We organized a panel with successful industry-based engineers to provide insight into starting a career outside of academia with an advanced degree. Our panel consisting of John Kasab from Innovations at Ricardo, Mary Kinsella from the Air Force Research Laboratory, Britta Jost from Caterpillar, and Kim Groshek from GC-Strategies discussed with attendees their personal paths to their current positions. Britta Jost emphasized the importance of interning during graduate school to have a leg up when applying to industry positions.

All the panelists agreed that attending and networking at large conferences, such as SWE, is a great way to receive more information on companies that interest you and to get your name out there. Kim Groshek stated to never hesitate in introducing yourself to someone new and was able to have lunch with a CEO of a successful, large company just by introducing herself! The process of transitioning from academics to industry appears tricky, but it is possible to parlay your research experience to an interesting and successful career outside academia.
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Panelist info:

• John Kasab; Chief Engineer for Chemical Technology and Innovations at Ricardo, Inc; john.kasab@swe.org
• Mary Kinsella; Assistant Chief Scientist; Materials and Manufacturing Directorate; Air Force Research Laboratory; mary.kinsella@swe.org
• Kim Groshek; Coach @ GC-Strategies; Film Producer and Author @ Creatively Canny Productions; Kim.groshek@gc-strategies.com
• Britta Jost; Large Structures Design Engineer; Caterpillar, Inc; Jost_Britta_A@cat.com

Postdoctoral training can provide for diversification of technical expertise as well as enhance one’s career development. Critical elements of a successful training period include the selection of an appropriate project(s), the selection of a mentor and the environment within which the work will be done. Central to the process is a clear plan of achievable goals defined by the postdoc in collaboration with her/his mentor. This session explored the pros and cons of pursuing postdoctoral training and presented strategies to achieve success in the postdoctoral training period.

Click The Postdoc for the slides that include resources from the presentation.Lisa M. Curtis, PhD received her PhD in cell biology at the University of Florida (UF). She completed postdoctoral training at UF and at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) before transitioning to a faculty position at UAB in the Department of Medicine, Division of Nephrology. She is a past member of the National Postdoctoral Association Board of Directors, and she served as a member and interim chair of the UAB Postdoctoral Association. She is currently an Assistant Professor of Medicine at UAB where she conducts research focused on the cell biology of acute kidney injury.