This course is designed to enable graduate students and advanced undergraduates in science and engineering to hone strategies for career success. Drawing strongly on entrepreneurial principles and lessons from industry, the course complements the traditional curriculum by focusing on career-building tools that help students improve their professional prospects and achieve their goals. Relevant for those who plan to pursue careers in academia and industry alike, the course emphasizes principles that empower individuals to take more control of their futures: investing in yourself, building professional networks, taking intelligent risks, and making uncertainty and volatility work to one's advantage. Through a series of in-classroom presentations and interviews - with entrepreneurs, professors, executives, athletes, investors, and thought leaders from diverse fields and sectors - students gain knowledge and strategies related to topics including effective communication and storytelling, negotiation fundamentals, ideation and innovation, translating research advances into products, and building great teams. Additional topics include biotech and deep tech start-ups, and strategies for cultivating a successful academic career. Guest speakers for the Spring 2025 quarter include: 3-time Super Bowl champ with the San Francisco 49ers, Steve Young; renowned organizational theorist and author of Crossing the Chasm, Geoffrey Moore; CMO of Autodesk and the 2022 Forbes "most influential CMO in the world," Dara Treseder; National Geographic Explorer and distinguished professor of Biology and Environmental Sciences at CUNY, David Gruber; SVP and Chief Technology and Sustainability Officer of Eastman Chemical, Chris Killian; Stanford professors and entrepreneurs, Renee Zhao and Jeremy Heit; and author and founder of Stanford GSB's Mastery in Communication Initiative, JD Schramm. Prior guests have included author and LinkedIn Co-founder, Reid Hoffman; Chief Storytelling Officer at National Geographic, Kaitlin Yarnell; 2-time gold medalist and World Cup champion, Mia Hamm; former CEO of Ford Motors, Alan Mulally; and CNN contributor, author, and social entrepreneur, Van Jones. The idea for this course emerged from the instructor's reflections on CHEMENG 30 years of research, teaching, mentorship, and deep entrepreneurial experiences spanning the gamut of approaches to translational science - academic discovery, invention, conceiving of and leading multi-institutional research centers, building research and business teams, launching and financing start-ups, building business models to advance real-world applications of cutting-edge science, and seeing through research-based companies to success. For this course, students will be expected to complete relevant reading assignments, participate actively in class dialogue, and complete writing assignments focused on course topics as they relate to one's own career-building needs and professional aspirations.
3 units · Medical Option (Med-Ltr-CR/NC)
This course is designed to enable graduate students and advanced undergraduates in science and engineering to hone strategies for career success. Drawing strongly on entrepreneurial principles and lessons from industry, the course complements the traditional curriculum by focusing on career-building tools that help students improve their professional prospects and achieve their goals. Relevant for those who plan to pursue careers in academia and industry alike, the course emphasizes principles that empower individuals to take more control of their futures: investing in yourself, building professional networks, taking intelligent risks, and making uncertainty and volatility work to one's advantage. Through a series of in-classroom presentations and interviews - with entrepreneurs, professors, executives, athletes, investors, and thought leaders from diverse fields and sectors - students gain knowledge and strategies related to topics including effective communication and storytelling, negotiation fundamentals, ideation and innovation, translating research advances into products, and building great teams. Additional topics include biotech and deep tech start-ups, and strategies for cultivating a successful academic career. Guest speakers for the Spring 2025 quarter include: 3-time Super Bowl champ with the San Francisco 49ers, Steve Young; renowned organizational theorist and author of Crossing the Chasm, Geoffrey Moore; CMO of Autodesk and the 2022 Forbes "most influential CMO in the world," Dara Treseder; National Geographic Explorer and distinguished professor of Biology and Environmental Sciences at CUNY, David Gruber; SVP and Chief Technology and Sustainability Officer of Eastman Chemical, Chris Killian; Stanford professors and entrepreneurs, Renee Zhao and Jeremy Heit; and author and founder of Stanford GSB's Mastery in Communication Initiative, JD Schramm. Prior guests have included author and LinkedIn Co-founder, Reid Hoffman; Chief Storytelling Officer at National Geographic, Kaitlin Yarnell; 2-time gold medalist and World Cup champion, Mia Hamm; former CEO of Ford Motors, Alan Mulally; and CNN contributor, author, and social entrepreneur, Van Jones. The idea for this course emerged from the instructor's reflections on 30 years of research, teaching, mentorship, and deep entrepreneurial experiences spanning the gamut of approaches to translational science - academic discovery, invention, conceiving of and leading multi-institutional research centers, building research and business teams, launching and financing start-ups, building business models to advance real-world applications of cutting-edge science, and seeing through research-based companies to success. For this course, students will be expected to complete relevant reading assignments, participate actively in class dialogue, and complete writing assignments focused on course topics as they relate to one's own career-building needs and professional aspirations.
Offered in Spring 2026 at Stanford University.