WISE Lunch with Assistant Professor of Physics Jennifer Ogilvie

Jennifer Ogilvie, Assistant Professor of Physics and Assistant Research Scientist, Biophysics Research Division, was the featured speaker at a WISE-sponsored informal lunch for graduate women in the STEM fields. Ogilvie described her path from her graduate program to her position at the University of Michigan. Students were interested in understanding the academic application process—from how to find job openings to the appropriate length of an application research proposal.

Ogilvie shared tips from the applicant side, as well as tips from the perspective of her new role on the interviewing side. Ogilvie urged students to thoroughly investigate graduate and post doctoral programs to make sure they are a good fit before committing to a program. She also suggested networking at conferences in order to find out what others researchers are doing and how well your research and interests fit with theirs. When it comes to writing cover letters and interviewing,

Ogilvie stressed researching the research and interests of the faculty who are relevant to the position for which you are applying and interviewing. Although this may seem obvious to many, Ogilvie has found that there are some applicants who don’t do this homework.  Based on the interest of the audience, WISE plans to offer a follow-up program that looks at finding the academic position and developing the application materials.

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