Professional Development
The Professional Development team provides support to students, postdocs, faculty, and staff through a variety of workshops and events designed to enhance their academic, personal, and professional development.
Mentor Support
Research Mentor Training Policy
In the inaugural year of the Graduate School's mandatory Research Mentor Training policy for newly hired faculty, 87 faculty members completed the training, marking a 770% increase over the previous year.
Culturally Aware Mentoring (CAM)
The Graduate School introduced a new CIMER-based curriculum for faculty and postdocs who have completed foundational mentor training.
Workshops and Events
From navigating the hidden curriculum to preparing competitive fellowship applications, the Office of Professional Development workshops equipped graduate students and postdocs with practical skills for every stage of their journey.
3MT and Postdoc Spotlight
Three Minute Thesis (3MT) and Postdoc Spotlight
Doctoral candidates and postdocs presented their research to a general audience in just three minutes with a single slide. Every speaker completed three coaching sessions grounded in techniques from the Alan Alda Center for Communicating Science, and cash prizes were sponsored by the SBU Alumni Association.
Sai Abasolo became the first Stony Brook student to advance to the Council of Graduate Schools' national Three Minute Thesis showcase.
The Graduate School welcomed its largest audience ever to 3MT, with 181 attendees including faculty, graduate students, postdocs, staff, undergraduate students, and community members.
2026 Winners
Three Minute Thesis
- 1st Place: Esther Opoola, Molecular and Cellular Biology
- 2nd Place: Tamor Khan, Neuroscience
- 3rd Place and People's Choice: Sarah Betz, Economics
Postdoc Spotlight
- 1st Place: Myeongjin Bae, Neurology
- 2nd Place: Anthony Bogetti, Laufer Center
- 3rd Place: Anwesha Sil, Radiology
- People's Choice: Shafeeque Mohammedali, Neurology
Supporting Our Postdocs
Fellowships and Awards
Continued growth for fellowship applications, with 145 applications submitted last year. Of these, 29 received the grant and 4 additional earned competitive status (33 total awards).
I Hit Submit!
The third annual celebration in December honored the act of applying itself. This year's 123 applicants formed the university's largest and most diverse cohort of fellowship candidates, pursuing awards including the Fulbright, NSF GRFP, Goldwater, Critical Language Scholarship, and Marshall Scholarship.
Wall of Honor
On May 6, External Fellowships recognized undergraduate and graduate students who earned competitive, merit-based fellowships and scholarships with a reception in the Charles B. Wang Center, honoring 35 winners who received 39 awards from 11 awarding bodies.
New: The Fellowships Feed
External Fellowships launched The Fellowships Feed, a newsletter to help you stay up to date with exciting news, upcoming events, and important resources related to external fellowships.
Notable Fellowship Achievements:
Featured Articles and Resources
Fellowship and Awards
Research Recognition
- Stony Brook University Continues STEM Excellence with Six 2026 NSF GRFP Winners
- Three Stony Brook Students Turn Research Promise into Goldwater Recognition
- Stony Brook University Celebrates Six New Fulbright U.S. Student Program Recipients
- Fellowship Foundations for Stony Brook University Honors Program Students
- I Hit Submit! Stony Brook Celebrates Fellowship Applicants
Development and Support