Hosted by the Penn Center for Innovation
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.
Working with Dr. Yi-Yen Chen during the Spring 2025 Career Exploration Fellowship was a true pleasure and a valuable highlight of my professional development. As a 6th-year Ph.D. student, I came into the fellowship seeking clarity on possible career paths outside of academia, and my time with Dr. Chen proved to be both insightful and encouraging.
Throughout the semester, I met several times with Dr. Chen to discuss a broad range of topics related to career development, including job search strategies, how to effectively communicate the value of a Ph.D. in non-academic settings, and the key skillsets that translate well into industry roles. We focused on the fields of venture capital, startups, and deep tech. Dr. Chen was exceptionally transparent in sharing her own journey from doctoral research to her role in venture capital in the Bay Area and now tech transfer at Penn’s Center for Innovation. Her openness about the challenges she faced, the learning curve she navigated, and the practical steps she took to build her network and break into the field was both reassuring and motivating.
Our conversations often extended into strategic topics, such as how to leverage informational interviews, how to assess company culture during a job search, and how to identify positions that align with both personal values and professional goals. Dr. Chen also encouraged me to think critically about my own strengths and interests, and how those might be best positioned in a competitive and evolving job market.
Overall, Dr. Chen’s mentorship was not only informative but also deeply supportive. She brought both candor and optimism to our discussions, which helped me feel more confident and prepared as I continue to explore post-Ph.D. opportunities. I am incredibly grateful for her time, insight, and generosity throughout the fellowship.
What did you learn from this opportunity (about yourself, potential career fields, the job search, etc.)?
Through this fellowship opportunity, I gained invaluable insight into how the technical skillsets I’ve developed during my Ph.D.—specifically, in designing microscopic actuators and photonic devices at the Singh Center for Nanotechnology—can translate to various roles within industry. Prior to this experience, I had a limited understanding of the specific job titles and functions that aligned with my background. Working with Dr. Chen helped me bridge that gap and start to clearly see where I could apply my training outside of academia.
One of the most impactful takeaways from this experience was learning just how important networking and informational interviews are during the job search process. Over the course of the semester, I conducted more than a dozen informational interviews, reaching out to a mix of close and distant contacts, Penn alumni, former colleagues, and individuals recommended by Dr. Chen. These conversations gave me a diverse and honest view into different industries, work cultures, career trajectories, and the day-to-day experiences of professionals who had once been in similar positions to mine.
From these discussions, I was able to better articulate what kind of work excites me, what environments I thrive in, and which roles align with both my personal interests and long-term career goals. I came away from the fellowship with a much clearer sense of direction: I want to work on the development of next-generation display technologies at a leading technology company. I am drawn to roles where I can collaborate with other bright, creative engineers and scientists to solve complex technical challenges and bring innovative hardware products to life. This fellowship not only clarified what I want to do next, but gave me the tools and confidence to pursue it.
How did your CEF experience influence your future career plans?
The Career Exploration Fellowship (CEF) experience had a significant impact on shaping my future career plans. It gave me the dedicated time and structure to deeply focus my industry job search, reflect on my long-term goals, and think critically about what I want my early to mid-career to look like after completing my Ph.D. Through my meetings with Dr. Chen and the broader activities of the fellowship, I was able to clearly identify and emphasize the technical and transferable skillsets I had developed throughout my doctoral work, and learn how to communicate those effectively in resumes, cover letters, and interviews.
Importantly, the CEF experience pushed me to sit down and consider not just what I’m capable of doing, but what I actually want to build over the course of my career—what kind of work energizes me, the environments I thrive in, and the types of teams and missions I want to be a part of. These reflections, combined with targeted networking and strategic application efforts, ultimately led me to secure a role as a semiconductor processing engineer at a startup in my preferred geographic location. In this position, I’ll be contributing to the development of next-generation microscopic lasers for advanced imaging and sensing systems—work that closely aligns with both my technical background and personal interests.
Without the space, mentorship, and guidance provided by the CEF, I would not have been able to focus my search as effectively or find such a strong alignment between my skills, values, and career ambitions. The experience was instrumental in helping me take that next step with clarity and confidence.
What was the most valuable part of your CEF experience?
All aspects of the CEF experience were incredibly meaningful and worked together in a way that made the program feel cohesive, supportive, and impactful. The Career Services presentations were especially helpful in providing actionable guidance. I particularly enjoyed the LinkedIn profile creation lab, the session on how to tailor a resume for industry roles, and how to navigate the early stages of a job search with clarity and purpose. These sessions gave me tangible tools that I could immediately apply.
Equally valuable was the sense of community I felt through networking with other Career Exploration Fellows. The opportunity to share ideas, job search strategies, and personal reflections with peers going through similar transitions created a strong sense of camaraderie and mutual support. Knowing that I wasn’t navigating this uncertain process alone made a huge difference, and I gained just as much from those informal conversations as I did from the structured parts of the program.
Perhaps most impactful of all was the one-on-one mentorship I received from Dr. Yi-Yen Chen, an accomplished professional with a Ph.D. who transitioned successfully into a career field I’m interested in. Her openness, guidance, and personalized advice helped me understand both the practical steps and the mindset needed to move from academia into industry. That individualized support, combined with the larger structure of the CEF, made this experience a very valuable part of my Ph.D. journey.
Top reason PhD students should apply to the CEF program?
The top reason Ph.D. students should apply to the Career Exploration Fellowship (CEF) is that it provides a rare and structured opportunity to focus intentionally on your career development—something that often gets pushed aside during the demands of research and writing. I especially encourage Ph.D. students who are in the later stages of their program to apply, as the experience is most impactful when you come in with some developed skillsets and a general idea of where you might want to go after your Ph.D.
The CEF is particularly valuable for those planning to enter the job market within the next year. The program offers practical tools for career exploration, including personalized mentorship, insightful Career Services presentations on topics like resume tailoring and LinkedIn optimization, and strategies for effective networking. These tools are directly applicable and can accelerate your job search and decision-making process.
One of the unique aspects of the program is the chance to work on a real-world project with your CEF host. This not only builds your experience but also gives you a closer look at potential career paths in industry, policy, entrepreneurship, or other non-academic fields.
Most importantly, don’t be intimidated by the program’s structure or time commitment—it’s designed to be flexible and supportive. Ultimately, the CEF is what you make of it. If you take full advantage of the resources, mentorship, and community it offers, you’ll come away with a much clearer picture of your post-Ph.D. path and be better equipped to take the next step with confidence.
