Topology Students Workshop is a biennial conference that started in 2012. The first six were held at Georgia Institute of Technology (with the 2020 version online), and the seventh will be held at Vanderbilt University. The first three were funded by a National Science Foundation Career Award and the fourth is funded by an independent grant from the National Science Foundation.

The workshop serves as both a research conference and a professional development workshop for graduate students in the fields of geometric group theory, geometry, and topology. Each workshop has included approximately 50 participants and 10 mentors at various career stages. Topology Students Workshop is unique in its emphasis on community building, professional development, and communication skills.

The main goals of the Topology Students Workshop are:

• To provide training to graduate students on practical aspects of succeeding in academia.
• To build research connections among junior researchers in fields related to topology.
• To train graduate students to effectively communicate their research.
• To demystify the processes behind job applications and publishing.
• To prepare graduate students for their careers after graduate school.

• Holding sessions on various professional development topics such as...
  • creating and delivering research presentations,
  • writing effective CVs, teaching and research statements, and web pages,
  • writing research statements,
  • habits of successful mathematicians,
  • self care,
  • navigating the job process in and out of academia, and
  • the publishing process.
• Creating a supportive community of mathematicians.
• Connecting graduate students with mentors in academic, government, and industry jobs.
• Giving graduate students an opportunity to share their research through formal presentations and informal discussions.
• Providing students with constructive feedback about their presentations.