Skip to main content
N.C. Plant Sciences Initiative

Professional Development Opportunities

Events and Conferences
Internships and Fellowships
Other Opportunities
Additional Resources

Featured Opportunities

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 

Thriving in Interdisciplinary Teams Workshop Series

The Thriving in Interdisciplinary Workshop Series is a hands-on, four-session experience designed to equip undergraduate and graduate students with practical tools to excel in any team. Students will elevate their teamwork skills for academic and professional success. The workshop series is open to students of all programs allowing them to engage with peers from various fields, learning a values-based, team-centric approach to leadership. 

Deadline to apply: January 7, 2026

Learn more and apply 

NC State Make-A-Thon

Make-A-Thon is NC State’s sustainability innovation competition. Collaborating in cross-disciplinary teams, students work to create the best solution to a sustainability challenge. Students can register as a full team (4 persons) or sign up individually or in pairs to be matched with other participants. Teams must include members from at least two different colleges. At the end of the competition, students will pitch their ideas to judges from campus and local companies. This year, prize money totals $8,500.

Deadline to register: January 15, 2026

Learn more and register 

Envisioning Urban Futures: More-Than-Human Cities

Can we make cities more sustainable, resilient, livable, and healthy by moving beyond a human-centric design philosophy? “More-Than-Human Cities” is a concept that recognizes and incorporates the needs and agency of non-human species—plants, animals, fungi, and microbes—in urban planning and design. Join us in exploring this theme at our next Symposium.

Event Date: January 28 from 5:30-8:00pm
Event Location: Duke Energy Hall at Hunt Library 

Register now 


Building Professional POWER: Pathways to Opportunities, Workforce-readiness, and Excellence in Research

The STEPS Center invites PSI postdoctoral scholars to this in-person workshop focused on enhancing career readiness, building connections, and supporting postdoctoral success in interdisciplinary or convergent research settings. Participants will engage in career conversations, hands-on interactive workshops, and networking lunches designed to spark meaningful collaboration. Graduate students completing their programs in Spring or Fall 2026 may attend on a case-by-case basis.

Event Dates: January 7-8, 2026
Event Location: Seminar Rooms, Plant Sciences Building
Registration Deadline: December 30th, 2025

Learn more and register

USDA-ARS AI Center of Excellence/SCINet Graduate Student Intern Program

The N.C. PSI has partnered with the USDA-ARS AI Center of Excellence and SCINet to provide NC State graduate students with a 10-week paid summer internship focused on data science, AI, mathematical modeling, and related fields. NC State Master and PhD students with existing skills in data science and AI are encouraged to apply; students do not need to have experience in ag sciences. Internship comes with a living stipend of $12,800 and funds for travel to visit USDA mentor.

Application Deadline: Friday, January 23, 2026 at 5:00 p.m.

Learn more and apply
Neural Network Brain

Bayer Crop Science 2026 University Mentoring Program

Are you a late-stage graduate student or postdoc who is interested in pursuing a career in industry?  BayerCrop Science offers a 1 year mentoring program that focuses on the professional (not technical and scientific) skills needed in the industry workforce. There are 3 virtual information Sessions (12/11, 1/21, and 2/09) for interested students.

Application Deadline: February 22, 2026

Learn more and apply
Bayer logo

Events and Conferences

Upcoming PSI Events

All PSI Events
Jan 07

Wednesday

Building Professional POWER: Pathways to Opportunities, Workforce-readiness, and Excellence in Research
Jan 22

Thursday4:00 PM

Save the Date: Mashup at the N.C. PSI
Feb 28

Saturday8:30 AM

Plant Science Outreach Day 2026

Conferences

NC State Field Days

Explore commodity-specific events across the state

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

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,

Learn more and apply 

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

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