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Lab Guide › Professional Development

Career planning & job search

Planning your path across academia, industry, or government, and running the job search when it's time.

The lab prepares you for research careers in academia, industry, and government alike, and views all three as equally worthy.

Start early

  • Talk about it openly. Bring career questions to your 1:1s. Christina will help you weigh paths honestly, including ones outside academia.
  • Fold it into your goals. Use your quarterly goals to build the skills and outputs your target path rewards.
  • Use UC Davis resources. The GradPathways Institute runs workshops on career readiness, and its Career Management program supports both academic and non-academic paths.

Know the paths

  • Academia: postdoc, then faculty or research-scientist roles. Hiring runs on a yearly cycle (most faculty searches open in the fall) and weighs publications, funding, teaching, and fit.
  • Industry: R&D, engineering, and data roles. Hiring is rolling and faster-moving, and values demonstrated skills, portfolios, and the ability to explain your work to non-specialists.
  • Government & national labs: research and technical roles that blend elements of both, often with longer timelines and formal application steps.

Build your materials

Keep these current as you go, not just when you apply (see Professional presence).

  • CV for academic and research roles; a one-to-two-page résumé tailored to each industry role.
  • Statements as needed: research and teaching statements for faculty applications, plus any statements a posting requires; a cover letter tailored to each posting.
  • A portfolio or work samples (papers, code, figures, or a talk) that show what you can do.
  • Network intentionally. Conferences are one of the best places to meet future colleagues and employers; see Conferences. Informational conversations often matter more than job boards.
  • Request letters early. Give recommenders plenty of lead time and the context they need; see Recommendation letters.
  • Tailor every application to the specific role, and have someone in the lab read your materials before you submit.

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