NEW TIME AND LOCATION: The Secret Lives of PhDs

Quickly search Google Images for “professor” or “PhD.” What do you see? Perhaps solitary figures in front of chalkboards, or groups of scholars in full medieval regalia. But such outfits appear on only rare occasions, and PhD earners are spending less and less time in front of chalkboards. In fact, the majority of PhDs produced by Princeton University ultimately work beyond academia. So what might these images suggest about the gap between what a PhD is and does, and how PhDs are perceived by the public? How might we bridge this gap?

This event couples a meta-focus on PhD research in the humanities—how it has been done in the past, how it is currently done, and how it can be done in the future—with a sharing of research-in-progress by soon-to-be PhDs. A panel of PhDs will speak about their experiences, answering questions from the audience about their training, research, and current use of their degree. Subsequently, four current graduate students in the humanities will share their dissertation research in TEDTalk fashion. A poster campaign will uncover the secret lives of PhDs and highlight the discoveries and connections that PhDs make on a daily basis, within and beyond the academy. All the ideas from these activities will spread through a social media blitz, including a podcast.

RSVP by emailing jvanwyck@princeton.edu.

Twitter: @SecretLivesPhDs

This event is part of the Being Human Festival 2019 of the Humanities Council.