More than 70 up-and-coming academics from around the country have gathered this week on campus for NextProf Nexus, a national effort to fortify the pipeline of talent in engineering education and research.

The program was created by Georgia Tech, the University of California, Berkeley, and the University of Michigan to help the next generation of engineering faculty members build their job search skills and networks.

Open to aspiring faculty members of all backgrounds, the workshop particularly aims to support the career development of traditionally underrepresented groups in academia. Engineering Ph.D. students and those who’ve recently finished their doctorates apply for three days of in-depth discussions about finding faculty jobs, managing courses, and developing rewarding, impactful research programs.

“There’s so much uncertainty of what the process is, so I wanted to come and learn what I needed to be doing to find a faculty position,” said NextProf Nexus attendee Kelsey Cavallaro, a Ph.D. student in the Georgia Tech School of Materials Science and Engineering. “Sometimes you talk to faculty and they tell you to write good papers, apply, and hope for the best. I want to understand the steps to do it well, and what will set me up for success. And I think it’s exciting to have a group of people who are going through the same thing.”

Read the full story on the College of Engineering website.