Graduate students enhance career skills with King’s College partners

More than 30 Carolina graduate students advanced their research and gained valuable career skills by organizing and participating in academic workshops with graduate students at one of Carolina’s strategic partners, King’s College London, this past summer.

Participating UNC departments included geography, global studies, history, music, philosophy and religious studies, and 14 Carolina faculty members joined the students for the workshops in London.

Students from each institution work together to organize the workshops and contribute their scholarship, presenting research papers and offering feedback alongside faculty experts.

Noreen McDonald, senior associate dean for social sciences and global programs in the College, said the workshops are a valuable opportunity for graduate students to develop the necessary skills and experiences to become global leaders.

“The exchange of knowledge, perspectives and ideas with an international audience fosters a deeper understanding of topics they’re covering and enhances their ability to navigate complex global challenges,” she said.

Elizabeth Olsen, department chair and professor of geography, organized a joint workshop on feminist, decolonial and critical methodological approaches to the study of the Global South with UNC graduate students Ingrid Diaz Moreno and Andreina Malki. Olsen said organizing and participating in the workshops creates career and academic opportunities for students.

“Developing a proposal, working out the challenges of travel and coordination and then traveling to London to meet with students and faculty around a shared topic of interest opens so many doors for them,” she said.