Professional skills are critical to your success, but are not innate and often not addressed in scientific training.
The Office of Career and Professional Development offers training and guidance to help you develop your professional skills. Professional skills are competencies that are often not taught during your PhD coursework or postdoctoral training. However, they are essential in any career and will also help you succeed during your time at UCSF. Check out our resources below!
Manage Up
Manage Up is a series of workshops that will help you develop the skills and savvy to successfully navigate professional situations both during your time at UCSF and in your future, including important decisions, challenging conversations, and the power differentials that exist in scientific training.
Writing
For general help setting and meeting your writing goals, check out the resources from the National Center for Faculty Development and Diversity. UCSF has an institutional license, so you can make a free account and access their courses, videos, and events. Their tools are geared toward academics who write, but they also have skill-building tutorials for academics that go beyond writing.
Grants
View videos of lectures and panels, download slides, and request to view successful grant applications on our grant writing resources page.
Research articles
Visit our Writing Research Articles resources page for guidance and annotated samples for each section of a research article.
Networking
All the information, samples, and tips you need for successful networking and informational interviewing are on our webpage linked below:
Informational interviews and building your professional network
Mentoring
The TRAIN-UP series provides trainees with the knowledge and skills to mentor, train and supervise students and staff members from diverse backgrounds. These skills are critical for future faculty and for scientists who expect to manage people in any career path. Training examples are drawn from lab-based research scenarios, but the principles covered are applicable in any work environment and are highly suitable for social and population scientists.
Presenting
Presenting your research is a vital skill for any scientist and in most jobs that scientists go into. Learn how to make effective posters and talks.
