Advertise on podcast: Syracuse University Gradcast

Erica Machulak, PhD, is a medievalist turned entrepreneur and the author of Hustles for Humanists: Build a Business with Purpose (Rutgers University Press 2025). We're so lucky that she'll be joining us for a virtual talk about her book, her path through her Ph.D., and her company, Hikma Collective. I got to chat with her and learn more about her and her work, and it makes me so excited for her talk on October 23rd, 12:00-1:30 via Zoom!

This week's episode features my friend and fellow grad school alum Matthew Lillo, Ph.D. and is part of our long-running series, "Careers in," in which I interview someone working in a career of interest to PhD students and postdocs. Matt is the Chair of High School English and House Advisor at the Dalton School in New York City and holds a Ph.D. from Fordham University in English literature. It was great to hear from him about his current role and to hear about what it's like teaching "AI native" students, what this career path holds for those who are passionate about teaching, and why a doctoral student or postdoc should consider working in a private prep school environment.

Amidst all this talk of jobs, you might wonder what the Graduate School does for you in terms of making you feel included on campus, and who might be thinking about such things. That's why I was glad to talk to my colleague in the Graduate School, Tracy Balduzzi, Ed.D.,  Associate Director for Graduate Student Engagement and Success, whose job it is to think about the “student life” aspects of Graduate School. Tracy and I talk about her journey to this role, about programming on offer for graduate students and, somewhat improbably, about apples.

It is easy to focus on the task of applying to jobs while it is happening, but we don't always have opportunities to hear from folks who recently were hired. That's why I was excited to talk with Jenna Walmer, Ph.D., a recent Assistant Professor hire in a small liberal arts college with a religious affiliation and an equally recent graduate of the Social Psychology department at SU. We talk about the whole process of applying, from the time when Jenna was just starting to explore careers to the nitty gritty of interviewing with faculty, the dean, and much more.

In this episode, Ava sits down with Dr. Stephanie Nesbitt, President of Utica University, to discuss current trends in graduate student education. Drawing lessons from her time as an SU graduate student, Dr. Nesbitt explains how she has led her institution through innovations to the graduate student experience that reaffirm the value of higher education in a changing landscape.

Ava Breitbeck, Ph.D., our recently-graduated grad assistant had this great conversation with Angela Au, Ph.D., who is Director of Manufacturing Science and Technology at LOTTE Biologics here in Syracuse. Many people talk to us about careers in the biotech industry, and this excellent interview is a great place to start if you want to hear what a job like this is all about!

What is going on in the job market these days? And what can we do about it? With the proliferation of AI, many changes in the higher ed landscape, and employers increasingly trying to find new ways to source talent, adaptation is a must. Maren Wood, Ph.D., CEO and Director of the Center for Graduate Career Success, joins me for an enlightening discussion about what you can do, right now, to make the most of this uncertain time.

Dr. Treviene Harris is Project Manager with Doctoral Futures, an initiative of the American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS) that aims to identify and promote ways doctoral programs can evolve to meet current challenges and better serve students. Treviene shares her own PhD journey, her current work on the project, and strategies the ACLS and its partner organizations can use to encourage widespread adoption of their recommendations and transform doctoral education and outcomes at the national level.

In this episode, Ava Breitbeck sits down with Alexia Chatzitheordorou, PhD Candidate in Physics, to discuss her leadership as a graduate student. In her role as representative to the SU Board of Trustees, she has championed numerous initiatives to support graduate students' professional development. We discuss strategies to succeed as a student and scholar.

Ruohan Xu, an Energy Systems Engineer in the Carrier Engineering Leadership Program (ELP) in Syracuse and a master's degree holder from ECS, has a lot of insight to offer. As an alum of the university as well as someone working locally in Syracuse, I was grateful for the opportunity to hear about how he was able to leverage his experience at SU in his current work--and I think anyone looking for industry opportunities will be better for hearing his story. As somone who has stayed involved at Syracuse after his graduation, talking about his journey is essential listening for those looking to follow a similar path.

Mary-Jo (MJ) Robinson is an experienced nonprofit leader and consultant and is a proud graduate of the Maxwell School, having earned her MPA there. Listen in to learn how she applied her skills as a graduate student to work in a variety of nonprofit settings, including spending two years conducting rewarding work in Kenya! Now a project manager with the Engaged Humanities Network at SU, MJ is a leader in facilitating experiential opportunities for graduate students.

In this episode, we sit down with Tracy Balduzzi, Ed.D. — Associate Director of Graduate Student Engagement and Success — to strategize how graduate students can make the most of their participation at conferences. Listen in to hear about what you should do to prepare for a conference, how to network with colleagues, and how to ensure that your new conference connections are sustained long after the conference concludes.

Sahar El Abbadi, PhD (she/her), is a newly-minted Assistant Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Iowa, and I've been a fan of Sahar's for a while! Her postdoc at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), a government lab in California, offers an important glimpse into the life of a postdoc in that kind of environment. I also got to see up close her job search as she transitioned from that role to her new faculty position at Iowa, and I wanted to chat with her to learn more about that process. Sahar completed a bachelor of science in environmental engineering science from the University of California, Berkeley, and earned a master of science and PhD at Stanford University. Prof. El Abbadi conducted postdoctoral research in energy science and engineering at Stanford University before moving to the Energy Analysis & Environmental Impacts Division at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL).

"We need people who have the capacity to analyze as deeply as you do, and your writing is the way to get it out there," says Collie Fulford, Ph.D., Writing Center Director and Associate Professor of Writing and Rhetoric at SU. Through a fascinating conversation about writing and the amazing work of the Writing Center, I gained a newfound appreciation for the centrality of writing in the life of grad students. I hope you give it a listen!

A great deal has happened in the past year in the world of fellowships and funding in general, and since the dust has settled a little bit, I wanted to get an update on where we are. So I reached out to Melissa Welshans, Ph.D., Assistant Director of CFSA (Center for Fellowships and Scholarships Advising) here at Syracuse University to help us understand what's changed, what has stayed the same, and what applicants can do if they want to be funded through these types of awards.