Graduate and Postdoctoral Professional Development

Build Your Path to a Satisfying Career.

The Office of Graduate and Postdoctoral Professional Development:

Fosters ongoing professional skills development opportunities for graduate students and postdoctoral scholars.
Supports the useful completion of Individual Development Plans (IDPs) for graduate students and postdocs.
Enhances graduate students and postdoc career exploration in partnership with graduate programs, the Career Center and other campus partners.
Provides support, advising, and institutional nomination for graduate students and postdocs seeking external fellowships.
Maintains the Office of Postdoctoral Affairs, which supports and advises Stony Brook's postdoctoral scholars.

Explore Opportunities

Whether you’re focused on building professional skills or advancing your research, these resources provide guidance, funding, and workshops to help you succeed. Select a card to get started:

Plan Your Professional Development

Build skills, attend workshops, and access funding to advance your career

Enhance Your Research

Discover grants, tools, and support to accelerate your research impact

Plan Your Professional Development

Build your path to a satisfying career with resources, workshops, and funding opportunities designed to support your growth beyond the lab or classroom. Whether you're exploring career options, developing skills, or seeking fellowship support, we’re here to help you take the next step.

Featured Programs

Explore highlighted opportunities to help you plan and grow your professional path.

Exploring Career Ladders Program (ECLP)

Exploring Career Ladders Program (ECLP)

The ECLP at Stony Brook University is a peer-led mentoring initiative for graduate students and postdocs exploring career paths. Through biweekly meetings, participants advance their job search from self-assessment to resume development.

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Individual Development Plan (IDP) Toolkit

Individual Development Plan (IDP) Toolkit

An IDP is a personalized roadmap for professional growth. This toolkit helps early-career researchers reflect on their values, interests, and skills, and take actionable steps toward short and long-term goals.

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Research Mentoring Training

Research Mentoring Training

The Graduate School offers research mentor training for faculty, students and postdocs. This program helps participants become both better mentors and mentees, strengthen their skills for fellowship or grant applications, and gain recognition through certificates and digital badges.

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Awards for Career Exploration (ACE)

Awards for Career Exploration (ACE)

Supports the professional development of graduate students and postdoctoral scholars, encouraging diverse career paths beyond academic research. All graduate students and postdoctoral scholars are strongly encouraged to apply. Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis as funding allows.

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Enhance Your Research

Strengthen the foundation of your research with training, tools, and funding opportunities designed to support integrity, clarity, and impact. Whether you're preparing for data collection, writing your dissertation, or seeking external funding, these resources can help you take your research to the next level.

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Featured Programs

Explore highlighted opportunities to help you plan and expand your research rigor.

Research Survival Skills (RCR) for Postdocs

Research Survival Skills (RCR) for Postdocs

Responsible research practices aren't just necessary for compliance; they're also foundational to a successful career in research. This in-person, three half-day workshop helps Stony Brook postdocs navigate key topics in research ethics and compliance, fulfilling NIH and NSF RCR training requirements. All postdocs are encouraged to attend.

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Three Minute Thesis (3MT®)

Three Minute Thesis (3MT®)

Three Minute Thesis, or 3MT® for short, is a spoken word competition that challenges Stony Brook graduate students to present their research to a general audience in just three minutes, using a single powerpoint slide. The primary goal is professional development: helping all participants sharpen their ability to communicate complex ideas with clarity and impact.

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Postdoc Spotlight

Postdoc Spotlight

The Postdoc Spotlight is an annual celebration to discover exciting research across disciplines and to recognize the contributions of postdocs to the university’s research enterprise. In a series of short, engaging talks modeled after the Three Minute Thesis format, postdocs present their work in a way that's accessible to both specialists and non-specialists.

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