In partnership with GrAdvantage and the Career Center, the Graduate and Professional Student Association (GPSA) is hosting a virtual Fall Career Night titled “Navigating Bias as a Job-Seeker." Countless studies have demonstrated the ways in which bias pervades the hiring process in all industries; as a jobseeker, what can you do to navigate this fraught process? Three graduate alumni of UCSD will come to speak about how they positioned themselves for non-academic careers while contending with biases inherent in the job market and workplace culture. The conversation will offer insight into how jobseekers may navigate the hiring process and advocate for themselves as job candidates and future colleagues within organizations. Speakers will include: -Jamal Russell Black, M.A.- Bio: Throughout his career, Jamal has had the privilege to work on various topics that have had consequential and positive effects on vulnerable populations. His work as a researcher and consultant has focused on the evaluation of systemic inequities within our economic system as well as the development of decarbonization roadmaps. Jamal has leaned on data-driven and geospatial research techniques to gain a more complete understanding of research questions and to inform actionable insights. Jamal has just started a new role as the Senior Officer - Analytics and Impact, responsible for identifying opportunities for sectoral and cross-sector innovation and improved economic, environmental and social impact, especially for vulnerable and underserved populations within San Diego. Previously, Jamal has worked with fortune 100 companies on their decarbonization journey. Other past experiences include producing quantitative research and strategic briefings at Hanover Research, overseeing research and policy recommendations for the San Diego Workforce Partnership, and leading Veridian Analytics. Jamal has a Master's degree in Econometrics and Quantitative Economics from the University of California, San Diego. Jamal strongly believes that it is incumbent on all of humanity to find viable solutions to this climate crisis. His enthusiasm towards innovative, market-based solutions to combatting climate change is only surpassed by his commitment to an equitable green transition. -L. Naomi Handly, Ph.D. Bio: Naomi is the head of platform at Octant, a startup using synthetic biology for drug discovery. Naomi was the second full time employee and has had her fingers in a few different areas including recruiting, establishing the SBA program, building Octant HQ, demonstrating Octant's multiplexed platform technology, building cell engineering, and more. Naomi received her PhD from the University of California, San Diego under Roy Wollman quantifying how cells communicate with one another to determine their position in relation to a wound. She's passionate about bringing science to the public through effective scientific communication and meaningful technological advances. Outside of work you'll find Naomi spending time with her family and two dogs, hiking, running, and playing the piano. -Tavina Offutt, Ph.D. Bio: Dr. Tavina Offutt is a computational chemist by training and an entrepreneur. She obtained a B.S. in Chemistry in 2010 from Spelman College, a historically black all-women’s liberal arts collee. Upon completing her undergraduate degree, she then participated in the MIT B-cubed post baccalaureate program, where she completed biology coursework in the Department of Biology at MIT, and worked full-time in the Computer-Aided Drug Design group at Novartis, a biotech pharmaceutical company. During her time at Novartis, she applied computational tools to drug discovery projects. She obtained her PhD in Chemistry from the University of California, San Diego in 2018. Her dissertation work centered on the successful use of methods from the computational toolbox to study two proteins heavily implicated in cancer. Dr. Offutt is currently the CEO and Co-Founder of STEMing LLC, a company whose mission is to enhance the success of underrepresented minority students by teaching unwritten skills beyond the curriculum. Through workshops and coaching, she provides practical tools and strategies to enhance students’ productivity, sense of community, and ability to communicate their needs and goals during their dissertation/thesis research. Through STEMing, Tavina is able to teach strategies that have made her successful during her graduate work and in her career. Tavina is also a creative writer, and is currently working on an anthology project. She enjoys relaxing on the beach, reading, exercising, and traveling. *** *To receive the Zoom link, register here on Handshake, and you'll be emailed the link to the event a few minutes prior to it starting. If you don't receive this email, make sure to check your junk folder for an email from Handshake! You can also email gradcareers@ucsd.edu if you have any trouble with the link, or if you have questions about the workshop.