About Us

In 2012, two PhD students in Psychology, Els van der Helm and Bryan Alvarez, established a non-profit on UC Berkeley’s campus dedicated to career exploration outside tenure-track. Els and Bryan recruited graduate students and postdocs from various departments to organize the first Beyond Academia conference in 2013.

Beyond Academia’s mission has since been to foster career education through a series of events including its flagship annual conference, workshops, tutorials, and panels that connect academics with those who have made a transition to non-academic jobs.

During the COVID-19 Pandemic, the Beyond Academia Conference successfully pivoted to a virtual format, now hosting thousands of attendees from around the world. Each year, our conference gathers over 100 speakers across 30 panels and workshops to discuss the skills and insights necessary to transition from academia into industry.

The Beyond Academia Organizing Team is recruiting for the 2024-2025 year! If you’re interested in being part of this dynamic group of UC Berkeley grad students and postdocs, please fill out this google form.

Any question? Email us at info@beyondacademia.org and we’ll be in touch.

Beyond Academia is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization.