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N.C. Plant Sciences Initiative

Professional Development Opportunities

Events and Conferences
Internships and Fellowships
Other Opportunities
Additional Resources

Featured Opportunities

NC Commodity Conference Graduate Student Pitch Competition

This 2-minute pitch competition is a unique opportunity for students and postdocs to present their research to industry and non-academic audiences. Cash prizes will be awarded. This competition is open to CALS and PSI undergraduate and graduate students.

Deadline to apply: December 1, 2025
Event Date: January 17, 2026

Learn more and apply 

Sustainable Futures Fellows Program

NC State’s Sustainable Futures Fellows program engages interdisciplinary student teams in a unique 15-week exploration of the sustainability challenges and opportunities across key sectors of the economy, such as energy, agriculture, forestry, manufacturing, transportation and more. Open to undergraduate and graduate students; must apply in teams of 4. 

Application Deadline: November 15, 2025

Learn more and apply 

AAAS Mass Media Science & Engineering Fellowship

This 10-week summer program places science, engineering, and mathematics students at media organizations nationwide. Fellows use their academic training as they research, write, and report today’s headlines, sharpening their abilities to communicate complex scientific issues to the public. A stipend of $10,000 for the summer as well as travel expenses to and from AAAS sites are provided to selected Fellows.

Deadline to apply: January 1, 2026 by 11:59pm EST

Learn more and apply 

Events and Conferences

2026 N.C. PSI BRIDGE Symposium & Networking Event

The N.C. Plant Sciences Initiative (N.C. PSI) is hosting the third annual BRIDGE (Bridging Research Ideas for Greater Extension) Symposium.  Graduate students and postdoctoral scholars from any department are encouraged to apply. Industry leaders, NC Extension representatives and faculty across the university will be in attendance. The 2026 BRIDGE Symposium includes TWO categories of presentations: Existing and Theoretical Collaborative Research. Interested students and postdocs can apply for either or both. Prizes will be awarded to the top presenting teams in both categories.

Registration Deadline: December 1, 2025
Symposium Date: Thursday, March 12th, 2026 from 2-5pm

Learn more and register

Upcoming PSI Events

All PSI Events
Nov 19

Wednesday4:00 PM

Veterans in Ag Photo Reception
Nov 20

Thursday12:00 PM

Special Seminar – “From Genes to Fields: Integrating Biotechnology & Endophytes for Agricultural Resilience”
Jan 22

Thursday4:00 PM

Save the Date: Mashup at the N.C. PSI

Conferences

NC State Field Days

Explore commodity-specific events across the state

Learn more and register 

Sustainable Agriculture Conference

November 14-16, 2025
Columbia, SC

Learn more and register 

Sustainable Agriculture Summit

November 19-20, 2025
Anaheim, CA

Learn more and register 

World Agri-Tech Innovation Summit

December 8-9, 2025
Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Learn more and register 

AGU25

December 15-19, 2025
New Orleans, Louisiana

Learn more and register 

PAG33

January 9-14, 2026
San Diego, California

Learn more and register 

Southern Cover Crops Conference

February 24-26, 2026
Gainesville, Florida

Learn more and register 

TechConnect World Innovation Conference & Expo 2026

March 8-12, 2026
Raleigh, North Carolina

Learn more and register 

ASABE Global Symposium on Sustainability of Agro-Eco-Systems through Climate Change Resilience

March 15-18, 2026
Brasov, Romania

Learn more and register 

World Agri-Tech Innovation Summit

March 17-18, 2026
San Francisco, CA

Learn more and register 

AI in Agriculture 2026

March 31 – April 2, 2026
NC State University

Learn more and register 

Astrobiology Science Conference 2026

May 17-22, 2026
Madison, WI

Learn more and register 

2nd International Conference on Agriculture Engineering

June 8-9, 2026
Lisbon, Portugal

Learn more and register 

2026 ASABE Annual Meeting

July 12-15, 2026
Indianapolis, Indiana

Learn more and register 

2nd World Congress on Advances in Plant Science and Plant Biology

July 13-14, 2026
Berlin, Germany

Learn more and register 

17th International Conference on Precision Agriculture 

July 13-16, 2026
Porto Alegre, Brazil

Learn more and register 

Plant Biology 2026

July 18-22, 2026
Ottawa, Canada

Learn more and register 

2026 IEEE International Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium

August 9-14, 2026
Washington D.C.

Learn more and register 

NC State Career Fairs

Explore upcoming career fairs and events offered by various colleges and disciplines across NC State!

Office of University Interdisciplinary Programs

Discover OUIP’s list of interdisciplinary events across NC State

Internships and Fellowships

Syngenta Technology Development Internship

Syngenta Technology Development Internship – Summer 2026
Open to all graduate students with a graduation date after December 2026

Simons Postdoctoral Fellowships in Plant Biology

The Simons Foundation is now accepting applications for its Simons Postdoctoral Fellowships in Plant Biology awards. The purpose of these fellowships is to support candidates who intend to pursue a career in basic research on fundamental problems in plant biology. They are interested in applicants with training in disciplines that could be brought to bear on plant biology, including but not limited to engineering, computational modeling, theory, chemistry, synthetic biology and physics, as well as applicants already involved in the plant sciences. The program is purposefully flexible to attract diverse expertise.

Application Deadline: December 4, 2025 at 12:00 p.m. EST

Learn more and apply
Researcher holding petri dish
Man in a research lab

SMART Scholarship-for-Service Program

Offers STEM students who are currently pursuing a bachelor’s, master’s, or Ph.D. a full scholarship, internships, annual stipends, and guaranteed employment with the Department of Defense.

Applications Deadline: December 1 at 5:00 p.m. EST
The SMART Program accepts applications annually from August 1 to December 1.

Learn more and apply 
Oak Ridge National Labs

Student Opportunities at Oak Ridge National Laboratory

Enhance your expertise and collaborate with many of the nation’s leading science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) experts as you complete your research. Opportunities are available for current undergraduate and graduate students to participate as members of research teams at ORNL. All internships come with a stipend.

Learn more 

Micro-Internships for Graduate Students & Postdocs

Micro-internships are short-term, paid, professional assignments that allow you to explore career paths, build your network, and prepare for the transition to industry. These micro-internships allow you to be flexible with your graduate studies, while still being intentional in your career development. These unique projects are posted at all times of year by companies of all sizes,

ePACK

ePACK is NC State’s online platform for openings (internship, leadership development, and full-time job opportunities), upcoming events, online tools, and more that are currently available for you.

Explore ePack
Cooper howling wolf sculpture near greenery and benches

Other Opportunities

Belize: Culture, Museums, Foodways and Environment
This NC State study abroad program gives students the opportunity to learn about the fascinating and diverse histories, cultural heritage, and ecosystems of Belize.
Study Abroad Scholarship Deadline: November 15
Early Action Program Application Deadline: November 15
Regular Decision Program Application Deadline: February 5

New Industry Partnering Requests

Halo has announced 12 new partnering requests with industry partners. These requests are open to PIs, postdocs, graduate students, spinouts, startups, and other inventors.
Funding ranges up to $200K with potential follow-on, along with in-kind resources and other potential partnership models.

Learn more and apply
students at career fair

N.C. PSI’s “Spotlight on Growth”

Did you know there are over 400 undergraduates, graduate students and postdocs that are affiliated with the N.C. PSI -all doing incredible work!! In an effort to recognize and celebrate the outstanding contributions of students and postdocs across PSI, we are introducing a new spotlight series: “Spotlight on Growth”. Every few weeks, we will introduce you to one student or post-doc and share some brief facts about their research and themselves. Additionally, these spotlights may be shared on N.C. PSI social media throughout the year.

Step into the Spotlight
Plant Sciences Building at night
Small group talking in a conference room

The Graduate School’s Professional Development Workshops

The Graduate School offers an array of career preparedness, communication skills, leadership, teaching, and wellness programs year round. There are both in-person and virtual workshops offered.

Explore 
students at career fair

NC State LanchPad

NC State Innovation and Entrepreneurship has developed an incubator program to support early-stage undergraduate and graduate student startups. Registration for Fall 2025’s LaunchPad is live!

Learn more and register 

NSF I-Corps Program

The I-Corps Program at NC State offers a NSF training program aimed at helping scientists and engineers extend their ideas, research and inventions into the marketplace. This program consists of a four-session course focused on entrepreneurship and exploring the commercial viability of innovations.
Applications are accepted on a rolling basis. Program Dates Vary.
*If accepted, your team will be placed in the next available cohort.

Learn more and apply 

Have an event you would like advertised here and in our weekly email? Contact Alex Goodnight.

Resources

Career resources

The Arabidopsis Information Resource (TAIR) Job Board

International and domestic postdoctoral, faculty, research, field technician positions and more are listed for those interested in plant science careers.

Visit 

Plantae’s Career Center

Search for jobs, internships and mentorships in the US and abroad across a variety of industries and types of institutions.

Visit 

Ag Career Job Board

Search by sector, specialty and career type for job opportunities in every stage of the food system.

Visit 

National Society of Professional Engineers (NSPE) Job Board

Job opportunities in ag engineering and all other engineering disciplines.

Visit 

NC State Career Development Center

Take advantage of university career resources available to all NC State students

Explore 

N.C. PSI Certificate Programs

N.C. PSI offers two certificate programs, one for Ag Data Science and the other for Regulatory Science in Agriculture.

Discover