PhD Pathways 2023

Registration will take place while breakfast is served. 

PhD Pathways event begins with a welcome message and opening remarks. 

Led by Christian Simamora and Urmila Venkatesh of Stanford’s Life Design Lab, Pathways will open with an interactive, plenary session that will prepare you to make the most of the day—from thinking about the story of your skills, interests, and values to networking with alums—no matter where you are in your career development.

Select from a series of interactive sessions, including panels featuring 3-4 alums working in various industries beyond academia and case studies where an alum will lead activities on how to apply the skills you’ve learned in grad school to work in a non-academic career.

• Confirmed Panelists
  • Artem Trotsyuk, PhD ‘22, Bioengineering & Computer Science - Investor, R42 Group
  • Uchechukwuka Monu, PhD ‘17, Electrical Engineering - Principal, Boston Consulting Group

• Confirmed Panelists
  • Alessandra Aquilanti, PhD ‘15, Italian - Development Director, Music@Menlo
  • Karen Rapp, PhD ‘09, Art History - Deputy Director, San José Museum of Art
  • Maggie Dethloff, PhD ‘19 (UC Irvine), Visual Studies - Curator of Photography and New Media, Cantor Arts Center

• Confirmed Panelists
  • Stella Aslibekyan, PhD ‘11 (Brown), Epidemiology - Senior Scientist, 23andMe
  • Jeremy Feaster, PhD ‘17, Chemical Engineering - Research Staff Scientist, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
  • Hannah Alpert, PhD ‘20, Aeronautics and Astronautics - Aerospace Systems Engineer, NASA Ames Research Center
  • Leslie Koyoma, PhD ‘19, Developmental Biology - Field Applications Scientist - Microscopy, Leica Microsystems

• Confirmed Panelists
  • Lindsay Oishi, PhD ‘12, Education - Senior Product Manager, Indeed.com

• Confirmed Panelists
  • Derek Chang, PhD ‘14, Electrical Engineering - Founding Partner, Stratus Data
  • Charles Pensig - Founding Partner, Stratus Data
  • Rachel Grant, PhD ‘22, Developmental Biology - Data Scientist, Stratus Data

• Confirmed Panelists
  • Lena Perkins, PhD ‘15, Mechanical Engineering - Emerging Technologies Manager, City of Palo Alto
  • Eric Gianella, PhD ‘16 Sociology (Berkeley) - Director of Data Science, Code for America
  • Tzipor Ulman, PhD ‘02, Chemistry - CEO and Founder, Science is Elementary
  • Angela DeBarger, PhD ‘02, Educational Psychology - Education Program Officer, William and Flora Hewlett Foundation

• Confirmed Panelists
  • Michael Chen, PhD ‘10, Bioengineering - VP, Technology and Innovation, Cepheid
  • Tanvi Chheda, PhD ‘20, Geology - Data Scientist, Meta
  • Madihah Akhter, PhD ‘20, History + Feminist, Gender, & Sexuality Studies - Sr. UX Researcher, Product Inclusion, PayPal
  • Timothy Yeo, PhD ‘22, Energy Resources Engineering - Senior High Performance Computing Engineer, SLB

• Confirmed Panelists
  • Noori Chai, PhD ‘20, Neuroscience - Education Specialist, STEM Equity, UC Santa Cruz
  • George Philip (GP) LeBourdais, PhD ‘ 18, Art History - Head of Strategic Initiatives, Polygence.org
  • Abbey Thompson, PhD ‘18, Genetics - Director of Educational Outreach, The Tech Interactive/Stanford Genetics
  • Abiya Ahmed, PhD ‘21, Anthropology of Education - Associate Dean of Students & Director, The Markaz Resource Center, Stanford University

• Confirmed Panelists
  • Lindsay Oishi, PhD ‘12, Education - Senior Product Manager, Indeed.com

• Confirmed Panelists
  • Derek Chang, PhD ‘14, Electrical Engineering - Founding Partner, Stratus Data
  • Charles Pensig - Founding Partner, Stratus Data
  • Rachel Grant, PhD ‘22, Developmental Biology - Data Scientist, Stratus Data

Connect, network, and learn from alumni, professionals, and staff in informal conversations over lunch.

• Confirmed Panelists
  • Gabriela Badica, PhD ‘20, Iberian and Latin American Cultures - Events & Communications Program Manager - Enterprise Engineering, Meta
  • Berk Can Deniz, PhD ‘21, Management Science - Data Scientist, Duolingo
  • Kilian Mallon, PhD ‘19, Classics - Policy Aide, Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors
  • Chiara Bertipaglia, PhD ‘15 (Heidelberg), Biochemistry and Structural Biology - Director of Scientific Programs, Columbia University's Zuckerman Institute

• Confirmed Panelists
  • Yasaman Shirian, PhD ‘22, Mechanical Engineering - Data Scientist, Orbital Insight
  • Wilfrido Martinez-Alonso, PhD Candidate in Civil and Environmental Engineering
  • Sharon Shiao, PhD ‘22, Economics - Economist, LinkedIn
  • Andrew Brooks, PhD ‘19, Political Science - Senior Research Scientist, AIGC Talent Management, Amazon

• Confirmed Panelists
  • Rachel Gillum, PhD ‘14, Political Science - Vice President, Ethical and Humane Use of Technology, Salesforce
  • Lana Lau, PhD ‘13, Chemistry - Product Manager, Google
  • Liliana De La Paz, PhD ‘16, Chemical Engineering - Associate Director, Drug Product, Jazz Pharmaceuticals
  • Izumi Hinkson, PhD ‘15, Chemical and Systems Biology - Associate Director, Alliance Management, Gilead Sciences

• Confirmed Panelists
  • Kathleen Cassidy - Interim Associate Director, Career Coaching and Education, Stanford Career Education
  • Daisy Chavez Serrano - Interim Associate Director, Career Coaching and Education, Stanford Career Education
  • Donnovan Yisrael - Senior Health Educator, Mental Health and Well Being, Vaden Health Services

• Confirmed Panelists
  • James Tarbox, PhD - Assistant Vice Provost and Executive Director, Stanford Career Education
  • Helen Chen, PhD - Research Scientist, Designing Education Lab

The day will end with a chance to reflect on the day’s activities and identify actionable next steps that will allow you to maintain momentum in your exploration and advance your career journey.