The Office of Career and Life Design hosts several networking nights each year for graduate students and postdoctoral scholars.
Mingle with advanced degree alumni and fellow graduate students at our dynamic networking events. These gatherings are ideal for forging connections and fostering professional relationships.
Qualitative Research Night for Masters, PhDs and Postdocs
Tuesday, February 24, 2026 | 5-7 p.m. | Glickman Conference Center
Are you an advanced degree student or scholar engaged in (or want to learn more about) qualitative research? Interested in chatting with professionals working in qualitative research positions? Come meet with alumni and recruiters in a relaxed environment. Ask alumni about their career journey, from academia into industry, their current role, advice on entering the job market and ways to be a competitive candidate. Some alumni will be accompanied by a recruiter from their organization who can answer questions about hiring and navigating the HR process. Represented organizations may be hiring for immediate openings and others will be looking to connect with future candidates. Recommended dress code for this event series is business casual.
Stay tuned for a list of participating companies and recruiters!
Register Now
2026 Alumni & Recruiters
Click through to learn more about our Spring 2026 participants and read their bios. Check back for updates!
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Julian Asher
Sr UX Research Manager
Target
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Jerica Bornstein
UX Research
Expedia Group
Human Development and Family Sciences, Ph.D.
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Vershanjali Chauhan
Senior UX Designer
Target
MSIS 2024
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Lynn Cowles
Health and Food Justice Programs Manager
Every Texan
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Merrill Davis
Vice President of Communications
Texas 2036
Master of Public Affairs
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Sydney Hussett
UX Researcher
Expedia Group
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Stacia Long
Senior Research Scientist
Gibson Consulting Group
UT MA Language and Literacy Education
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Amber O’Connor
Food Policy Analyst
Every Texan
Anthropology, Ph.D. and MA
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Stacey Swinehart Ganderson
Head of Accessibility
Cornerstone OnDemand
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Jacqueline Whearty
Research Associate
Center for Policy Research
Human Development and Family Sciences, Ph.D. 2021, M.A. 2018
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Jess White
Director of UX Research
Expedia Group
Linguistics, Ph.D. and M.A.
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Jocelyn Wright
Director, Community and Market Development
Six Red Marbles
French, Ph.D. and M.A.
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Rick Ybarra
Senior Program Officer
Hogg Foundation for Mental Health
Past Participating Alumni & Recruiters
View alumni and recruiters who have joined us at past Qualitative Research Night events.
Past Networking Nights
Quant Night for Masters, PhDs and Postdocs
Thursday, October 30, 2025 | 5-7 p.m.
Texas Science & Natural History Museum
Are you a quantitative/data-focused advanced degree student or scholar? Interested in chatting with professionals within the data science field? Come meet with alumni and recruiters in a relaxed environment at this campus-wide networking event.
Ask alumni about their career journey, from academia into industry, their current role, advice on entering the job market and ways to be a competitive candidate. Some alumni will be accompanied by a recruiter from their organization who can answer questions about hiring and navigating the HR process. Represented organizations may be hiring for immediate openings and others will be looking to connect with future candidates. Recommended dress code for this event is business casual.
Companies Include: Microsoft, Procter & Gamble, Demand Side Analytics, Holdsworth Center, Maximus, Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, Expedia, SOAR, Goldman Sachs, Evolent Health, Sandia National Labs, Gibson Consulting, and more- stay tuned for more updates!
2025 Employers and Alumni
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Jonny Beber
Senior Quantitative UX Researcher
Expedia
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Valerie Bradford
Principal Scientist
Procter & Gamble
Chemistry Ph.D., 2008
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Conor Cunningham
Partner Architect/Engineering Manager
Microsoft
Computer Science, MS
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Georgia Eberley
Engineering Campus Recruiter
Goldman Sachs
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Alejandra Garza
Senior Program Coordinator
The Holdsworth Center
History, Ph.D.
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Melissa Humphries
Assistant Director of Data Management and Research
Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board
Sociology, Ph.D.
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Yughi Kim
Senior Director, Data Management & Research
Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board
Higher Education Leadership, Ph.D.
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Darshan Kobla
Partner, Pathfinding, Product & Test Engineering
Microsoft
Electrical Engineering, MS
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Kristen Lopez
Sr. Specialist - Recruitment
Maximus
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Michelle Lucas
Senior Data Analyst
The Holdsworth Center
Human Development, Ph.D.
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Cathy Malerba
Executive Director
Gibson Consulting
Human Development and Family Sciences, Ph.D.
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Adam Markman
Senior Data Scientist
Procter & Gamble
Electrical and ComputerEngineering, Ph.D.
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Amy McCurdy
Director, Data Management and Research
Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board
Human Development and Family Studies, Ph.D.
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John Miner
Chief Information Architect
Sandia National Labs
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Nadine Miner
UT Campus Partnership Manager
Sandia National Labs
Ph.D.
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Jorge Naciff
Principal Scientist
Procter & Gamble
Molecular and Cellular Physiology, Ph.D.
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Yewande Obuekwe
Manager, Reporting and Analytics
Maximus
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Fatma Tarlaci
Chief AI Officer
SOAR
Adjuct Assistant Computer Professor, UT Austin
Comparative Literature, PhD, 2016
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Jennifer Vandewalle
Director of Support Services
Maximus
MPAff, Public Affairs, 2006
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Nikolaos Vergos
Director of Data Science
Evolent Health
Physics, Ph.D.
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John Walkington
Consultant
Demand Side Analytics
Economics, MA, 2022
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Alyssa White
Head of UX Research
Expedia
Applied Experimental and Human Factors Psychology, Ph.D.
Past Participating Alumni & Recruiters
View alumni and recruiters who have joined us at past Quant Night events.
Arts & Humanities Night for Grad Students and Postdocs
Thursday, April 10, 2025 | 5-7 p.m.
Are you a graduate student or postdoc interested in a career in culture, literature and the arts? Interested in chatting with industry professionals who share your creative spark? Arts & Humanities Night is a campus-wide networking and recruitment event for graduate students in the arts and humanities.
Come meet with alumni and recruiters in a relaxed, open environment. Ask about their career journey, the transition from academia into industry, their current role and advice on entering the job market, being a competitive candidate and navigating the HR and hiring process.
Recommended dress code for this event is business casual.
SHIFT Makers mocktails and hors d'oeuvres will be served.
Past Participating Alumni & Recruiters
View alumni and recruiters who have joined us at past Humanities Night events.