Office of Graduate and Postdoctoral Affairs › News and Events › GradPRO Series

GradPRO Series

Offered by the Office of Graduate & Postdoctoral Affairs, the GradPRO Series focuses on professional leadership, campus resources, and career opportunities through a semester-long sequence of workshops. Designed for both new and continuing graduate students, these sessions provide practical guidance and support tailored to every stage of your academic journey.

All graduate students are welcome to register for any sessions that align with their interests and academic goals. Upon registration, participants will receive a confirmation email, and Zoom links will be provided prior to virtual events.

Questions can be directed to the Office of Graduate & Postdoctoral Affairs at graded@andrew.cmu.edu.

September 2026

Event Name	Day	Time	Location	Description
The FAIR	Wednesday, September, 2, 2026	4:30 - 6:30 p.m.	The Cut	The FAIR showcases many of CMU's 350+ Student Government recognized student organizations and 20+ sorority and fraternity organizations. The entire CMU community — undergraduate and graduate students, staff, and faculty — are invited to explore ways to get involved at Carnegie Mellon. Registration is recommended. Register here
Overview of Conference, Professional Engagement, & Scholarly Project Funding Opportunities & Processes for Graduate Students	Thursday, September 10, 2026	12 - 12:45 p.m.	Virtual via Zoom	Join the Office of Graduate & Postdoctoral Affairs to learn more about the three types of supplemental funding supported by the Provost’s Office and the Graduate Student Assembly. An overview of each funding type will be provided, along with information regarding how and when to apply, tips for maximizing your application, and related expectations regarding the application, review, and award processes. Registration is required. A zoom link will be sent to all registrants. Register here
Making the Case for Your Research	Monday, September 14, 2026	12 - 12:45 p.m.	Posner Hall, Room 280	This workshop teaches four steps that make the case for why your research is an essential contribution to the field. These four rhetorical “moves” turn your research into a compelling narrative and highlight the importance and innovation of your work, especially when communicating to a non-specialist audience. These well-established moves can help you structure the abstract, introduction and literature review of journal articles and papers, in both the sciences and humanities. They can also be applied in various other contexts, including conference presentations, application materials, and grant proposals. Additional information is available here. Registration is required. Register here
Every Job is a Teaching Job: Strengthening Teaching Skills for Success in Research and Industry	Monday, September 21, 2026	12 - 12:45 p.m.	Virtual via Zoom	Why is it important to develop your teaching and mentoring skills, even if you don't plan on a career in academia? Join this session from the Eberly Center to learn how teaching skills positively impact your research and the skills needed for any career, and how to present them to best effect in job application materials and interviews. Registration is required. A zoom link will be sent to all registrants. Register here
Individual Development Plan (IDP) Workshop for Doctoral Students	Wednesday, September 30, 2026	10 - 11 a.m.	Danforth Conference Room (CUC)	Join the Office of Graduate & Postdoctoral Affairs for a workshop that will introduce you to the Individual Development Plan (IDP) template and related resources and help you get started on your IDP. Breakfast snacks will be provided. Registration is required. Register here

October / November 2026

Additional sessions will be posted here soon. Check back for updates.

Event Name	Day	Time	Location	Description
Practical Negotiation Strategies for Grad Students: Unlocking Value Through Interest-Based Negotiation	Wednesday, October 7, 2026	12 - 1 pm	Connan Room (CUC)	Negotiation skills are key for navigating conflict, collaborating with others and achieving positive outcomes including salaries. This session offered by the student and faculty ombuds will demonstrate how interest-based negotiation works and can be applied in a variety of settings. Students will be able to participate in an interactive discussion and activity to practice their skills so that they can apply them in scenarios related to their graduate experience and careers. Registration is required. Register here
Making Informed Decisions About Using AI-Powered Research Tools	Tuesday, October 20, 2026	12 - 12:45 pm	Hunt Library, Room 308	Generative AI tools are rapidly transforming the research landscape, offering powerful capabilities alongside significant risks of bias, hallucination, and inaccuracy. In this workshop, students will learn about how GenAI-powered tools operate at a high level and how to evaluate data source, capabilities, and outputs of AI tools. Using specialized AI-powered literature search tools subscribed by the University Libraries as examples, students will learn about their advantages over general-purpose chatbots, explore their core strengths and limitations, apply a practical framework to examine their credibility, and discuss how to apply the framework to real-world examples. By the end of the session, you will possess the critical skills needed to assess whether and when to integrate GenAI into your research workflow, and how to do it responsibly. Registration is required. Register here
5 Paths to Leadership Training	Friday, November 6, 2026	12 - 1:30 pm	Warner Hall CCR-East	The Five Paths to Leadership® is a framework that helps individuals and teams understand their leadership strengths and how to apply them more effectively. Unlike other leadership models that assign you a single style, Five Paths measures your ease of access to five intuitive leadership styles: Critical Thinker, Relator, Visionary, Warrior, and Sage and shows how your style shifts under stress. With this knowledge, you can strengthen collaboration, lead with greater confidence, and help your teams thrive. Registration is required. Register here