15:35 - 17:00 | Morrison 146
The Cornell University Animal Science Graduate Student Association is thrilled to invite you to attend a Women in Animal Science Panel on Thursday March 27th from 3:35 – 5:00 PM EST! Don’t miss this opportunity to engage in an enriching discussion moderated by Dr. Michelle Moyal, featuring our esteemed panelists: Dr. Jessica McArt, Dr. Fernanda Ferreira, Dr. Yeni Bernal Rubio, Dr. Xixi Chen, and Dr. Yi Athena Ren! To secure your spot in the audience, please RSVP by Wednesday March 26th. Zoom links will be sent to all registrants prior to the event. We hope you can join us for this inspiring conversation!

Consulting Case Workshop
2025-04-11 15:00 - 18:00 | Goldwin Smith Hall G76
Consulting Case 102: Sharpening Your Skills with Advanced Frameworks and Math.
An advanced workshop focusing on refining case frameworks, enhancing mental math skills, and interpreting charts and exhibits to tackle complex case interviews at a high level. Open to Cornell students from all majors and years.
This workshop is organized by Cornell Career Services and will be led by the Management Consulted team.
Management Consulted is an online platform that supports candidates in their consulting job search. To access this free resource, as a Cornell Student, you may utilize this link – https://managementconsulted.com/cornell-student-login/
Register to attend through Handshake.

Navigating Your Career Pivot: Opportunities in Science Nonprofits
2025-04-15 18:00 - 19:30 | Webinar
Presented by the New York Academy of Sciences’ Chief Scientific Officer, Brooke Grindlinger,PhD, this dynamic workshop is intended to help early-career scientists (graduate students, postdocs, faculty) transition to and learn about nonprofit roles, identify applicable skills in their repertoire, help them determine strategies to fill skill gaps, and ultimately provide the tools needed to investigate long-term career opportunities within nonprofits.
Register to attend.

Q&A with Congresswoman Melanie Stansbury MS'07
2025-04-21 11:30 - 12:30 | Zoom, NY, United States
Are you interested in working in policy at the Federal or State level? Learn how one alumna, Congresswoman Melanie Stansbury MS’07 charted her policymaking career trajectory. She will share resources to leverage, and tips if you are interested in exploring this sector and adjacent roles. Having recently met with a group of Cornell doctoral students on the Capitol steps on Advocacy Day, Congresswoman Stansbury initiated a followup meeting to be able to speak to a larger group.
Join us online from 11:30am-12:30pm for a Q&A! Please register if you plan to attend, and share any questions in advance you would like to ask the speaker. A Zoom link will be sent to all registrants.
About the speaker
Born and raised in New Mexico, Congresswoman Melanie Stansbury leads with determination and compassion. She has dedicated her career to finding solutions to water issues, poverty, and climate change — representing New Mexico in the Legislature and now in Congress. She is a champion of efforts to address hunger, food, and water insecurity, conservation and climate change, and economic development and recovery. Rep. Stansbury worked in communities across the state as a STEM educator, researcher on land and water issues, and served as a staffer in the U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources and the White House Office of Management and Budget. As the Congresswoman from New Mexico’s First Congressional District, she is working hard to lift up the voices of our communities and tackle our biggest challenges— from economic development, to food and water security, to climate change.
Congresswoman Stansbury serves New Mexicans on the House Committee on Natural Resources and the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability.
Read more on Wikipedia, the House website, and CALS.

Panel of NYS Science Policy Fellows
2025-04-25 09:00 - 10:15 | Clark Hall, Room 700, 142 Sciences Drive, Ithaca, NY, 14850, United States
Join the discussion with the Deputy Director of the Rockefeller Institute’s NYS Science Policy Fellows organized by the Graduate Student run organization Advancing Science and Policy (ASAP) in collaboration with Careers Beyond Academia and CoRGI (Chemists for Outreach and Graduate Inclusion).
The 2024-26 Science Policy Fellows are the inaugural cohort of the New York State Science Policy Fellowship. The fellows are placed in important roles in the state’s executive agencies and with the legislature. Through their work, they will lend their technical and scientific expertise to policymakers while developing hands-on experience in state government.
Speakers
Laura Rabinow, Deputy Director of Research, Rockefeller Institute of Government
Current NYS Science Policy Fellows:
Emily Laurilliard PhD’24
Megan Cassingham
Anqesha Murray
This event is for graduate students and postdocs to meet and learn from Science Policy Fellows and the deputy director of the Rockefeller Institute’s NYS Science Policy Fellowship. It will be held April 25 @9am-10:15am in 700 Clark Hall. Coffee and breakfast provided! In addition, small discussion groups with the fellows will be held throughout the day by sign-up.
Scan the QR codes in the flyer below to RSVP and sign up for a small group meeting..

Go to Campus Groups for more.

Andrés Blanco PhD'10 talk @12:20 and discussion with PhDs @4:30
2025-04-25 12:20 - 14:15
Economics Principal Specialist in Water and Sanitation Division at the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) Andrés Blanco PhD’10
Urban Infrastructure in the Amazon Basin, Challenges and Opportunities: Talk at 12:20pm in Milstein Hall Auditorium
Abstract: The Amazon Basin is a vast ecosystem covering nearly 40% of South America and 6.7 million square km in 9 countries. This territory is home to more than 30 million people and, contrary to common belief, a robust system of cities. In effect, nearly 70% of the Amazon Basin population is concentrated in urban areas, with large cities like Manaus, Belem, Macapa, Sao Luis, Porto Velho, Cuiaba in Brazil and Santa Cruz in Bolivia encompassing more than 20% of the urban Amazonian population. This presentation describes an ongoing effort to understand the challenges and opportunities associated with accelerated processes of urbanization and its impacts on the critical ecosystems and sustainability of the Amazonia by exploring topics such as (i) the main urban infrastructure deficits in the region, (ii) the environmental, social and economic impacts of these gaps; (iii) the main infrastructure policies and projects needed to generate sustainable cities in the region; and (iv) the connection between infrastructure, environmental and territorial policies and its implications for urban areas.
More information and registration link. Held in Milstein Hall Auditorium.
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Andrés Blanco discussion with PhD Students: at 4:30-6pm held in Sibley Hall 106

For PhD students in City and Regional Planning, Regional Science, Development Studies, Economics and related fields to have an in depth discussion and Q&A with the speaker on topics related to his career, transition to this sector, experiences, motivations and advice for current doctoral students interested in exploring additional career options.
Held in Sibley Hall 106.
About the speaker
Andrés Blanco is an international development expert specializing in urban and regional planning. He received his bachelor’s degree in Economics in 1999 and his master’s degree in Development Planning in 2005 from the Universidad de los Andes in Bogotá. In 2010, he received his Ph.D. in Urban and Regional Planning from Cornell University. Currently, Blanco works in the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) as an Economics Principal Specialist in the Water and Sanitation Division. Blanco joined the IDB in 2012 as a Specialist in Housing and Urban Development, where he coordinated several institutional initiatives, such as the implementation of the Emerging and Sustainable Cities Initiative (ESCI) and the Cities LAB, the Urban Innovation laboratory at IDB. Prior to joining the IDB, Blanco worked as an office manager for BBVA Bank, advisor to the Secretaries of Government and Finance in Bogotá, professor of Urban Economics at the University of Florida, and consultant for several organizations like the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy, the United Nations Development Program, and national and local governments in Latin America and the United States.
Support for the event
This event is funded by a Careers Beyond Academia faculty grant designed to bring in speakers from beyond academia.
Mini-grants are awarded on a rolling basis to faculty in the humanities and social sciences who collaborate across disciplines to create an experiential activity that includes alumni speakers. Careers Beyond Academia staff guide and encourage graduate students and postdocs to collaborate with faculty to help create the events.
Bring greater recognition of the career opportunities and skills needed to be successful in a career outside a professorial position. Intended for pre- and postdoctoral scholars to engage with alumni and others who have transitioned to many diverse career paths.
The grants are for interactive sessions involving Cornell PhD alumni and other professionals to inform Cornell PhD students and postdocs about careers outside the professoriate and the skills they will need to be successful in these careers. We are happy to brainstorm ideas with you to help create the most impactful activities.

UIDP: U.S. Federal Legislative Update: Preparing for What Comes Next
2025-05-01 13:00 - 14:00 | Webinar
UIDP member representatives are keenly interested in U.S. federal legislation and policies that impact R&D and university-industry partnerships. During this members-only webinar, Leslee Gilbert of Van Scoyoc Associates will provide timely insights into the current state of affairs in Washington, D.C., with a special focus on the reemergence of rescission bills—a legislative mechanism we haven’t seen used in over 30 years. Leslee will explain the rescission process, why it’s resurfacing now, and what implications it may have for federal funding and policy priorities. She’ll also answer your questions on other pending and recently passed legislation and how your organization can navigate and leverage these developments.
Leslee, who brings over 20 years of experience working in and with Congress, will provide a critical update on the evolving legislative landscape, offering expert analysis on budget reconciliation and its implications for the U.S. research and development enterprise. She will clarify key developments, explain how Congress plans to enact consequential changes through budget reconciliation, and explore the challenges ahead.
Current Events and topics of interest discussed in this update may include:

Understanding Rescission Bills: What they are, how the process works, and why their reintroduction after three decades is significant for federal funding and policy direction.
Implications for R&D and Higher Education Funding: How proposed rescissions could affect research budgets, agency priorities, and university-industry collaboration opportunities.
Navigating the Political Landscape: Strategies for institutions to monitor, respond to, and engage with policymakers during the rescission process to protect and advocate for critical funding streams.

Form more information and to register, visit the event website. (Cornell University is a member of UIDP.)

Marisa Turesky consulting firm founder, community-engaged researcher
2025-05-02 12:20 - 13:30 | Milstein Hall Auditorium
Rethinking Academic Futures
Meet and Greet for PhD students with Marisa Turesky MA’18 at 4pm in West Sibley room 106
Join us for a conversation with Marisa Turesky, founder of her own urban consulting firm and a passionate advocate for community-engaged research. Marisa will share her journey from academia to entrepreneurship, and how she transformed her research into real-world impact. Whether you’re curious about life beyond the PhD, dreaming of starting something of your own, or just want to hear how research can make a difference outside the university – this is for you.
________________________________________
Locating Lesbian Lives — Holistic Housing in a Compassionate City
Talk with Alumna Marisa Turesky at 12:20pm in Milstein Hall Auditorium
More informtion: Marisa Turesky: Locating Lesbian Lives — Holistic Housing in a Compassionate City
Abstract
Aging-in-place is a widely shared goal among older adults in the United States, but the literature remains largely heteronormative and androcentric (Turesky, 2022). This research examines how older lesbians navigate their social and built environments across their lifespan. By applying a queer-feminist lens (Gorman-Murray, 2008, Isoke, 2011) to frameworks for aging in place (Bigonnesse & Chaudhury, 2020), Marisa Turesky demonstrates the gendered and queer pathways toward health justice and community development over time.
With spatial oral histories of lesbians aged 65 to 85 in Los Angeles County, Turesky examines the different ways in which older lesbians use their home communities to find care and connection amid heteronormative built and social environments. In particular, Turesky asks: does lesbian identity impact aging-in-place? If so, how? What can planners and policymakers learn from lesbians to create more equitable cities and neighborhoods for a diverse demographic of aging residents to stay in their home communities across the lifespan?
This lecture contributes to urban planning research that (a) addresses aging-in-place dynamics, (b) deepens our understanding of care practices and spatial justice, and (c) advances the liberation of a heterogeneous LGBTQ+ community. By highlighting lesbians’ relationships with home environments as they age, planners and policymakers can better understand infrastructures of care and connection in the face of ageism and hetero-patriarchy. These spatial oral histories demonstrate how neighborhoods, institutions, and cities can enhance access to spaces and services to improve safety and health among heterogeneous aging communities.
About the speaker
Marisa Turesky MA’18 is the Director of Research at Mockingbird Analytics, an equity-based consulting firm, and a Visiting Professor in Real Estate Law and Urban Planning at UC Berkeley. She is a community-based researcher and educator focused on advancing urban policies through racial and gender equity. She examines how identity and emotions shape people’s access to places and services across the lifespan. Marisa uses trauma-informed evaluation, community-based participatory action research, and qualitative methodologies to integrate social movement practices into urban planning. Her research has been published in top urban planning journals. In past projects, Marisa has worked with the Equity Research Institute, the ONE Gay & Lesbian National Archive Foundation, the American Planning Association, the LA Alliance for a New Economy, and the Restorative Justice Institute of Maine. She holds a Ph.D. in Urban Planning & Development from the University of Southern California and a Master of City and Regional Planning from Cornell University. She enjoys biking with her wife and puppy, especially when the ride ends with french fries.
Support for the event
This event is funded by a Careers Beyond Academia faculty grant designed to bring in speakers from beyond academia.
Mini-grants are awarded on a rolling basis to faculty in the humanities and social sciences who collaborate across disciplines to create an experiential activity that includes alumni speakers. Careers Beyond Academia staff guide and encourage graduate students and postdocs to collaborate with faculty to help create the events.
Bring greater recognition of the career opportunities and skills needed to be successful in a career outside a professorial position. Intended for pre- and postdoctoral scholars to engage with alumni and others who have transitioned to many diverse career paths.
The grants are for interactive sessions involving Cornell PhD alumni and other professionals to inform Cornell PhD students and postdocs about careers outside the professoriate and the skills they will need to be successful in these careers. We are happy to brainstorm ideas with you to help create the most impactful activities.

Marisa Turesky consulting firm founder, community-engaged researcher
2025-05-02 16:00 - 17:00 | Sibley Hall 106

NYAS Spring Speed Networking (NYC)
2025-05-14 18:00 - 20:00 | The New York Academy of Sciences, 115 Broadway, 8th Floor, New York, NY, 10006, United States
Expand your network and forge meaningful connections with other STEM professionals through a structured networking activity, followed by open mingling with complimentary refreshments. Whether you are a seasoned professional, student, a startup founder, or just looking to meet new people, this event offers a perfect opportunity to connect with a variety of like-minded STEM professionals in a structured, time-efficient format.
Hosted by the New York Academy of Sciences. This is an in-person event held in New York City. Register to attend.
