About Us
Welcome to PhD and Postdoc Success, a website dedicated to connecting you with staff, resources, and information meant to help you thrive in your time on campus and position yourself effectively for whatever career path(s) you wish to pursue. Our staff across The Graduate School, Northwestern Career Advancement, and partner offices are here to help you develop and set goals for every step of your career exploration and search process.
Meet Our Team
Beth Healey
Assistant Director of Postdoctoral Affairs
Beth is the Assistant Director of the Office of Postdoctoral Affairs (OPA) in The Graduate School (TGS) at Northwestern. Her office is responsible for managing postdoc policies and procedures, advising postdocs, and representing postdoc interests within the University. Before Beth joined TGS, she was a postdoc at Northwestern in the Chabraja Center for Historical Studies. Beth holds a PhD in European history from Northwestern, where her research focused on the British prosecution of Holocaust-related war crimes in occupied Germany. She also holds an MA in history from Boston College and a BA in history from Providence College.
Aubrey Korneta
Assistant Director of Professional and Career Development
As the Assistant Director of Professional and Career Development, Aubrey supports doctoral students in The Graduate School (TGS). Her role is jointly housed between Northwestern Career Advancement (NCA) and TGS. At NCA, Aubrey works on the PhD team with Elysse Longiotti to advise students on career exploration as well as job search preparation and resources. At TGS, she works on the Graduate and Postdoctoral Training and Development team with Liz Stein. Aubrey supports campus partners that work with PhD students, facilitates mentor training for graduate students, and conducts outreach to raise the visibility of professional and career development opportunities at Northwestern.
Before joining Northwestern in 2022, Aubrey earned her Bachelors of Arts in French and International Studies from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, a Masters of Science in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) from Fordham University, and a PhD in French Literature from New York University. Aubrey also taught French language and humanities courses, developed curriculum, and advised and mentored undergraduate students at both New York University and Sarah Lawrence College.
In another life, Aubrey might have been a travel writer, trip planner, or chef. Aubrey also likes spending her time playing with her family, cooking, and exploring new cities.
Aubrey’s favorite advice for advanced degree students: “Think holistically about your goals and remember—there's more than one job market.”
Elysse Longiotti
Associate Director, Student Career Advising
As an Associate Director for Student Career Advising, Elysse leads the PhD-dedicated team at Northwestern Career Advancement (NCA). She supports doctoral students through advising appointments as well as tailored programming. She has been with NCA since 2017.
Before joining NCA, Elysse had experience in graduate recruitment with the University of Chicago, as an Italian language instructor as a graduate student, and (in another life) experience in Human Resources consulting prior to pivoting to higher ed. Elysse earned a Bachelor of Arts in History from Northwestern, a Master of Arts in Italian Studies from UIUC, and a Master of Science in Higher Ed Admin & Policy from Northwestern.
Elysse’s favorite advice for advanced degree students: “As you explore your career options, spend time considering the level impact you want your subject matter expertise to have on your next step."
Liz Stein
Director of Graduate and Postdoctoral Training and Development
Liz received her PhD in the Interdisciplinary PhD program at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. After completing two postdoctoral positions at Northwestern University and the University of Chicago, she left academia to pursue a career in the non-profit sector at the American Cancer Society and at the Museum of Industry in Chicago. Nine years later she returned to academia as the Director of Graduate and Postdoctoral Training and Development at Northwestern University in The Graduate School.
In this position, she has coordinated the Office of Postdoctoral Affairs, English Language Proficiency, the Graduate and Postdoctoral Training and Development team, and the Training Grant Support Office for the past five years. Recently, she is a founding member of the National Training Grant Community of Practice, a nationwide community of training grant professionals with over 250 members at 60 institutions.
