Meet with us!

Connect with us to discuss major or career choices, resume and cover letter writing techniques, or internship and job search strategies. We also offer behavioral mock interviews and review the results of career assessments by appointment.  If you’re outside the US and your waking hours don’t align with our 9am-5pm appointment availability, email engineeringcareers@virginia.edu to request an appointment time.

Undergraduate students

  • Log into Handshake and go to the Career Center menu.
  • Select Appointments and then "Schedule a new appointment".
  • Select "Center for Engineering Career Development at Thornton Hall A115" as your appointment category. It's often the last option in the list.
  • Select the topic you’d like to discuss.
  • You can select an in-person or virtual appointment.
  • If you have an urgent need and there are no available appointments, please email us at engineeringcareers@virginia.edu

Graduate students

Masters students​

  • Log into Handshake and go to the Career Center menu.
  • Select Appointments and then "Schedule a new appointment".
  • Select "Center for Engineering Career Development at Thornton Hall A115" as your appointment category. It's often the last option in the list.
  • Then select the "SEAS: Masters Students" appointment type.
  • You can select an in-person or virtual appointment.

​PhD students

  • Priya Date, Ph.D.: new appointments for students in STEM (science, technology, engineering, math). You may schedule by email or through Handshake.
    • Select "Center for Engineering Career Development at Thornton Hall A115" as your appointment category. 
    • Then select the "SEAS: PhD Students" appointment type.
  • Mallory Neil, Ph.D.: new appointments for students with questions about internships and experiential learning opportunities. A Zoom link will be provided when the appointment is confirmed. If you'd like to schedule an in-person meeting, please specify in your request.

Drop-In Hours at Thornton A115

(During regular school sessions and subject to counselor availability)

  • Monday and Thursday: 1:30 - 3:00pm 
  • Tuesday and Wednesday: 10:00 - 11:30am 
  • Friday: 10:00 - 11:30am with Executive in Residence, Bob Bremer

UVA Career Center Appointments and Drop-In Hours 

ALL Engineering and Computer Science students are welcome to schedule an appointment with our colleagues at the UVA Career Center through Handshake (select UVA Career Center - General Appointments at Bryant Hall under Appointments). The UVA Career Center also offers drop in hours by interest area:

General Drop-In Advising Hours - Clemons Library, 2nd Floor
Monday-Friday, 1-4:30pm
 
Career Communities Drop-In Hours - Clemons Library, 2nd Floor
Counselors from each community will be available on their specified days as listed below. We will also be offering general drop-in’s conducted by Career Peer Educators and counselors each day.

  • Monday: Business & Technology, 1-4:30pm
  • Tuesday: Creative, 1-4:30pm
  • Wednesday: Public Service & Government, Education & Youth Development, & Healthcare, 1-4:30pm
  • Thursday: Science & Sustainability, 1-4:30pm

 
Exploration Drop-In Hours - 1515 University Ave.
Monday-Friday, 11-4:30pm
 
Pre-Health Drop-In Hours - Clemons Library, 2nd Floor
Monday-Thursday, 1-4:30pm

Our Team

  • Julia Lapan

    Julia Lapan

    Director

    jcg9j@virginia.edu
    Julia manages all facets of career development by providing strategic and tactical leadership and direction to the Engineering Career Development team. She also maintains and nurtures existing relationships, as well as develops new relationships, with a significant base of employers.

    LInkedIn Profile
  • Frances McBride

    Frances McBride

    Associate Director & Career Coach

    fhh3s@virginia.edu
    Frances provides comprehensive career counseling and development services to undergraduate and graduate students. She also implements career education programs, consults with students on career search strategies, and conducts career assessments.

    LinkedIn Profile
  • Heather Palmer

    Heather Palmer

    Assistant Director & Career Advisor

    hrr5j@virginia.edu
    Heather advises undergraduate and graduate students on career exploration, internship/job search strategies, and decision making through individual coaching and small group workshops. In addition to advising, she manages our email marketing to students, website, and social media presence. Heather also co-chairs the University-wide Global Careers Committee, is a first-generation UVA alumna, and took a career break to live in Australia for a year.

    LinkedIn Profile
  • Peggy Reed

    Peggy Reed

    Employer Relations Manager

    Peggy@virginia.edu
    Peggy is experienced in corporate human resource management, including employee communications on an international level. She also organizes and arranges employer events and visits, increasing employer and student interaction.

    LinkedIn Profile
  • Dana Quist

    Dana Quist

    Assistant Director & Career Advisor

    dms2c@virginia.edu
    Dana counsels engineering students on all job and internship search related topics. She is the primary contact for BS and BA students majoring in computer science and helps organize events and programs with a technology emphasis including alumni talks and panels, technical interviewing skills, and employer events. When she’s not working with students, Dana spends time on her Etsy shop side hustle, listening to podcasts, trail running and hanging out with her husband and two teenagers.

    LinkedIn Profile
  • Priya Date

    Priya Date

    Assistant Director for Graduate Student Success

    pd8yb@virginia.edu
    Priya creates and develops programs and initiatives to support the professional, personal, and career growth of graduate and professional students; provides career counseling and advisement support to students; and supports efforts to attract a diverse student population.

    LinkedIn Profile

"The career counselors have helped me to discover and take advantage of so many of the resources UVA has to offer. They've given me great advice on everything from networking with alumni, preparing for career fairs, practicing for interviews, and applying to jobs. Through their guidance my job application materials and soft skills necessary for a professional career have improved drastically."

Hanbin Cho, BS Computer Engineering, 2016