As a professor who takes mentoring of PhD students seriously, I am absolutely thrilled that our department has partnered with the Erdős Institute to help our graduate students and postdocs appreciate the broad range of amazing career opportunities available to PhDs in math and beyond.  

 

I have seen a dramatic improvement in student mental health and willingness to persist in our program---even among the cohort of PhD students and postdocs planning academic careers--- as these young scientists come to realize the huge range of genuinely interesting careers in industries virtually desperate to hire them, their own students and their peers.  With their deep technical skills, creative impulse, quick learning curve and amazing stamina, our PhD students are gaining, through Erdős Institute programming and support, the confidence and connections they need to land terrific jobs in tech, finance, consulting, government and more. In addition, through Erdős, I am growing my own network of PhD alumni working outside academics; this provides a tremendous resource for our students---  internships, employment, advice, and support--- and  recently, even a financial donation to our program! 

I can't tell you how rewarding it is to hear from former students who are thrilled with their careers, and using the high-level mathematical training we provided to lead on some of society's most pressing issues, including climate change, cyber security, the pandemic, and income inequality. Thank you, Erdős Institute! – Prof. Karen Smith, University of Michigan, Department of Mathematics