PhD Career Connect

Participate as a student Participate as a mentor

Register for PhD Career Connect 2025

The fourth iteration of PhD Career Connect will begin in March 2025 for PhD candidates, postdocs and recent alumni. The program ends with a 2-day networking event prividing students, employers and mentors an opportunity to connect and exchange.

Registration is now open! Please complete the registration form located on the student guide.

A virtual information session will be held on Tuesday, January 21. Registration information for the information session can also be found on the student guide.

Student guide | Mentor guide

The model

PhD Career Connect selects a multidisciplinary cohort of sixty PhD candidates, recent graduates and postdocs to complete the program’s two stages:

Twelve weeks of self-directed, and instructor-led workshops to enhance their professional and job readiness skills.
A two-day event where students network with mentors and employers to present their skills and learn about diverse career opportunities.

PhD Career Connect was modelled after the award-winning graduate training program titled Accelerate to Industry (A2I) which originated from North Carolina State University.

Program objectives

Explore careers

Inform PhDs of their diverse career possibilities, moving beyond the traditional academic career path

Professional development

Further enhance PhDs' professional and job readiness skills

Showcase skills and network

Create an opportunity for PhDs to demonstrate their professional and job readiness skills to prospective employers through consulting challenge analyses and networking

Raise awareness

Raise employer and student awareness regarding the diverse skills and expertise developed during a PhD education

Testimonials

Azfar Adib, PhD Career Connect Participant 2023

“I participated in PhD Career Connect 2023, a highly enriching program. The workshop content was well-crafted to prepare PhD graduates with diverse skills. The networking event with employers and mentors was outstanding, offering us a firsthand opportunity to learn about practical aspects of career preparedness. This program is an excellent offering from Concordia for PhD students.”

Lucas Cober, PhD Career Connect Participant 2023

“The workshops that came before the event, though, are so, so valuable, and are the real reason why I recommend this program to anyone who is thinking of taking their PhD out of academia... all the speakers and organizers of this program are very dedicated to demystifying it for us, and their passion is what really makes PhD Career Connect special.”

F M Anim Hossain, PhD candidate in signal processing and deep learning, June 2022

“I had one of the most memorable weeks of my life during the PhD Career Connect "intensive week" event… PhD students, candidates and graduates from different disciplines teamed up for a case study competition. We had the opportunity to showcase our analytical, problem-solving, accelerated learning and presentation skills to experts and get valuable feedback from them. As an introvert, I was reluctant to participate, but I'm glad I put myself out there. The experience and feedback I acquired during the whole program helped me to grow and I am certain it will benefit me in my long-term career.”

Thomas Vignalou, Adoc Talent Management, June 2022

“This program has a great future for sure. It's a great initiative and many PhDs would love to have this at their university.”

Participant, June 2022

“Today was the last day of the PhD Career Connect course offered by GradProSkills and what a transformative journey it has been!...This course has allowed me to recenter the skills I have as a researcher, a storyteller and a social change strategist, helping me find the words to name what I know I can offer, and infusing my sails with confidence and a fantastic dose of team building power.”

Anthony Maturo, June 2024

“One of the highlights was participating in a case study competition on Les Fermes Lufa / Lufa Farms, organized by Innovatank - The World Case Committee. I am deeply grateful for their support and the insights they provided. Additionally, the lessons and advice shared by professional advisors at Concordia University were invaluable and have left a lasting impact.”

School of Graduate Studies