About GradBridge
GradBridge: Engineering Career Mentoring Circles is a collaborative mentoring initiative between Purdue University and UC Berkeley, designed to connect graduate students and postdocs with experienced mentors, peers, and career insights. Through interactive circles focused on career exploration and professional growth, GradBridge helps participants navigate different career paths in engineering—whether in academia, industry, government, entrepreneurship, or more.
Cost
FREE!
Eligibility:
- Mentees: Pursing a MS or PhD in engineering at Purdue University or UC Berkeley
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Mentors: currently hold a MS and/or PhD in engineering and have experience in a particular job sector. Mentors who are excited to share their experience and engage with graduate students are particularly encouraged to apply. Mentors do not need to be affiliated or alumni of Purdue or Berkeley - all are welcome! We are actively looking for mentors from the following fields:
- Academia (Faculty position, research scientists/engineers, postdoctoral research, academic administration)
- Industry (Private Sector) (Engineering R&D, product development, data science and machine learning, quality assurance or operations management, technical sales, project management)
- National Laboratories and Government Research (research scientists and engineers)
- Startups and Entrepreneurship (Startup founder, early stage product or systems engineer, innovation consultant or venture associate)
- Nonprofit and NGO Sector (Technology for development, program management or grant administration)
- Consulting (Strategy and management consulting)
- Science & Technology Policy (Policy analyst or advisor, Fellowship (AAAS, ORISE or the Presidential Management Fellowship), STEM education policy)
- Intellectual Property and Law (patent examiner, technical advisor, patent agent, IP attorney, Tech Transfer specialist)
- Communications, Writing, and Media (science/engineering writer, technical editor, outreach and public engagement roles)
- Finance and Investment (quantitative analyst, data modeler, R&D investment strategist)
Apply Today!
All Applications are due by Monday, January 5, 2026 by 8am EST.
GradBridge Timeline
Jan 5, 2026: Application Deadline
End of January 2026: GradBridge Applicants notified of their acceptance into the program
Feb 2026: GradBridge live online meetings begin
GradBridge Online Meeting Times: All meetings will be held online using Zoom on Tuesday evenings 7:00 - 8:30 p.m. Eastern Time in February 2026. Check your time zone against Purdue here (West Lafayette, IN Time Zone).
Program Dates:
- Optional Kickoff: February 3, 2026
- Meeting 1: Tuesday February 10, 2026
- Meeting 2: Tuesday February 17, 2026
- Meeting 3: Tuesday February 24, 2026
Program Details:
GradBridge meetings will include short presentations and small-group discussions in mentoring circles, consisting of two paired mentors within a given sector and ~8 graduate students and/or postdocs from Purdue Engineering and Berkeley Engineering. GradBridge helps participants navigate different career paths in engineering—whether in academia, industry, government, entrepreneurship, or more. Discussion Topics include:
- Preparing for your next step after your graduate degree
- Elevator Pitches
- Demystifying jobs in various sectors
- Applying, Interviewing, Resumes and CVs
- Competencies that are important in different sectors
- Lessons Learned and making your gameplan for your next step
Questions?
Contact us at engrgrad@purdue.edu
The GradBridge program is being managed and run by the Purdue University College of Engineering Graduate Education Team in partnership with UC Berkeley Engineering Graduate Student Services Office.