Events

PhD Plus and the Science Policy Initiative (SPI) at UVA will be hosting a 2.5-hour workshop in August that is specifically designed for graduate students and postdocs who are interested in pursuing science policy fellowship and internship opportunities. OVERVIEWThe event will include an overview of different types of science policy opportunities (summer internships to postgraduate fellowship programs), a panel discussion featuring national program officers (see below), tips on how to get started, and more. During the panel discussion, participants will hear directly from representatives at AAAS STPF, the National Academies, and NOAA Sea Grant who administer the application process and manage the fellowships, who will share tips and recommendations on how you can craft a strong application for their programs. PARTICIPATING PANELISTS Alison Boland-Reeves | Senior Program Officer, New Voices and Mirzayan Fellowship Program Manager, National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and MedicineShonda Gilliland | Director of Operations and Coordination, AAAS Science & Technology Policy FellowshipsDeborah Purce | Fellowships and Research Specialist, Washington Sea GrantHOW TO PARTICIPATEThis hybrid event will be held in person in the Language Commons (New Cabell Hall, Suite 298). Snacks and beverages will be provided for in-person attendees. If you are unable to make it in person, you're welcome to join us by Zoom. All interested participants should register before 12:00 noon on Tuesday, August 13, to ensure they receive the instructions and Zoom link prior to the event. REGISTER HERE   

In this first session of our Writing Op-Eds Series, Dr. Brian Rosenwald, a UVA PhD alum, public commentator, and Senior Editor at Made by History, a Time history section, will dig into the nuts and bolts of public scholarship and cover why and how to write for the public: everything from why to write for the public to how to write various types of op-eds, to how to pitch editors and how to publicize your work both within and outside of the academy. This session will address the differences stylistically between academic and public writing and how to adapt to the new form. It will also include a discussion of diversity in the world of public intellectuals/commentary, when to pass an opportunity on to a colleague, and how to take advantage of the current media climate. Finally, it will cover the world of social media.REGISTER HERENOTE: This workshop is tailored for grad students in humanities and social sciences disciplines, but scholars from any field can join and learn about how writing op-eds can be a worthwhile use of your time and expertise. EARN A PHD PLUS CREDENTIAL:By completing this workshop series, you can earn a non-credit “Research Communication: Public Writing” credential that will appear on your transcript. To “complete” the workshop and be eligible for a credential, you must:Attend at least 3 of the first 4 sessions ANDSubmit an op-ed pitch for feedback in the 5th session OR work with Kelly Oman, PhD Plus Assistant Director of Research Communication, to get feedback on your op-ed pitch and prepare to send it to editors (within 1 year of completing the workshop) INSTRUCTORBrian Rosenwald, Ph.D. - Dr. Rosenwald is a scholar in residence at the Partnership for Effective Public Administration and Leadership Ethics at the University of Pennsylvania, an instructor at Penn, and author of Talk Radio’s America: How an Industry Took Over a Political Party That Took Over the United States. He serves as a senior editor of Made By History, a Washington Post history section, and as a political analyst for NBC10 Philadelphia. He also makes regular appearance on Stand Up! with Pete Dominick, the Michael Smerconish Show, NBCLX, and the Other Side of Midnight with Frank Morano. Dr. Rosenwald received a PhD and a MA in history from the University of Virginia and a BA in political science (with honors) and history from the University of Pennsylvania.More broadly, Dr. Rosenwald is a frequent commentator on radio, television and in print. He has authored pieces for The Atlantic, The Washington Post, CNN.com, Politico, The Philadelphia Inquirer, The Baltimore Sun, The Daily Beast and Time Magazine's history blog, and contributed insight to pieces for media outlets including The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times.Dr. Rosenwald’s work intersects four disciplines— history, political science, media studies, and communications. His scholarly interests include Congress, the media, public policy, and the Supreme Court. He also has significant interests in the substance of public policy and in helping scholars to reach a wider audience with their work. Read more here. 

In session 2 of our Writing Op-Eds Series, we'll break down different pieces of public writing to help you gain familiarity and comfort with several potential structures, and the differences between public writing and academic writing.REGISTER HERENOTE: This workshop is tailored for grad students in humanities and social sciences disciplines, but scholars from any field can join and learn about how writing op-eds can be a worthwhile use of your time and expertise. EARN A PHD PLUS CREDENTIAL:By completing this workshop series, you can earn a non-credit “Research Communication: Public Writing” credential that will appear on your transcript. To “complete” the workshop and be eligible for a credential, you must:Attend at least 3 of the first 4 sessions ANDSubmit an op-ed pitch for feedback in the 5th session OR work with Kelly Oman, PhD Plus Assistant Director of Research Communication, to get feedback on your op-ed pitch and prepare to send it to editors (within 1 year of completing the workshop) INSTRUCTORBrian Rosenwald, Ph.D. - Dr. Rosenwald is a scholar in residence at the Partnership for Effective Public Administration and Leadership Ethics at the University of Pennsylvania, an instructor at Penn, and author of Talk Radio’s America: How an Industry Took Over a Political Party That Took Over the United States. He serves as a senior editor of Made By History, a Washington Post history section, and as a political analyst for NBC10 Philadelphia. He also makes regular appearance on Stand Up! with Pete Dominick, the Michael Smerconish Show, NBCLX, and the Other Side of Midnight with Frank Morano. Dr. Rosenwald received a PhD and a MA in history from the University of Virginia and a BA in political science (with honors) and history from the University of Pennsylvania.More broadly, Dr. Rosenwald is a frequent commentator on radio, television and in print. He has authored pieces for The Atlantic, The Washington Post, CNN.com, Politico, The Philadelphia Inquirer, The Baltimore Sun, The Daily Beast and Time Magazine's history blog, and contributed insight to pieces for media outlets including The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times.Dr. Rosenwald’s work intersects four disciplines— history, political science, media studies, and communications. His scholarly interests include Congress, the media, public policy, and the Supreme Court. He also has significant interests in the substance of public policy and in helping scholars to reach a wider audience with their work. Read more here. 

*This panel discussion is the 3rd session of our Writing Op-Eds Series, though you may attend it as a standalone event without attending the rest of the series. Be sure to choose the correct registration link below.*Hear from prominent academics who frequently write public-facing work. Learn what motivates them to write for the public, and the realities (good and bad) of doing this kind of work.Panelists: Lauren MacIvor Thompson, PhD - Assistant Professor of History and Interdisciplinary Studies at Kennesaw State University. Dr. Thompson is a historian of reproductive health, women's rights, and the law. She has published numerous academic articles and op-eds including work in The Washington Post, and The New York Times, and she has been interviewed by Vox, NPR, Mother Jones, DemocracyNow!, Slate, and Salon, among others.Siva Vaidhyanathan, PhD – Robertson Professor of Media Studies and Director of the Center for Media and Citizenship at the University of Virginia. Dr. Vaidhyanathan has written for many periodicals, including The New Yorker, The New York Times, The New York Times Magazine, Slate.com, BookForum, Washington Post, Esquire.com, The New York Times Book Review, and The Nation. He is a frequent contributor to public radio programs, and he has appeared on news programs on BBC, CNN, NBC, CNBC, MSNBC, and ABC. He is currently a regular columnist for The Guardian.REGISTER HERE to attend JUST the panel discussionThis event is free and open to anyone at UVA. If you're a UVA graduate student or postdoc and are interested in attending the full series, please register here instead (you do not need to register twice).  

Session 4 of our Writing Op-Eds series invites participants to bring an idea for a potential op-ed. You will collectively brainstorm how to turn a few attendees’ ideas into op-eds — potential news hooks, potential structures and organization, and what might fit into a piece vs. landing on the cutting room floor.REGISTER HERENOTE: This workshop is tailored for grad students in humanities and social sciences disciplines, but scholars from any field can join and learn about how writing op-eds can be a worthwhile use of your time and expertise. EARN A PHD PLUS CREDENTIAL:By completing this workshop series, you can earn a non-credit “Research Communication: Public Writing” credential that will appear on your transcript. To “complete” the workshop and be eligible for a credential, you must:Attend at least 3 of the first 4 sessions ANDSubmit an op-ed pitch for feedback in the 5th session OR work with Kelly Oman, PhD Plus Assistant Director of Research Communication, to get feedback on your op-ed pitch and prepare to send it to editors (within 1 year of completing the workshop) INSTRUCTORBrian Rosenwald, Ph.D. - Dr. Rosenwald is a scholar in residence at the Partnership for Effective Public Administration and Leadership Ethics at the University of Pennsylvania, an instructor at Penn, and author of Talk Radio’s America: How an Industry Took Over a Political Party That Took Over the United States. He serves as a senior editor of Made By History, a Washington Post history section, and as a political analyst for NBC10 Philadelphia. He also makes regular appearance on Stand Up! with Pete Dominick, the Michael Smerconish Show, NBCLX, and the Other Side of Midnight with Frank Morano. Dr. Rosenwald received a PhD and a MA in history from the University of Virginia and a BA in political science (with honors) and history from the University of Pennsylvania.More broadly, Dr. Rosenwald is a frequent commentator on radio, television and in print. He has authored pieces for The Atlantic, The Washington Post, CNN.com, Politico, The Philadelphia Inquirer, The Baltimore Sun, The Daily Beast and Time Magazine's history blog, and contributed insight to pieces for media outlets including The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times.Dr. Rosenwald’s work intersects four disciplines— history, political science, media studies, and communications. His scholarly interests include Congress, the media, public policy, and the Supreme Court. He also has significant interests in the substance of public policy and in helping scholars to reach a wider audience with their work. Read more here. 

Session 5 of our Writing Op-Eds series is a hands-on opportunity. Participants pre-submit a short 150-250 word pitch or lede for a potential op-ed. Dr. Rosenwald will provide feedback, as well as suggestions for publications that might fit an individual piece, news hooks that might connect to the idea, and everything else necessary to turn the lede or pitch into a full opinion or analysis piece. REGISTER HERENOTE: This workshop is tailored for grad students in humanities and social sciences disciplines, but scholars from any field can join and learn about how writing op-eds can be a worthwhile use of your time and expertise. EARN A PHD PLUS CREDENTIAL:By completing this workshop series, you can earn a non-credit “Research Communication: Public Writing” credential that will appear on your transcript. To “complete” the workshop and be eligible for a credential, you must:Attend at least 3 of the first 4 sessions ANDSubmit an op-ed pitch for feedback in the 5th session OR work with Kelly Oman, PhD Plus Assistant Director of Research Communication, to get feedback on your op-ed pitch and prepare to send it to editors (within 1 year of completing the workshop) INSTRUCTORBrian Rosenwald, Ph.D. - Dr. Rosenwald is a scholar in residence at the Partnership for Effective Public Administration and Leadership Ethics at the University of Pennsylvania, an instructor at Penn, and author of Talk Radio’s America: How an Industry Took Over a Political Party That Took Over the United States. He serves as a senior editor of Made By History, a Washington Post history section, and as a political analyst for NBC10 Philadelphia. He also makes regular appearance on Stand Up! with Pete Dominick, the Michael Smerconish Show, NBCLX, and the Other Side of Midnight with Frank Morano. Dr. Rosenwald received a PhD and a MA in history from the University of Virginia and a BA in political science (with honors) and history from the University of Pennsylvania.More broadly, Dr. Rosenwald is a frequent commentator on radio, television and in print. He has authored pieces for The Atlantic, The Washington Post, CNN.com, Politico, The Philadelphia Inquirer, The Baltimore Sun, The Daily Beast and Time Magazine's history blog, and contributed insight to pieces for media outlets including The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times.Dr. Rosenwald’s work intersects four disciplines— history, political science, media studies, and communications. His scholarly interests include Congress, the media, public policy, and the Supreme Court. He also has significant interests in the substance of public policy and in helping scholars to reach a wider audience with their work. Read more here. 

This Future Faculty workshop will orient participants to the faculty job search process, including walking through the different kinds of higher education institutions and types of faculty roles; expectations for research, teaching, and service for tenure-track positions; and how to make feasible plans for your job search. The discussion will lead to a greater understanding of the higher education landscape, more clarity on approaching post-PhD academic life, and how to plan for your search if you are applying during the 2024-2025 academic year.  REGISTER HERE    

In this workshop, you'll learn how to prepare and tailor your CV and cover letters for different types of opportunities. We will focus on faculty job searches and fellowship applications, but graduate students and postdocs preparing these documents for any opportunity are welcome to join.    This workshop is cross-listed as part of the Future Faculty workshops and the Summer Fellowship Series.  REGISTER HERE for this and any other Future Faculty workshops you would like to attend.  Working on a fellowship application and want to attend our Summer Fellowship Series? Register here.    Questions? Contact Kelly Oman, Assistant Director of Research Communication (dkk8cp@virginia.edu)  

In this 90-minute Future Faculty workshop, you’ll learn how to write a reflective teaching statement (also known as a teaching philosophy statement). You’ll explore the various components of a teaching statement, evaluate sample statements from various disciplines, and be introduced to a rubric for evaluating teaching statements based on search committee expectations. You’ll also have a chance to reflect on your own teaching philosophy and practices, and consider how you wish to communicate these in writing. INSTRUCTORSJessica Taggart, PhD – Assistant Director, Center for Teaching ExcellenceAdriana Streifer, PhD – Associate Director and Associate Profession, Center for Teaching Excellence REGISTER HERE  

In this session, participants will learn about the implications and practices of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in different aspects of faculty careers across different types of institutions with a particular focus on research and data. The topics discussed in this session will enrich writing reflections for the diversity statement and inform participants on what hiring committees are looking for when reviewing candidates' understanding of DEI.    This workshop is cross-listed as part of the Future Faculty workshops and the Summer Fellowship Series.  REGISTER HERE for this and any other Future Faculty workshops you would like to attend.  Working on a fellowship application and want to attend our Summer Fellowship Series? Register here.    Questions? Contact Kelly Oman, Assistant Director of Research Communication (dkk8cp@virginia.edu)