Special Sessions with Dr. David Giltner

On Tuesday, October 14, 2025, the TLPDC is partnering with the Graduate School for professional workshops featuring Dr. David Giltner. For questions, please contact Cari Carter, Ph.D.  

Registration is now open!

Faculty/Post Doc Workshop:

How to Get Research Funding from Industry

Tuesday, October 14th | 11:00 AM-1:00 PM |TLPDC Room 151

Industry funding for academic research is a lucrative option that more scientists are embracing every year. These 21st century researchers are finding that they are building lasting relationships with companies who can help them expand their groups, identify commercially applicable research directions, and even provide job opportunities for their graduating students! This seminar provides practical advice on how to identify and build valuable private sector research collaborations from Dr. Dave Giltner (Turning Science), an instructor with more than 20 years' experience in industry. Lunch will be provided for those who register!

Student Workshop:

How to Land Your Dream Job Right Out of Grad School

Tuesday, October 14th | 2:00-3:30 PM |TLPDC Room 150

Are you wondering what working in the private sector as a PhD is really like? Working in industry is very different than academic research and being successful requires understanding what behavior is rewarded and developing new habits accordingly. In this seminar, Dr. Dave Giltner (TurningScience) discusses how the private sector is different than the world of academia, and he uses stories from his own career and the many successful people in industry he has interviewed to illustrate exactly why these differences are so important. Most importantly, he covers five important habits that people who are successful in the private sector learn quickly!

David Giltner is the author of the book Turning Science into Things People Need and is an internationally recognized speaker and mentor for early career scientists and engineers seeking careers in industry. He has spent the last 20+ years commercializing photonics technologies in a variety of roles for companies, including JDS Uniphase and Ball Aerospace.

David began lecturing on private sector careers in 2010. In 2017 he started TurningScience to provide tools and advice for making the transition from academia into the private sector.

David has developed the unique ability to function well in both highly technical and business circles and has often functioned as an interpreter to help these two worlds communicate more productively. He now uses this skill to help scientists and engineers understand the private sector so they can design and build their own rewarding careers. David has a BS and PhD in physics and holds six patents in the fields of laser spectroscopy and optical communications.