Professional Skills

toolbox iconProfessional skills are applicable across many career paths and will help you succeed at UCSF too. We believe these skills are learned, not innate, and are an essential part of scientific training no matter what stage you're in.

Skills for All Career Paths

We've gathered data from UCSF alumni about the skills they use in their jobs, and they might surprise you. Learn how to develop skills during your degree or postdoc that you can use in any PhD career path.

Research Mentoring

Many students and postdocs mentor interns or students throughout their time at UCSF or will supervise people at some point in their career. Through a partnership with CCSF, we offer programs that prepare scientists to be effective and inclusive research mentors.

Exploring Teaching

Now is a great time to explore your interest in teaching. Our resources give you tools for teaching inclusively and provide the evidence that supports these teaching practices.

Sample Grants

Learn about best practices for grant writing. Writing an NIH F or K grant? We've collected successful proposals written by UCSF students and postdocs across a range of fields. Request to see one that's relevant to you!

Writing Research Articles

See annotated samples of each component of a research article.

Presenting Science

Whether you're preparing for a conference talk, a job talk, or a poster, we've got guidance to help you get your message across.

 

Upcoming Events

Thu
21

Virtual Coffee Chat: Launch a Career in Patent Law at Wilson Sonsini

Date: March 21, 2024
Time: 12 - 1 p.m.
Tue
26

Office Hours for Applications

Date: March 26, 2024
Time: 12:30 p.m. - 1:30 p.m.
Wed
03

Career and Professional Development Writing Retreat

Date: April 3, 2024
Time: 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. (Variable, see schedule)