LiftOff! Your Faculty Career
Saturday, October 3, 2026 | 9:30 a.m.–2:30 p.m. (PT)
Walker Hall, UC Davis
Considering a career in academia? LiftOff! Your Faculty Career is an interactive professional development event designed to jump start graduate students and postdoctoral scholars entering a faculty job search.
Throughout the day, participants will explore the key stages of pursuing a faculty position—from interpreting faculty job advertisements and preparing strong application materials to navigating job talks, campus visits, and teaching demonstrations.
Sessions will provide practical guidance on identifying what institutions are looking for, understanding the components of a faculty application, and preparing for the interview process across different disciplines and types of institutions. Participants will also learn about additional workshops, mentoring, consultations, and practice sessions to help them strengthen their materials and prepare for job talks and teaching demonstrations.
LiftOff! also serves as a launching point for additional GradPathways programming throughout the year, where participants can explore individual components of the faculty application and hiring process in greater depth.
Whether you are preparing to enter the faculty job market soon or simply want to better understand what the process entails, LiftOff! will provide practical strategies, resources, and connections to help you take the next step toward a faculty career.
What to Expect
- ☕ Morning refreshments and lunch
- 🎁 Swag
- 🚗 Free on-campus parking (Saturday)
- 🧭 Career and professional resources to support your next steps
Registration
Registration is required to attend.
Registration is free for all UC Davis graduate students and postdocs. This event will be limited to the first 150 people who sign up.
Please note:
- All day attendance is encouraged and expected
- We will be operating a wait list, and expecting confirmation of attendance 5 days prior to the event in order to release tickets to those on the wait list. Thank you for understanding.
- A confirmation email will be sent on Friday, 9/25, requiring a response by midnight Monday, 9/28, in order to confirm your spot. Please let us know if you would like to cancel your registration so that we can release the spot to those on the waitlist. Thank you for your understanding.
Schedule of Events
All times are Pacific. All sessions and rooms are located in Walker Hall.
| Time | Session | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 9:30–10:00 a.m. | Check-in and light refreshments | Commons Area |
| 10:00–10:50 a.m. | How to read a faculty job ad - Prof. Archana Venkatesen | Gibeling Room |
| 11:00–11:50 a.m. | Application components - Dr. Lyndsey Courter | Gibeling Room |
| 12:00–12:50 p.m. | Lunch | Commons, Gibeling & West Conf |
| 1:00–1:30 p.m. | Job Talks preparation - Dr. Lyndsey Courter | Gibeling Room |
| 1:30–2:00 p.m. | Preparing for your campus visit - Prof. Arif Camoglu | Gibeling Room |
For parking, the most convenient location is Parking Lot 10, located at 1st Street and A Street. There is no charge for parking on Saturdays.
From parking lot 10, you will be able to walk to Walker Hall by heading West on 1st Street/Shields Avenue, a five-minute walk.
Please note the following important details:
● Location & Entry: Please use the North Entrance of Walker Hall on Shields Ave on the day of the event (see map attached).
● Registration & Refreshments: Registration will open at 9:30 a.m., and light refreshments will be available at that time.
● Attendance Requirement: This is an all-day event, and we request that you plan for full-day attendance to truly gain full value from this event.