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.

Graduate students

Masters students​

  • Log into Handshake and go to Career Center menu
  • Select "Center for Engineering Career Development at Thornton Hall A115" as your appointment category 
  • Then select the "SEAS: Masters Students" appointment type

​PhD students

  • Contact PhD career advisors Sonali Majumdar or Yi Hao directly to schedule an appointment
  • If appointments are not available through the PhD career advisors, Log onto Handshake
  • Select "Graduate & Postdoc Career & Professional Development" as your category

 

Undergraduate students

  • Log into Handshake and go to Career Center menu
  • Select "Center for Engineering Career Development at Thornton Hall A115" as your appointment category 
  • Select topic you’d like to discuss

 

All Engineering Students

ALL Engineering and Computer Science students are welcome to schedule a Zoom or phone appointment with our colleagues at the UVA Career Center through Handshake (select UVA Career Center - General Appointments at Bryant Hall under Appointments) or call 434-924-8900.

Our Team

  • Julia Lapan

    Julia Lapan

    Director

    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.

  • Frances McBride

    Frances McBride

    Associate Director & Career Coach

    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.

  • Heather Palmer

    Heather Palmer

    Assistant Director & Career Advisor

    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.

  • Peggy Reed

    Peggy Reed

    Employer Relations Manager

    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.

  • 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.

"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