Briana Konnick, Ph.D. Email & Phone Number

Chicago, Il, Us

Chicago, Il, Us

- Lead career and professional development efforts for 450+ engineering graduate students and postdocs as inaugural director; created, facilitate, and manage 3 unique programs end-to-end- Create and evaluate long term, impactful strategies to build talent through innovative training programs- Manage and build strong relationships with 50+ employer partners and 20+ university collaborators - Develop and present programs to audiences ranging from 5-100+ on topics such as: career planning, leadership, communication, networking, time management, managing up, and more- Spearhead integrated and aligned career and professional development communication efforts, workshops, speaker series, courses, bootcamps, and creation of asynchronous resources - Provide 1-on-1 advising in areas such as career exploration and planning, self-assessment, networking and relationship building, job application material review, interviewing, negotiation, and more- Collaborate with staff, faculty, industrial partners, and alumni within school and across university

Chicago, Il, Us

In addition to the responsibilities inherent in the previous position, my role as Associate Director has expanded to include:- Management of two staff members on the career team of UChicagoGRAD - Increased role in developing and updating policies for postdocs across the entire University

Chicago, Il, Us

- Career advisor to Ph.D. students, postdocs, and alumni within three divisions at the University: Biological Sciences, Physical Sciences, and the Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering- Provide one-on-one career advising in areas such as career exploration, self assessment, networking and relationship building, job application material review, interviewing, negotiation, and more- Develop and present workshops on topics such as: application materials, networking skills, job search approaches, social media optimization, interviewing strategies, and others - Collaborate with team members to create and run topic-driven, multi-session camps focusing on career exploration, professional skill development, job search strategies, academic job market, consulting careers, and more- Grow and facilitate employer relations on campus, connecting PhD students and postdocs in STEM fields to employers in various industries through on-campus information sessions, career fairs, and other career recruitment events - Program Navigator for the myCHOICE (CHicago Options In Career Empowerment) program, a NIH-funded career development program which develops and prepares life scientists at UChicago for many career options- Oversee support and issues pertaining to all postdocs across the University on areas such as benefits, policies, community building, and orientation - Administrative representative for the institutional partnership to the Association for Women in Science (AWiS)

Coral Gables, Florida, Us

As Past-President, I:- Chair the Governance Committee which is responsible for officer elections, organizational policy, and maintaining, reviewing, and maintaining the organizations by-laws- Represent the GCC to external stakeholders and assist with negotiating hotel contracts- Assist President and other members of the Executive Committee with gathering information and developing our next 5 year strategic plan- Liaise directly with several other committees, including Membership & Belonging - Provide support to the Regional Directors program

Coral Gables, Florida, Us

As President, I:- Led operational and organizational strategy for the GCC, a ~500-member, international nonprofit for professionals who support graduate student and postdoc career and professional development- Oversaw organization-wide policy changes and development of professional training opportunities for members- Spearheaded strategic initiatives towards diversifying membership, creating equitable processes and procedures, and implementing inclusive practices and opportunities - Directed and managed an all-volunteer, 7-member executive committee as well as 13 committees which span initiatives including but not limited to: regional activities, PhD outcomes, diversity, mentoring, and more- Represented the GCC to external stakeholders, negotiated hotel contracts, and managed annual conference and 7 regional meetings

Coral Gables, Florida, Us

As President-Elect, I: - Worked with the all-volunteer Executive Committee as we led efforts to advance graduate student career development- Directly supported the chair of the planning committee for our annual conference- Liaise with the PhD Outcomes Committee

Coral Gables, Florida, Us

As Communications Co-Chair, I:- Worked with the executive committee and other GCC committee chairs to effectively communicate both the internal and external strategies of the organization- Responsibilities included: updating and generating website content, social media engagement, creation and coordination of professional marketing materials, communication to both GCC membership and external audiences, and more

La Jolla, California, Us

- Coordinated and personally implemented career and professional development events for postdocs and graduate students on the Florida campus- Advised 250+ trainees on career-related issues including interviewing skills, job searching, self assessment, and more via individual counseling appointments and workshops- Built and maintained a strategically integrated network of faculty, deans, administrators, directors, graduate students, and postdocs at Scripps Florida for the purpose of arranging events, appraising needs of training populations, and supporting various department endeavors - Served as an administrative liaison between faculty and postdoctoral communities, including Scripps Florida's postdoctoral association, the Society of Research Fellows- Developed courses and workshops in areas such as: responsible conduct of research, effective scientific communication, networking skills, academic and non-academic job searches- Coordinated and generated reports of large-scale survey data of training populations which in turn guides best practices and targeted programming- Member of the Scripps Florida Self-Study Committee, for reaccreditation purposes of the Scripps graduate program - Co-taught a multi-session course on effective career planning for Ph.D.'s which covered topics on self-assessment, career exploration, job search tools, and goal setting - Responsible for posting content via social media sites including Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn groups on behalf of TSRI’s Career and Postdoctoral Services Office

La Jolla, California, Us

During my short postdoctoral time in the laboratory of Dr. Tim Tellinghuisen, I continued various aspects of my graduate work, including but not limited to:- Characterized a long, noncoding RNA's importance during various aspects of the hepatitis C viral lifecycle via basic virology assays- Performed microarrays to elucidate interactions and signaling mechanisms during infections - Optimized protocols for virus concentration- Analyzed various tissue culture-adapted viral strains for viral fitness

La Jolla, California, Us

My thesis work in the laboratory of Dr. Tim Tellinghuisen centered around:- Characterizing the transition stage of HCV viral replication to viral assembly, using one host protein and viral protein interaction as the base to dissect this undefined aspect of the viral life cycle- Other projects concerned the characterization of multiple host protein involvement within the lifecycle of the Hepatitis C virus and host protein interaction with HCV viral proteinsDuring my time as a graduate student, I had the unique opportunity to become highly involved in various aspects of the graduate program on the Scripps Florida campus. Some of my activities included: - Established a unique mentoring program at Scripps Florida for graduate students and post-doctoral fellows, featuring topics of the faculty interview process, lab management, grants/fellowships, patent process, among others - Co-created and ran the Scripps Florida Network for Women in Science (NWiS) chapter. Planned interactive lectures, networking opportunities, and seminars specifically designed to support women at Scripps, FL. Engaged female faculty members, and coordinated quarterly meetings - As a member of the re-accreditation committee, I evaluated and analyzed current graduate program policies and procedures for WASC accreditation process. Collaborated with students, post-docs, faculty, and administrators to compile a progress report and plan for improving the graduate program. We improved course offerings, education website, recruitment initiatives, and dual campus policies- Developed, organized, implemented, and participated in the first large-scale networking event on the Scripps Florida campus with local research university representatives, biotech, and science-related companies

Nashville, Tennessee, Us

My time in the laboratory of Dr. Todd Graham was spent:- Characterizing the effect of phosphotidylinositols on a floppase in the trans-golgi network (TGN) - Assessing the interaction between an Arf-GEF and an Arf-GAP using yeast model system

Doctor Of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Biology

Bachelor Of Arts, Molecular And Cellular Biology