Graduate StudentResource Center

“Hot Dads and Super Moms? Musseling up against Marine Heatwaves” was the quirky title for this year’s winning 3-minute talk from this year’s UCSB Grad Slam Champion Logan Kozal, a graduate student in the Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Marine Biology. Logan was among ten graduate student finalists who participated in the first-ever virtual Grad Slam, live-streamed on UC Santa Barbara’s YouTube channel on March 8th. Read on to learn more about Logan, the other finalists, and the event!

Tune in for our Final Round livestream on Monday, March 8 at 3:30pm PST to watch our finalists' presentations, participate in a live Q&A, vote in the People's Choice category, and find out our judges' picks! The event will be streamed on UCSB's YouTube channel. Read on to learn more!

Check out the new website for UC Santa Barbara's Graduate Division! The URL for the site will remain the same (https://www.graddiv.ucsb.edu), but we hope the new design will make it easier for users to find essential information and resources. Read on to learn more!

Interested in exploring careers in non-academic settings? Want to learn more about career development and expand your network? Save the dates for the 2021 UCSB Beyond Academia Conference! This year's conference will be take place in an entirely virtual setting over a 2-week span (April 5-9 & April 12-16).

The Graduate Division is excited to announce two graduate writing courses GRAD/WRIT 282AA (Thesis and Dissertation Structured Writing Communities) and GRAD/WRIT 283AA (Preparing for the Academic Job Market) for the Spring 2021 quarter from Dr. Robby Nadler, the Graduate Division’s Academic, Professional, and Technical Graduate Writing Development Director. Read on for more details!

UCSB graduate students and postdocs are invited to join us again for a new career development course! It is free of charge and will help you explore alternative careers to academia. This is essentially a “career class” where you will get individualized feedback, insider information on how to best sell your skills and network with the right people. This free 6-week course runs from Feb 15 - April 2 and is self-paced, asynchronous, engaging, and will help hold you accountable for you to finally make progress on your career goals. Apply by February 10!

Solaire Denaud is the Graduate Student Assistant at the Resource Center for Sexual and Gender Diversity (RCSGD). Solaire's role is to support queer and trans graduate students in all phases of their education, advocate for and with them within UCSB structures, and create resources/events based on students' needs. Read on to find out more about Solaire and the RCSGD!

The 2021 Grad Slam competition is going virtual! This year, Grad Slam talks will be pre-recorded and judged asynchronously, with over $16,000 in cash and prizes being given away. All currently enrolled graduate students are eligible to compete, and organizers are offering training opportunities and equipment reimbursements for all competitors. The deadline for Qualifying Round video submissions is Tuesday, February 2, so be sure to read on for more info on the competition rules and timeline!

Check out the Winter 2021 events and workshops offered by the Graduate Student Resource Center! Don't miss your chance to learn budgeting and tax resources, maximize LinkedIn for your job search, and build your grad community. ​Mark your calendars and visit our Events page for updated information as events get closer.

UCSB is able to continue making available 35 on-campus single-occupancy spaces for limited use by faculty and graduate students for the delivery of remote instruction or research purposes. These spaces are available by reservation only, and reservations are now available for Winter Quarter.

Read on for an important message about holiday travel over the Thanksgiving Holiday from UCSB Student Health and the COVID-19 Response Team.

UC Santa Barbara's Graduate Division is pleased to circulate a dedicated call for proposals to connect UCSB graduate-program alumni with current students about the job market, skills needed to advance successful careers, and the alumna/us experience in chosen career pathways. Past funded events have included career panels, day-long programs, brown-bag discussions, lectures on careers inside and outside academia, and workshops aimed at training students for entry into a range of careers. Read on to learn more!

What if you had the opportunity to talk about your research any way you wanted to? What is it about your research that motivates you? At Lunch & Learn, we want to know! Sign up to present your research in a fun, informal 15-minute presentation. Sign up today!

UCSB is now able to make available 35 on-campus single-occupancy spaces for limited use by faculty and graduate students for the delivery of remote instruction or research purposes. This policy seeks to remedy some of the challenges of remote work and technical limitations that graduate students in particular may be experiencing during the pandemic.

The purpose of the Instructional Technology Grant is to assist UC Santa Barbara graduate students with expenses related to remote education, both learning and teaching. These expenses may include: webcams, headsets, hard drives, upgraded internet service, software, hardware, etc. Expenses that have already been incurred are also eligible for reimbursement. Read on for more details about how to apply!

Check out the Fall 2020 events and workshops offered by the Graduate Student Resource Center! Don't miss your chance to find funding opportunities, learn how to present yourself in interviews, and address impostor syndrome. ​Mark your calendars and visit our Events page for updated information as events get closer.

Our final profile features Asish Ninan Chacko, who is entering the Ph.D. program in Chemistry and Biochemistry. Learn what it was like to grow up in a village in India located below sea level, what Asish hopes to learn about chemical synthesis, and why he loves Taylor Swift!

Next up in our 2020 Incoming Grad Series is Royce Olarte, who is entering the Ph.D. program in Education. Learn more about his research on mathematics education as well as his past as a traveling singer and musician!

Attention grad students: the Graduate Writers' Room is moving to Thursdays on Zoom! Join us on Thursday at any time from 9am-12pm to work alongside your colleagues. Sign up today!

Next up in our 2020 Incoming Grad Series is Eve Bodnia, who is entering the Ph.D. program in Physics. Learn more about Eve's research on dark matter and how she decided to become a parent while completing her undergraduate degree at Berkeley!