Professional Development

In the competitive world of science and technology, successful applicants to STEM graduate programs must have more than high grades, outstanding research accomplishments, and sterling letters of recommendation. They must also possess a professional toolkit that allows them to communicate their science and scientific ambitions effectively, navigate challenging conversations, and reflect critically during the development of their application materials. These skills can be taught but do not come easily; for that reason, they are the primary focus of STEM for Development’s education programs.

In support of professional skill development, STEM for Development offers webinars, workshops, and semester-long courses aimed at developing critical STEM workforce competencies, including technical writing, science communication, and composition of key documents such as curricula vitae (CV) and statements of purpose.

Professional Development Webinars

• Our professional development webinars focus on imparting and practicing key workforce skillsets. These webinars seek to foster technical writing and communication skills that are critical for success when applying to graduate programs or for research funding. Examples of past webinar topics include CV, statement of purpose, and abstract composition; writing professional e-mails; interview preparation; and public speaking/research presentation.

Professional Development Workshops

• Our workshops extend the work of our professional development webinars by 2-6 weeks. These workshops meet regularly to take the lessons of our webinars and extend them to the completion of a short-term project. Examples of past and upcoming workshops include those focused on writing to international professors to seek remote research experiences, as well as on crafting a research presentation to share with the STEM for Development community.

If you would like to join our professional development events as an attendee, please navigate to the Become a Member section of this website to receive notifications of our events. If you are interested in providing your time or expertise to support the above activities, please reach out to us at the Contact Us section of this website.