Hosted by Amazon – AWS Security
This summer, we will be featuring blog posts written by PhD students who participated in Career Services’ Career Exploration Fellowship (CEF), a program that helps doctoral candidates explore their career interests through networking opportunities with advanced degree professionals. Click here to learn more about CEF.
Describe your experience working with your host.
Reflecting on my CEF experience, I feel incredibly grateful to have been hosted by Amazon AWS’s Security team under the mentorship of Dr. Michael McDougall. We held weekly one-on-one meetings, and despite his busy schedule as a Senior Manager, Michael consistently made time to guide and support me. Our exploratory project focused on using large language models (LLMs) for cybersecurity — a perfect intersection between AWS’s real-world challenges and my own research interests. Through this work, I gained insights into security problems at the massive scale of Amazon AWS, something I could never have accessed on my own. Michael treated me not just as a student, but as an applied scientist, helping me build essential skills in identifying core problems and designing solutions.
What did you learn from this opportunity (about yourself, potential career fields, the job search, etc.)?
Beyond the technical learning, this experience opened my eyes to broader lessons about business and life. Michael generously shared his deep understanding of Amazon’s Leadership Principles, offering real examples that brought them to life. His insights were especially meaningful because he’s also an alumnus of the CIS PhD program — he understands the academic journey and was able to give me grounded advice on career paths outside academia. Through our conversations, he helped me see the many transferable skills I’ve developed in graduate school and gave me the confidence to apply them to real-world business and people problems.
How did your CEF experience influence your future career plans?
One of the most powerful outcomes of this experience was the shift in my own mindset. With Michael’s encouragement, I stepped out of my academic comfort zone and applied for internships early in my PhD program. Thanks to the communication, problem-solving, and interview skills I honed through meetings with Michael, I’ve now landed a 2025 summer internship with a biotech company in Silicon Valley — and I’m excited to apply everything I’ve learned.
What was the most valuable part of your CEF experience?
The most valuable part of my CEF experience was, without a doubt, the mentorship. Michael’s philosophy of problem solving, his expertise in software security, and his generous introductions to colleagues helped broaden my understanding of career opportunities in industry.
Top reason PhD students should apply to the CEF program?
For any PhD student considering the CEF program, my top reason to apply is this: it’s a chance to learn from exceptional mentors, expand your network, and gain a much broader view of the career possibilities beyond academia. I can’t recommend it highly enough.
