Impact of GenAI on PhD Graduates’ Identity and Career Transition: A Longitudinal Case Study in Engineering Education

• In Event: Transforming Postdoctoral and Early Career Pathways

Abstract

As generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) is increasingly integrated into engineering research, its influence on PhD graduates’ identity and career transitions remains underexamined. This longitudinal narrative inquiry, guided by the Identity-Trajectory framework, follows two representative engineering PhD graduates (2023—2025) as they navigate the transition to professional life. One graduate, supported by institutional resources and academic networks, reinforced a researcher identity and pursued an academic career. The other, facing identity disruption and limited support, shifted to industry. Their divergent paths illustrate how GenAI mediates identity development during a critical career phase. This study extends identity-trajectory theory in the context of GenAI and offers insight for rethinking doctoral and postdoctoral education amid changing research practices.

Authors

• Sichen Lai, Chinese University of Hong Kong

• Yun Dai, Chinese University of Hong Kong

• Ang Liu, University of New South Wales

• Cher Ping Lim, The Education University of Hong Kong