KICKSTART EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING

Explore Careers, Gain Experience, Build Your Future

Kickstart Experiential Learning

At the Doctoral Life Design Studio, we empower doctoral and postdoctoral scholars to explore careers, build professional connections, and gain hands-on experience. Our Experiential Learning opportunities are designed to fit the diverse needs of our scholars—whether you have just a few hours or an entire year to invest. These programs are your gateway to excelling in a competitive job market and securing roles with top-tier organizations.

Learn by
Doing

Experiential Learning connects theory with practice. It’s about stepping outside the classroom, & labs to engage directly with industries, professionals, and challenges.

01.

Boost career readiness and confidence.

02.

Gain hands-on experience to differentiate yourself.

03.

Build lasting professional relationships.

Our Programs

INTERNSHIPS

Tailored for doctoral and postdoctoral schedules, our internships run 8 weeks to 1 year with flexible commitments (5-40 hours per week).

Find Internships →

JOB SHADOWING

Spend 4-8 hours shadowing professionals in your field of interest to explore careers, network, and immerse yourself in an organization’s culture.

Learn About Job Shadowing →

PAID-PROJECTS

Work with organizations to solve real-world challenges as a consultant or team member. These variable-length projects help you refine problem-solving, analytical, and teamwork skills.

Explore Industry Projects →

Success Stories

78+

Internships

40+

Internship & Employer Partners

50+

Employer Connection Events

See What Our Scholars Say →

For Employers

Join a growing network of employers benefiting from our scholars’ expertise.

Job Shadowing: Invite scholars to observe your workplace and showcase your company culture.

Internships: Tap into the skills of top-tier talent to tackle your organization’s challenges.

Employer Events: Host an info session or networking event to connect with potential candidates.

Contact Us Today to
elevate your hiring pipeline with top-tier PhD talent. →

My internship gave me hands-on experience in presenting complex data insights to non-technical stakeholders. I collaborated with a diverse team of social workers and executives who relied on an accurate understanding of my work for strategic decision-making. This experience taught me how to effectively communicate technical results—and their limitations—in a way that supports actionable understanding.

– Ph.D. Department of Physics and Astronomy

I I have really enjoyed my internship this summer. It has done wonders for my mental health after feeling pretty down toward the end of grad school. I have greatly increased confidence that my skill set would be useful in a variety of workplaces, not just academia. I’ve started to look up career opportunities at places I probably would not have thought of before. Academia can make you feel like your skill set is only narrowly valuable, but I feel like I have much more career possibility now.

– Ph.D. Department of History