Charting Your Career Path Through Uncertainty

About the Event

Feeling uncertain about your next steps after grad school? Join us for Charting Your Career Path Through Uncertainty—an event designed for graduate students navigating today’s evolving job market. Hear from a panel of Penn State graduate alumni who’ve turned uncertainty into opportunity. They’ll share real-world strategies for building resilience, staying adaptable, and pursuing careers that align with your passions and goals.

Stick around after the panel for a casual networking mixer with the panelists, alumni, fellow grad students, Fox Graduate School Alumni Society board members, and professionals from the Penn State community. Whether you’re still exploring or ready to launch your career, you’ll receive practical advice and build meaningful connections.

Free refreshments provided—come for the insights, stay for the snacks and conversation!

Those who wish to attend must register for the event using the Charting Your Career Path Through Uncertainty RSVP form.

Why Attend the Event?

• Learn best practices for overcoming job market difficulties

• Ask your burning questions about the job hunt after graduate school

• Network with industry-leading alumni and fellow students in your field

• Free refreshments!

Register!

Event Details

Thursday, October 23

Panel: 4:30-6:00 p.m., Reception: 6:00-7:00 p.m.

Flex Theater, HUB-Robeson Center

Panelists

Matt Chang, Ph.D.

Matt Chang (B.S. Electrical Engineering, 2011) has had a diverse career trajectory, spanning hardware and software, Big Tech and early-stage startups. After earning his PhD in electrical engineering from Princeton in 2017, he moved to Silicon Valley and joined Apple’s wireless design team, where he contributed to the Apple Watch Series 3 and 4—the first models with cellular capability. In 2019, he became a founding engineer at Luminous Computing, leading the company’s photonic integrated circuits efforts. Following Luminous’ closure in 2023, Matt pivoted fully into machine learning and AI. He subsequently joined Windsurf, an early stage AI coding assistant startup, where he helped build its popular coding agent, Cascade. He is now at Google DeepMind, advancing the agentic coding capabilities of Gemini.

Jami J. Rodgers, CPCM

Jami J. Rodgers, CPCM (B.S. Spanish, Business option, International Studies minor, 2001) is currently serving as Global Strategic Sourcing Manager at Amazon's HQ2 in Arlington, Virginia. With over two decades of acquisition experience, he has managed $40B+ in annual spend across environmental, aerospace, international development, and energy sectors. His previous roles included leadership and senior executive positions at EPA, the Department of Energy, and NASA, where he consistently drove innovation and achieved significant cost savings through innovative sourcing strategies and digital transformation initiatives. Before joining Amazon in 2025, Jami served as Chief Acquisition Officer at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), where he led 350+ acquisition and financial assistance professionals and a $30.5B portfolio across 80 countries.

Mina Tsay-Vogel, Ph.D.

I'm a UX Research Manager at Meta, formerly a tenured Associate Professor in the College of Communication at Boston University, who is passionate about understanding people's needs, motivations, and behaviors to build technologies that enrich their lives and support their well-being. With more than twenty years of experience leading and conducting research in media psychology, directing a research lab, and teaching, mentoring, and advising students, I'm deeply invested in bridging industry and academia. As a mom of young kids, I'm truly grateful to have a career where I can leverage my expertise and dedicate my energy to making the world better for the next generation.

Zahra Ghorbani, Ph.D.

Zahra Ghorbani earned her Ph.D. in Architectural Engineering from Penn State in August 2025, where her research focused on leveraging digital twins for facility operations and maintenance. While at Penn State, she also served as the BIM manager at the Office of Physical Plant. She is now a post-doctoral researcher at the National Institute of Standards and Technology, continuing her work in advancing digitalization in the AECO industry. Zahra’s research interests include digital twins, automation and robotics, and immersive technologies aimed at improving processes and efficiency. She has received multiple honors, including the 2023 Future Leaders Award from the National Institute of Building Sciences (NIBS). Zahra holds a B.E. in Architectural Engineering from Shahid Beheshti University and an M.S. in Construction Management from Texas A&M University.