Professional Development Workshops

Today’s scientists must develop many important skills that are learned outside the lab. No matter which sector of the workforce you work in or want to join, GSA offers professional development workshops that help set you up for success!

Career Development Virtual Series

Foster your professional development with #WorkshopWednesdays! Every other month, the ECS Career Development Subcommittee will host virtual professional development workshops designed to help early career scientists connect and plan their future careers.

GENETICS Peer Review Training Workshop

Becoming a better reviewer will help you write better papers and hone some of the skills central to scientific success, including critical thinking, evaluating research, giving helpful feedback, and understanding the expectations of editors.

This four-hour workshop provides an introduction to peer reviewing for early career researchers, including graduate students. The workshop covers best practices and a mock review. Topics on the agenda include:

• Principles of Peer Review
• Models of Peer Review
• Dissecting a manuscript
• Drafting Reviews
• Evaluating Reviews
• The Journey of a Manuscript at GENETICS
• Panel Discussion with GENETICS Editors
  • Best practices
  • Determining scope
  • Assessing interest to readers

New Faculty Forum

Your first faculty appointment brings many new challenges. Network, learn, and find support at the New Faculty Forum, a one-day workshop designed for new faculty (those within the first five years of their appointment) and advanced postdocs. Attendees will discuss common challenges, hear strategies for managing a laboratory, and have opportunities to learn about topics such as:

• tools for managing budgets effectively
• tips for negotiating with vendors
• supportive mentoring
• the basics of designing and teaching a new course
• and more!

This focused event will allow you to form a strong network of peers with whom you can continue to collaborate, commiserate, and celebrate long after the meeting ends. A closing networking social will also allow you to connect with more established researchers.

Grants and Funding

Learn from experts about grantsmanship and funding. During the program, attendees will hear talks and discussions from experienced investigators and program officers. You will learn about the peer review process, reaching out to program officers, common errors, important considerations, funding for experimental organisms, and framing significance and novelty.