Grad Cohort for Women

Grad Cohort Workshop for Women

April 21-23, 2022 /

CRA-WP Grad Cohort Workshop for Women

PLEASE NOTE: At this time, CRA-WP plans to hold the workshop in person. We continue to monitor the COVID-19 pandemic and will determine if changes are necessary as we approach the event dates.

Deadline: November 15, 2021 (11:59 PM ET)

2022 Application

Overview

Are you a graduate student in computing-related studies, interested in interacting with successful women in your field who can give you advice on topics such as how to find and develop your research topic, how to prepare for your career after graduate school, and how to balance work and life?

If so, please join us at the next CRA-WP Grad Cohort for Women!

At the Grad Cohort for Women, you will spend two days interacting with about 20 senior female computing-related researchers and professionals, who will share pertinent information on graduate school survival skills, as well as more personal information and insights about their experiences. The workshop will include a mix of formal presentations and informal discussions and social events. By attending Grad Cohort for Women you will be able to build mentoring relationships and develop peer networks that will form the basis for ongoing activities during your graduate career and beyond.

The CRA-WP Grad Cohort for Women, initiated in 2004, is generously funded by sponsors from industry, academia, the National Science Foundation, and the computing community. The workshop aims to increase the ranks of senior women in computing-related studies and research by building and mentoring nationwide communities of women through their graduate studies.

This is an NSF-funded program. This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant Number (1840724). Any opinions, findings, and conclusions, or recommendations expressed do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.

Eligibility

Master and Ph.D. students in their first, second or third year of graduate school in computer science and engineering or a closely related field, who are attending an institution in the U.S. or its territories, or an institution in Canada, and who identify as women. Students who have not previously attended a Grad Cohort Workshop will be given priority.

If there are extenuating circumstances for applying beyond the timeframe listed in the eligibility requirements, please make sure you address this in the application. Extenuating Circumstances beyond an applicant’s control include, but are not limited to:

Documented medical condition or serious illness
Documented learning disability
Death of a family member or friend
Involuntary call to active military duty
Maternity/family leave

Application

While we would like to include all students interested in a research career, we are limited by funding and space. We make every attempt to achieve broad diversity goals by considering multiple factors including institution, citizenship, racial and ethnic background, disabilities, etc. Research success is not a criterion in the selection or application because our goal is to include those who might benefit the most from advice, although we do give priority to Ph.D. students over MS only students. Beyond this, some funding comes from the home departments, so acceptance of some students may depend on whether the home department is willing to support additional students.

We do our best to include as many universities as possible with the goal of the most widespread dissemination. The intent is that the students who attend should be able to share their experiences with their colleagues in their home institutions when they return. We also give priority to students who have not attended Grad Cohort for Women before.

The application process is fairly simple. We will collect:

Full name, email, number, city and state
Gender identity, race, ethnicity, citizenship, residency status, disability status, veteran status
ACM or ACM SIGs membership and interest, IEEE-CS membership and interest
Primary academic affiliation, department, research area(s), degree program and number of years, department chair and advisor name and email
CV Link URL, previous attendance to either Grad Cohort
Why do you want to attend Grad Cohort?
CRA Privacy preferences

Travel & Financial Support

Resources from Past Years

2021 Grad Cohort for Women

A Research Mindset [ Video | Slides ]
Balancing Graduate School & Personal Life
Building Your Self-Confidence & Professional Persona
Entrepreneurship [ Video | Slides ]
Finding a Research Topic (Including Interdisciplinary)
Finding an Advisor
Industry vs. Academic Research Positions
Keynote
Networking [ Video | Slides ]
Ph.D. Career Paths & Job Search [ Video | Slides ]
Preparing Your Thesis Proposal and Becoming a Ph.D. Candidate
Presentation and Other Verbal Communication Skills
Publishing Your Research
Strategies for Human-Human Interaction
Summer Internships

2021 Grad Cohort for Women Page

2019 Grad Cohort for Women

2017 Grad Cohort for Women

Academia vs. Industry Research Positions
Balancing Graduate School and Personal Life
Building Self-Confidence
Building Your Professional Persona
Entrepreneurial Opportunities & Skills
Financing Your Graduate Education
Finding a Research Topic
Finding an Advisor and Developing an Effective Working Relationship with Them
Job Interviews
Keynote
M.S. Career Opportunities and Job Search
Master’s vs. Ph.D.
Networking
Perspectives From Grad Cohort Alums
Ph.D. Academic Career Paths and Job Search
Ph.D. Non-Academic Career Paths and Job Search
Preparing Your Thesis Proposal and Becoming a Ph.D. Candidate
Presentation and Other Verbal Communication Skills
Publishing Your Research
Strategies for Human-Human Interaction
Summer Internships

2017 Grad Cohort for Women Page

2016 Grad Cohort for Women

Academia vs. Industry Research Positions
Balancing Graduate School and Personal Life
Building Self-Confidence
Building Your Professional Persona
Entrepreneurial Opportunities & Skills
Financing Your Graduate Education
Finding a Research Topic
Finding an Advisor and Developing an Effective Working Relationship with them
Job Interviews
Keynote
M.S. Career Opportunities and Job Search
Master’s vs. Ph.D.
Networking
Perspectives From Grad Cohort Alums
Ph.D. Academic Career Paths and Job Search
Ph.D. Non-Academic Career Paths and Job Search
Preparing Your Thesis Proposal and Becoming a Ph.D. Candidate
Presentation and Other Verbal Communication Skills
Publishing Your Research
Strategies for Human-Human Interaction
Summer Internships

2016 Grad Cohort for Women Page

Sponsorship

We are currently accepting sponsorship for the 2022 CRA-WP Grad Cohort Workshops! We welcome sponsorship at any level and would be happy to provide recognition in all printed and web materials.

Sponsor CRA-WP Grad Cohort