IDP Program 2023-2024

The Columbia University Individual Development Plan (IDP) program is designed to help participants recognize the importance of managing one’s own career, develop strategies to help with career management, and comprehend the purpose and value of an IDP. Program participants will become familiar with a variety of career options, and learn which skills and experiences are necessary to pursues these career paths. Through involvement in the IDP series and workshops, participants will also be able to develop skills relevant to a variety of careers.

Program participants will learn to:

  • Identify potential career options
  • Devise strategies for managing their careers
  • Independently complete an IDP through the myIDP or ImaginePhD online tool
  • Utilize their IDP to share short and long term career development plans with their mentors
  • Develop beneficial skills for a variety of career paths
  • Engage in networking opportunities to learn more about numerous career paths

Use the IDP Career Planning Worksheet for your self-assessment, as well as the IDP Worksheet for PIs and Mentors.

**PLEASE NOTE: You do not have to attend each session to participate in this program. Each session is open to all Columbia postdocs and PhD students. If you are interested in a certificate of completion, please make sure to complete the IDP submission form, attend at least one IDP seminar or workshop, and complete the IDP evaluation.

Your IDP

To begin developing your IDP, please visit myIDP (for STEM postdocs and PhDs) or ImaginePhD (for Social Sciences and Humanities postdocs and PhDs) to complete a free registration. Upon registration, you will be able to complete your IDP following the instructions provided.

If you would like to participate in the IDP program to receive a certificate of completion, please make sure to complete the following steps. Note: It is not required to do this in order to attend the workshops affiliated with the IDP program.

  1. Once you have developed your IDP, please print or save a copy of the completed IDP. (The Print option in the Google Chrome browser will allow you to save your IDP as a PDF.
  2. Using information from your completed IDP, answer the IDP submission form. This form will be submitted to OPA and will not be shared with your faculty mentor (unless you specifically request this).
  3. Attend at least one IDP seminar or workshop.
  4. Following completion of involvement in the IDP program, please complete an IDP evaluation. (Evaluation is strictly anonymous and will be used to assist OPA in understanding the effectiveness of the IDP program and the career and professional needs of the graduate student and postdoctoral researchers at Columbia University).

Once you have completed and submitted your IDP, we request that you complete an IDP evaluation form. The evaluation is strictly anonymous and will be used to assist OPA in understanding the effectiveness of the IDP program and the career and professional needs of the postdoctoral researchers at Columbia University.

2022-2023 IDP Program Components

Professional Development on a Postdoc/PhD's Schedule: Professional development is the process of gaining important skills and experience that will help advance your career. Sometimes this involves developing skills that are not immediately relevant to your research. However, the pressure to publish your research or graduate on time can make professional development appear to be a luxury. Come to this talk to develop methods for pursing professional development opportunities that do not interfere with your academic priorities. In this workshop, Dr. Tom Magaldi will share his perspective and practical ideas about how you can do this in a way that is conducive to your academic goals and schedule.

Cultivating Leadership Skills During Your PhD and Postdoc: This seminar focuses on the various ways that leadership skills can be developed during graduate school or a postdoctoral program. The webinar will start with an overview of leadership skills and which ones are important for researchers to develop. Then, it will look at tangible examples for how to develop these skills as you perform your research. This webinar will focus not only on leadership in the context of leading collaborations, people, and projects, but will also cover leadership skills in the context of  inspiring others through your work, effectively engaging others through collaborative projects, effectively communicating to different audiences, being able to build rapport and understanding what motivates people you work with and how to manage the ups and down of research.  This webinar will also cover the importance of being self-aware and how this ties into leadership so that you can engage with others who complement your experiences and background to make your work even more effective.

Creating and Sustaining Your Mentoring Network: Columbia's postdocs and PhD students are invited to join this event that delves into developing a mentoring network. In this reflective workshop, participants will develop a deep understanding of how mentoring can help advance their professional and career goals. The workshop covers how to develop a mentoring network, including identifying one’s areas of mentoring needs, understanding the distinctions among different types of mentoring roles, identifying and approaching potential mentors, setting mentoring relationship expectations, and navigating challenges in mentoring relationships.

Participants will leave the workshop with:

  • a prioritized list of their own most important areas of mentoring need
  • a map of their own ideal mentoring network
  • concrete strategies for developing and sustaining their mentoring network
  • a conversation guide to approach potential mentors and initiate initial mentoring conversations

Managing Imposter Fears: No matter where you are in your career trajectory, you may have experienced imposter fears, or the feeling that you are not deserving of your accomplishments. Imposter fears are highly common in professional settings, particularly among high achieving individuals, and can lead to self-doubt, burnout, and/or missed opportunities. However, there are steps you can take to prevent the symptoms of imposter fears from hindering your career development. In this workshop, you will learn about imposter fears and where they can come from, identify situations that may trigger thoughts and feelings related to imposter fears, and learn strategies to help manage experiences of imposter fears.

Panel: Careers in Tech: The Columbia University Individual Development Plan (IDP) program is designed to help participants recognize the importance of managing one’s own career, develop strategies to help with career management, and comprehend the purpose and value of an IDP. Join a panel of UX Designers as they share their journey and discuss industry trends. 

Presenters: 

Alon Grinshpoon, Echo3d
John Kratz, California Digital Library
Ashley Ruba, Meta

Panel: Careers in Patent Law: The Columbia University Individual Development Plan (IDP) program is designed to help participants recognize the importance of managing one’s own career, develop strategies to help with career management, and comprehend the purpose and value of an IDP. Our presenters share their journey and discuss the necessary skills to succeed in this hot and every growing area. 

Presenters: 

Adrienne Cohen, Morrison & Foerster LLP
Benjamin Dach, Loeb & Loeb LLP
Iva Dincheva, WilmerHale LLP

Panel: Careers in Academia: 

The Columbia University Individual Development Plan (IDP) program is designed to help participants recognize the importance of managing one’s own career, develop strategies to help with career management, and comprehend the purpose and value of an IDP. Are you contemplating a career in academia? Meet & greet faculty from various colleges and find out about higher education hiring trends in the U.S. and abroad. 

Presenters: 

Humberto Ballesteros, Hostos Community College - CUNY
Melissa Campbell, University of California San Diego 
Wright Kennedy, University of South Carolina
Abigail MacBain, University of Edinburgh 

Moderator: 

Sherida M. de Leeuw
Postdoctoral Research Scientist
Taub Institute

2021-2022 IDP Program Components

 

Self-Assessment Series: The Self-Assessment Series is designed to encourage you become more self-aware of your career interests, skills, and values, and to then help you interpret and apply this information to your career exploration and development. This series of workshops will introduce you to various self-assessment tools, including myIDP, ImaginePhD, and the Strong Interest Inventory (note: we are planning to announce a Winter workshop focused on the Strong Interest Inventory; stay tuned for updates). Attending these workshops will help you determine your unique professional skill set and preferences; how to seek career paths and opportunities that align with your interests, identity and values; and how to build and market your transferable skills.

  • Managing Your Career: Introduction to IDP
    • This workshop will help you develop a plan to identify and work towards your overall career goals. Through completion of the myIDP or ImaginePhD assessment, you will gain insight into your current skills, interests, and values. Using this information, the Managing Your Career Workshop will help you identify goals related to building career related knowledge and gaining useful skills to help you reach your career goals.
  • Integrating Values & Identity Into Your Career Development
    • In this workshop, you will reflect on your identity and professional values and learn how to integrate them into your career exploration and job search. The presentation will focus on questions you can ask yourself — as well as strategies and resources you can utilize — to determine whether you are pursuing a path or a job that aligns well with your identity and values. Note: This event is relevant to those in STEM, Social Sciences, and Humanities fields.
  • How to Evaluate, Build, and Highlight Transferable and Relevant Career Skills
    • This seminar, led by Lauren Celano of Propel Careers, will provide insight on how to evaluate transferable skills and which skills are valued in various careers, including both research and non-research-focused roles. Through this seminar, Propel will highlight common non‐scientific skills that scientists can build while performing research and will demonstrate ways to apply these to desired career paths. Propel will provide guidance on how to package scientific and non‐scientific skills on LinkedIn and resumes, in cover letters, and during interviews. Note: This event is relevant to those in STEM, Social Sciences, and Humanities fields.
  • Where Do I Go Next? Strong Interest Inventory Assessment and Workshop
    • When choosing a career path, it is important to consider how your personality and interests might align with certain professions. The Strong Interest Inventory (SII) assessment is a career-planning tool that measures your interests over several categories, such as academic interests, work, and leisure activities, then matches them to various careers and work environments that could be a good fit. Register for the SII workshop to complete the assessment and receive results from a Certified Strong Practitioner that will help you to identify potential career paths.

 

Career Exploration Seminars and Workshops: The Exploring Careers seminars and workshops are designed to enhance your exploration and knowledge of various career paths. From the Career Development Seminar — which is taught by industry professionals and exposes you to a range of fields (including government and nonprofits, publishing/science reporting, consulting, and equity research/intellectual properties) — to the STEM Strategic Career Planning workshop, which focuses on careers outside of academia available to STEM graduates, these events will equip you with new information about specific career paths to help guide your future career pursuits and decisions. Note: we are planning to announce a Winter event dedicated to career exploration for Humanities and Social Science PhDs; stay tuned for updates.

  • Career Development Course
    • Explore various career options, network and learn what a 'day in the life' looks like from industry professionals in a variety of popular PhD fields. This Career Development course, organized by the Office of Graduate Affairs, explores a different career field in each session, with each session run by industry professionals. 
  • STEM Strategic Career Planning Part One
    • Graduate students and postdocs often don’t start thinking about their job search until towards the end of their education or training. Due to time constraints, their career planning then often lacks a strategic perspective and sufficient preparation which can result in missed dream-job opportunities. This workshop, led by Josh Henkin of STEM Career Services, starts by introducing a strategic approach to building career skills and planning for career success as early as possible during academic training to enhance and build a professional reputation. Attendees will be introduced to career assessments they can immediately utilize to identify their professional skills, interests, and values. Attendees will also learn about strategies and tools to use in their search for novel careers, as well as techniques to pinpoint career passions to guide career decisions.
  • PhD Pathways: Career Exploration - STEM Careers
    • Are you considering your post-PhD or post-Postdoc job prospects, but feeling unsure of your options? Join GSAS Compass, the Office of Graduate Career Development, for a STEM-specific career exploration workshop that will introduce self-assessment tools, career planning strategies, and job search resources to help you research and explore a range of career paths and feel more prepared for life after Columbia. These sessions are appropriate for PhD students or Postdocs in any stage of their program or training. 
  • PhD Pathways: Career Exploration - Social Sciences & Humanities
    • Are you considering your post-PhD or post-Postdoc job prospects, but feeling unsure of your options? Join GSAS Compass, the Office of Graduate Career Development, for a Humanities and Social Sciences-specific career exploration workshop that will introduce self-assessment tools, career planning strategies, and job search resources to help you research and explore a range of career paths and feel more prepared for life after Columbia. These sessions are appropriate for PhD students or Postdocs in any stage of their program or training. 

 

Skill-Building Workshops: The Skill Building workshops are designed to aid you in developing a range of soft skills that will benefit you throughout your career. Attending these sessions will allow you to reflect on and hone your skills as an advocate in the workplace and as a successful negotiator, and will also help you build skills necessary to maintain boundaries, self-care, and emotional wellness alongside the job search process. Note: we are planning to announce Winter and Spring Skill Building events focused on salary negotiations and balancing your job search with self-care, as well as a speed mentoring event.

  • Fostering Advocacy to Support Culture Change
    • Often unspoken rules and power dynamics act as derailers within professional settings such as labs, lab group meetings, departments, conferences, or networking events. These derailers can cause anxiety and plant the seeds of doubt within our minds that reinforce imposter syndrome. Stress inducing situations like these impact our problem-solving abilities and erode our confidence. Research has shown that toxic environments or environments that lack support impact the individual’s ability to bring their full self to their work, resulting in a lack of commitment and motivation. Faced with the persistence of these stressors and tensions in our daily life, how do we create an environment that provides psychological safety and supports a growth mindset? In this workshop we will use case study models as scenarios to understand how you can develop tools to be an influential advocate(s) towards creating a psychological safety environment.
  • Flourishing During Job Searches
    • In this 90-minute interactive workshop led by Brandy Simula, PhD, participants will develop individualized strategies for flourishing during job searches, including for traditional faculty positions as well as diverse careers in and beyond the academy. The workshop will cover how to develop and hold effective boundaries around intellectual and emotional job search labor, strategic management of the job search process, and how to balance a job search with research and teaching, personal and family commitments, and self-care. Participants will leave the workshop with a personalized plan for combating job search-related stress and uncertainty, a map of their job search support network, and strategies for navigating the job market during a global health pandemic and the resulting economic downturn.

 

Career Planning Workshops & Resources: The Career Planning tools and workshops are designed to help you put your career-related knowledge and skills into practice. These components of the IDP program will encourage you to be intentional as you set and work toward career goals and will equip you with concrete tools and strategies that facilitate successful career planning.

  • Important Worksheets: Career planning worksheet & PI mentor worksheet
  • STEM Strategic Career Planning Part Two: Designing Your Career and Your Skills to Match
    • Building on knowledge gained from attending “The Universe of Careers Outside of Academia Available to STEM Graduates,” trainees will have an opportunity to identify, test, and validate skills gaps for desirable careers. This workshop, led by Josh Henkin of STEM Career Services, will introduce principles of Design Thinking and apply them to career exploration and development. Attendees will participate in exercises designed to help them become competitive candidates by broadening their perspectives on career choices, understanding which skills are needed to get the jobs they seek, and learning how to develop those skills during their academic training. By attending this workshop and applying the techniques discussed, attendees will be able to increase the likelihood of being a top candidate for the positions they seek upon completion of their academic training.
  • SMART Goal-Setting Workshop
    • The start of a new year often prompts people to re-evaluate and establish goals related to personal and professional development. This workshop can help you establish goals in a way that sets you up for success! Join us for a goal-setting workshop in which participants will evaluate personal and professional goals, learn the SMART goal formula, and create achievable goals.

 

Spring 2022 Career Panels: These panels are a great way to learn what a 'day in the life' looks like for PhDs in various career sectors and provide an opportunity to network with the panelists.

  • Higher Education Administration
    • Join us for a career panel focused on careers in higher education administration! Attendees will have the chance to hear from administrators in a broad range of roles across Columbia. 

Featured panelists:

  • Rachel Bernard – Director of Graduate Career Development at Columbia's Graduate School of Arts & Sciences
  • Chiara Bertipaglia – Director of Scientific Programs at Columbia’s Zuckerman Institute
  • Roger Lefort – Assistant Director for Research Integrity and Research Compliance and Training at Columbia 
  • Kwame Osei-Sarfo – Director, Bridge to the PhD Program in STEM at Columbia Engineering
  • Ericka Peterson – Executive Director of the Office of Postdoctoral Affairs at Columbia

 

  • Careers in Consulting
    • The March Panel will be held on Consulting Careers. Attendees will have the chance to hear and learn from panelists in a range of consulting roles.

Featured panelists:

  • Seoeun Lee, PhD – Project Leader at Boston Consulting Group (BCG)
  • Zach Lamport, PhD – Scientific Consultant at Exponent
  • Ola Jacunski, PhD – Freelance Consultant 

 

  • Careers in Academia
    • Join us for a career panel focused on careers in academia! Attendees will have the chance to hear and learn from faculty panelists from a range of disciplines.

Featured panelists:

  • Holly Hunsberger, PhD – Assistant Professor, Foundational Sciences and Humanities, Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science
  • Irvin Hunt, PhD – Assistant Professor, Dept. of English, University of Illinois Urbana Champaign
  • Edward Twomey, PhD – Assistant Professor, Biophysics and Biophysical Chemistry, Johns Hopkins Medicine

 

2020-2021 IDP Program Components

  • Managing Your Career: Introduction to IDP
    • This workshop will help you develop a plan to identify and work towards your overall career goals. Through completion of the myIDP or ImaginePhD assessment, you will gain insight into your current skills, interests, and values. Using this information, the Managing Your Career Workshop will help you identify goals related to building career related knowledge and gaining useful skills to help you reach your career goals.
  • Career Development Seminar
    • The seminar course is designed to help students and postdocs navigate the world after the PhD, with a focus on Biomedical PhDs. The Fall 2020 course explores various career sectors that are common for PhDs.
  • STEM Strategic Careers Planning Workshops
    • The two-part STEM Strategic Careers Planning Workshop Series will take place on October 27th and 29th. The workshops will cover careers outside of academia, and how to harness skills as a STEM graduate to land those careers.
    • Speaker: Josh Henkin, PhD
    • Workshop 1: The Universe of Careers Outside of Academia Available to STEM Graduates
      • This workshop starts by introducing a strategic approach to building career skills and planning for career success as early as possible during academic training to enhance and build a professional reputation
    • Workshop 2: Designing Your Career and Skills to Match
      • This workshop will introduce principles of Design Thinking and apply them to career exploration and development. Attendees will participate in exercises designed to help them become competitive candidates by broadening their perspectives on career choices, understanding which skills are needed to get the jobs they seek, and learning how to develop those skills during their academic training.
  • Difficult Conversations
    • In this two-part series, you will examine how conversations become difficult when the stakes are high, emotions escalate and you fear damage to relationship or other negative consequences. You will explore how to decide whether or not to engage in a difficult conversation, how to look for a beneficial purpose to frame a conversation more helpfully, as well as how to stop falling into the trap of avoiding difficult conversations that really matter.
    • Instructor: Jessica Notini
  • Job Talks Series
    • A series of 3 informal job talks offering insight into career paths in Medical Communications, Government and Tech Ventures.
  • Career Panels
    • February 2021: Industry Career Panel
      • Panelists:
        •  Tomer Granot, PhD Immunologist, Immunai

        • Neha Raghavan, PhD Senior Scientist, Merck

        • Jeff Strong, PhD Scientist I, AIR Worldwide

        • Jami Jackson Mulgrave, PhD Research Scientist, FacebookResearch Scientist, Facebook

    • March 2021: Consulting career panel
      • Panelists:
        • Onur Cakmak, PhD: Consultant, Life Sciences Strategy at IQVIA
        • Andrea Westervelt, PhD: Associate Consultant, McKinsey & Company
        • Troels Rahbek-Clemmensen, PhD: Consultant, Boston Consulting Group (BCG)
    • April 2021: Academia career panel
      • Panelists:
        • Shreya Saxena, PhD Assistant Professor Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
          University of Florida
        •  Nur Zeinomar, PhD MPH, Instructor of Medicine
          Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey
        • Pierre Billon, PhD, Assistant Professor
          Genetics & Development
          University of Calgary
        • Aubrey Gabel, Assistant Professor
          Dept. of French and Romance Philology
          Columbia University

 

2019-2020 IDP Program Summary


The 2019 program commenced with a Managing Your Career: Introduction to IDP, followed by What Can You Be with a PhD? conference, a SciPhD: Preparing for Professional Careers course, a Job Talk series and three career panels:

  • Managing Your Career: Introduction to IDP
    • This workshop will help you develop a plan to identify and work towards your overall career goals. Through completion of the myIDP or ImaginePhD assessment, you will gain insight into your current skills, interests, and values. Using this information, the Managing Your Career Workshop will help you identify goals related to building career related knowledge and gaining useful skills to help you reach your career goals.
  • What Can You Be with a PhD?
    • What Can You Be with a PhD? (WCUB) is the largest PhD career symposium in the country. The symposium has over 25 different career path sessions and professional development workshops featuring 90 speakers over the course of two days.
  • SciPhD: Preparing for Professional Careers
    • Being competitive and successful as a professional scientist, regardless of whether in an industry or academic setting requires mastery of scientific, business and social skills. Running an effective laboratory operation is like running a small business, and can benefit from apply­ing best practices that have been developed by industry. In “Preparing for Professional Careers”, we will look at how scientific/technical skills combined with business skills and social skills make up the three identities that define a personal brand. The same competencies that industry requires in order to be successful are equally important in developing and co-existing in a high-performing team in academic settings.
  • Job Talks Series
    • A series of 3 informal job talks offering insight into career paths in patent law, science diplomacy, and consulting.
  • Career Panels
    • February 2020: Startups career panel
      • Panelists:
        • Jennifer Perusini, PhD: Co-founder and CEO at Neurovation Labs, Inc
        • Eric Vieira, PhD: Director of Strategic Collaborations at Columbia Engineering
        • Camille Delebecque, PhD: Co-founder and CEO of Afineur, Biotech Entrepreneur
        • Yukie Takabatake, PhD: Principal Scientist, Yesse Technologies, Inc.
    • April 2020: Industry career panel
      • Panelists:
        • Jennifer Chambers, PhD: Senior Scientist II, Education and Outreach at Schrodinger
        • Elena Dukhovlinova, PhD: Senior Scientist, CAR T manufacturing at Janssen
        • Vesna Tosic, PhD: Investor Relations at Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc
        • Steven Vasquez-Grinnell, PhD: Research Investigator, Translational Bioinformatics at Bristol-Myers Squibb
        • Jesse Brann, PhD: Senior Scientist at Firmenich
    • June 2020: Academia career panel
      • Panelists:
        • Aditya Dutta, Ph.D., Assistant Professor in the Department of Animal & Food Sciences, University of Delaware
        • Eugene Wu, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Computer Science, Columbia University
        • Jenny Robinson, Ph.D., Assistant Professor in the Department of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering, University of Kansas - School of Engineering
        • Mariam Aly, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Psychology, Columbia University
        • Vianney Gimenez-Pinto, Ph.D.: Assistant Professor of Physics and Chemistry in the Department of Science, Technology and Mathematics , Lincoln University

 

2018 IDP Program Summary

The following text may be used in NIH grant progress reports for trainees participating in the 2018 Columbia University IDP program:

The Columbia University Office of Postdoctoral Affairs, the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, the Graduate Program at the College of Physicians and Surgeons, the School of Nursing and the Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Sciences co-sponsor an annual program to assist NIH-funded graduate students and postdoctoral researchers with the implementation of Individual Development Plans (IDPs).

The 2018 program commenced with a Managing Your Career: Introduction to IDP, followed by a Leadership Series, a Business Concepts for Scientists course, a Lab Dynamics: Essential Skills for Scientists, Managers, and Leaders workshop and three career panels:

  • October 2018: Leadership Series. This series was designed to help postdocs build skills relevant for a leadership role, whether that be in industry, academia, or another area! Topics covered in this series included understanding your own personality preferences through the MBTI, identifying and working with various interpersonal styles, getting results through effective delegation, how to have difficult conversations and deliver effective feedback, and how to persuade others.
  • November 2018: Business Concepts for Scientists: This course, developed by UCSF, iBiology, and Washington University, is designed to enhance PhD scientists’ understanding of foundational business concepts. This business coursework is unique because it is designed to prepare scientists for career transitions into both academic and non-academic settings. The course topics include business strategy, business development, strategic collaborations, strategy toolkits, and finance.
  • January 2019: Lab Dynamics: Essential Skills for Scientists, Managers, and Leaders. Dr. Carl Cohen from Science Management Associates offered his Lab Dynamics: Essential Skills for Scientists, Managers, and Leaders workshop as part of the IDP series. This workshop focused on developing critical skill sets scientists interested in positions in academia or industry. This full day workshop was comprised of two sessions: Difficult Conversations in the Research Workplace: Fundamentals of Negotiation and Leading Scientific Teams and Project Meetings
     

Following the IDP seminar series, a monthly career panel and networking reception will allow trainees to learn about a variety of career opportunities both within and beyond academia. Postdoctoral researchers may also join peer mentoring groups to discuss their IDPs, career goals, and career exploration activities, and to receive support and feedback from their peers.

2017 IDP Program Summary

The following text may be used in NIH grant progress reports for trainees participating in the 2017 Columbia University IDP program:

The Columbia University Office of Postdoctoral Affairs, the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, the Graduate Program at the College of Physicians and Surgeons, the School of Nursing and the Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Sciences co-sponsor an annual program to assist NIH-funded graduate students and postdoctoral researchers with the implementation of Individual Development Plans (IDPs).

The 2017 program commenced with a webinar, followed by a day-long workshop on IDPs, and four career panels:

  • September 2017: Importance of career management, how to conduct a self-assessment, the significance of an IDP, best practices for developing an IDP, goal setting, and how to discuss an IDP with a mentor (led by Rory Flinn, Director of Graduate Student Professional Development at Worcester Polytechnic Institute)

  • October 2017: Defining differences between academic science and the "Business of Science", exploring career opportunities; identifying industry values and requirements, building and marketing your personal brand, experiencing advanced communications, salary negotiation, networking, interview preparation, faculty mentor career discussions (led by SciPhD)

Program participants provide elements of their IDPs to their Graduate School or the Office of Postdoctoral Affairs to ensure compliance, and are strongly encouraged to share portions of their IDPs with their faculty mentors.

Following the IDP seminar series, a monthly career panel and networking reception will allow trainees to learn about a variety of career opportunities both within and beyond academia. Postdoctoral researchers may also join peer mentoring groups to discuss their IDPs, career goals, and career exploration activities, and to receive support and feedback from their peers.

2016 IDP Program Summary

The following text may be used in NIH grant progress reports for trainees participating in the 2016 Columbia University IDP program:

The Columbia University Office of Postdoctoral Affairs, the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, the Graduate Program at the College of Physicians and Surgeons, and the Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Sciences co-sponsor an annual program to assist NIH-funded graduate students and postdoctoral researchers with the implementation of Individual Development Plans (IDPs).

The 2016 program commenced with a three-part seminar series on IDPs:

  • September 2016: Importance of career management, how to conduct a self-assessment, the significance of an IDP, best practices for developing an IDP, goal setting, and how to discuss an IDP with a mentor (led by Rory Flinn, Columbia University)
  • September 2016: Differences between academia and industry, networking, informational interviews, and strategies for an effective job search (led by Dave Jensen, Founder and Managing Director for CTI Executive Search and writer for "Tooling Up" column for the journal Science)
  • September/October 2016: Transferable skills, career exploration, career options for PhDs, and personal branding (led by Victoria Blodgett, Assistant Dean, Graduate and Postdoctoral Affairs at University of Connecticut)

Program participants provide elements of their IDPs to their Graduate School or the Office of Postdoctoral Affairs to ensure compliance, and are strongly encouraged to share portions of their IDPs with their faculty mentors.

Following the IDP seminar series, a monthly career panel and networking reception will allow trainees to learn about a variety of career opportunities both within and beyond academia. Postdoctoral researchers may also join peer mentoring groups to discuss their IDPs, career goals, and career exploration activities, and to receive support and feedback from their peers.

2015 IDP Program Summary

The following text may be used in NIH grant progress reports for trainees that had previously participated in the 2015 Columbia University IDP program:

The Columbia University Office of Postdoctoral Affairs, the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, the Graduate Program at the College of Physicians and Surgeons, and the Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Sciences co-sponsor an annual program to assist NIH-funded graduate students and postdoctoral researchers with the implementation of Individual Development Plans (IDPs).

The 2015 program commenced with a three-part seminar series on IDPs:

  • October 2015: The importance of career management, how to conduct a self-assessment, the significance of an IDP, and best practices for developing an IDP (led by Philip Clifford, University of Illinois at Chicago)
  • October 2015: Putting one's science to work, career exploration, networking, informational interviews, and identifying career mentors (led by Peter Fiske, CEO Pax Water Technologies, Inc.)
  • November 2015: formulating goals and implementing an IDP (led by Keith Micoli, NYU School of Medicine)

In addition, an optional workshop assisted trainees in the completion of an IDP. Program participants provide elements of their IDPs to their Graduate School or the Office of Postdoctoral Affairs to ensure compliance, and are encouraged to share portions of their IDPs with their faculty mentors.

Following the IDP seminar series, a monthly career panel and networking reception will allow trainees to learn about a variety of career opportunities both within and beyond academia. Postdoctoral researchers may also join peer mentoring groups to discuss their IDPs, career goals, and career exploration activities, and to receive support and feedback from their peers.

2014 IDP Program Summary

The following text may be used in NIH grant progress reports for trainees that had previously participated in the 2014 Columbia University IDP program:

In 2014 The Office of Postdoctoral Affairs and the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences at Columbia University co-sponsored an annual program to assist NIH-funded graduate students and postdoctoral researchers with the implementation of Individual Development Plans (IDPs).

The 2014 program featured a three-part seminar series on IDPs:

  • August 2014: The importance of career management, how to conduct a self-assessment, the significance of an IDP, and best practices for developing an IDP (led by Cynthia Fuhrmann, University of Massachusetts Medical School)
  • September 2014: Career exploration, formulating career goals, and implementing an IDP (led by Keith Micoli, NYU School of Medicine)
  • September 2014: The importance of networking, effective networking strategies, the value of informational interviews, and how to conduct an informational interview (led by Melanie Sinche, Harvard University)

In addition, an optional workshop was held to assist trainees in the completion of an IDP. Program participants provided elements of their IDPs to the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences and the Office of Postdoctoral Affairs to ensure compliance, and were encouraged to share portions of their IDPs with their faculty mentors.

Following the IDP seminar series, six career panel sessions were held to allow trainees the opportunity to learn about a variety of career opportunities both within and beyond academia. Postdoctoral researchers also had the opportunity to join peer mentoring groups to discuss their IDPs, career goals, and career exploration activities, and to receive support and feedback from their peers.

IDP FAQs

An Individual Development Plan (IDP) begins with a self-assessment. A student or postdoc would assess her or his own skills, interests, and values in a systematic way aimed at revealing strengths and areas needing improvement. The self-assessment also allows trainees to begin to understand how their skills, interests, and values should align in choosing the best possible career fit. Upon completing the self-assessment, the trainee should conduct career exploration activities with the goal of narrowing down career interests into a small number of potential career paths. The final part of the IDP is the actual planning segment. Trainees devise plans for career development that will allow them to reach their career goals. Generally, these plans should be designed so that they can be accomplished over 6-12 months and evaluated objectively. IDPs provide a means for students and postdocs to consult with their faculty mentors about their careers and research project goals. Ideally students and postdocs would meet annually with their faculty mentors to review portions of their IDPs.

Anyone interested in learning more about themselves and taking charge of their career goals! The IDP program developed at Columbia University was designed for NIH-funded postdoctoral trainees and graduate students, with a particular goal of reaching postdoctoral researchers in the first two years of training and graduate students in the third and fourth year of training. However, the program will be highly applicable to non-NIH-funded graduate students and postdocs as well.

Over the past several years there has been an increasing focus from grant funding agencies on assessing and improving graduate student and postdoctoral training. One leading example has been provided by the NIH, which commissioned a working group to specifically look at the current state of the biomedical workforce and the current training model. The working group generated a widely-read report(link is external) which concluded that significant improvements were needed in biomedical graduate and postdoctoral training in order for biomedical research careers to remain a desirable career path in the future. The working group formulated a series of recommendations aimed at addressing areas needing significant and immediate attention. Many of these recommendations were adopted by the NIH in an implementation strategy to be fully in place by 2015. One of the specific changes was a call for all NIH funded graduate students and postdocs, regardless of funding mechanism, to develop and utilize Individual Development Plans (IDPs). See: Revised Policy: Descriptions on the Use of Individual Development Plans (IDPs) for Graduate Students and Postdoctoral Researchers Required in Annual Progress Reports beginning October 1, 2014 

You can create an IDP that is relevant to your discipline by clicking the links below and following the prompts.

Click here to access the free online self-assessment, career planning, and exploration tool for Humanities and Social Sciences postdocs and PhDs.

Click here to access the free online self-assessment, career planning, and exploration tool for STEM postdocs and PhDs.

IDP Grant Boilerplate Language: 

Postdoctoral researchers receive mentorship and guidance in their career exploration through a combination of Office of Postdoctoral Affairs (OPA) sponsored programs and direct PI mentorship. Of note, Columbia’s annual Individual Development Plan (IDP) program is designed to support postdoctoral researchers in developing a training plan, with specific time-oriented goals, for their postdoctoral appointment. This program begins each year in the Fall with events continuing into early Spring. Postdoctoral researchers are strongly encouraged to share their IDP with their PI to facilitate intentional progress on these goals. To support this intentional progress, the IDP program begins with a session on career management. Other components of the IDP program include sessions on strategic career planning, as well as multiple career panels and job talks. While PIs are expected to offer the primary modality of career mentorship, individual appointments can also be made with OPA staff to offer additional support in career exploration.

In addition to the rigorous research skill development that occurs under the mentorship of individual PIs, Columbia offers multiple seminars and workshops to help postdoctoral researchers prepare for and be competitive on the job market. OPA organizes a regularly occurring workshop series focusing on aspects of job preparation, such as CV/resume and cover letter development, networking skills, and interviewing skills, among other topics. OPA also offers the opportunity for postdocs to participate in mock interviews and/or receive individualized feedback on aspects of their applications. Postdocs interested in an academic career path have access to the “Academic Application Boot Camp,” an annual course that offers recommendations on the development of academic application materials in the Spring and assistance preparing for interviews in the Fall, while also offering guidance on transitioning to research independence.

OPA engages in outreach efforts to advertise these programs. Events announcements and reminders are shared via Columbia University postdoc listservs as well as within other key offices (e.g., Sponsored Projects Administration) to ensure that postdocs and faculty members are aware of these programs. Event information is also regularly updated on the OPA events calendar and throughout the OPA website. While these programs were designed to support the work of NIH-researchers, the material is widely applicable and open to those interested in participating in the program.