Professional Development Workshops
From Science to Diplomacy: Bridging Neuroscience and Education With Global Policy
Organizer/Moderator: Maria CastelloSpeaker: Laura Sánchez-Vincitore, Claudia Alarcón López, Astrid Schmied, Zulma Duenas
Track: Career path
This workshop explores the intersection of neuroscience, education, and diplomacy in shaping global policy and societal change. The workshop will showcase how neuroscience research improves education, mental health, and public decision-making in diverse target populations, highlighting case studies from Latin America, the Caribbean, and Asia. Attendees will learn about collaborative frameworks, strategies to overcome challenges, and the role of scientific leadership in addressing societal issues.
Open Educational Resources for Neuroscience: What's Out There and How to Contribute
Organizer/Moderator: Melissa GlennSpeaker: Elizabeth Kirby, Rachel Penton, William Grisham, Thomas Newpher, Elaine Reynolds, Robert Calin-Jageman
Track: Neuroscience education
This workshop will review several successful Open Education Resources (OERs) for neuroscience and discuss how participants can get involved in developing, assessing, and disseminating their own contributions to the vibrant OER community within SfN. To do so, speakers will describe a variety of neuroscience-focused open-access projects, including neuroscience textbooks, in-class application activities, lab and analysis tools, and open-access MRI data sets and the use of the Journal of Undergraduate Neuroscience Education for dissemination.
Getting Started in Neuroscience Education Research
Organizer/Moderator: Melinda OwensSpeaker: Samiksha Raut, Clara Meaders, Stanley Lo
Track: Research skills
Considering investigating your own questions about effective teaching and learning in biology? Wondering how education research may differ from neuroscience research? Please join this workshop for an interactive discussion about how to design an education research study, craft testable research questions, use data collection tools with evidence of validity, and align claims with evidence. Anyone interested in transitioning from reflective teaching to publishable education research is welcome.
Translational Career Paths: At the Bench or Beyond
Organizer/Moderator: Fiona DucotterdSpeaker: Matthew Kelley, Jim Ray, Cliona MacSweeney, Fraser Murray, Joanne Taylor
Track: Career path
Navigating the diverse career options available in neuroscience and making changes to move in new directions can be both energizing and rewarding with the right strategies. This workshop will cover personal career journeys in neuroscience across academia, industry, biotech, investing, and business and provide clear strategies for building a career path across sectors, and importantly, making decisions that support career development and professional growth.
Breaking Neuroscience Language Barriers in Spanish and Beyond
Organizer/Moderator: Christian CazaresSpeaker: Elena Blanco Suarez, Monica Lopez-Hidalgo, Kathia Ramirez-Armenta, Jose Zepeda, Alba Peris-Yague, Alex Chaim
Track: Science communication
This workshop is for neuroscientists interested in reaching non-English-speaking communities, using Spanish as an example framework. The workshop will feature an expert panel on communicating science across language barriers. This will be followed by an interactive "elevator pitch" session, where participants will develop and practice skills to engage non-English speaking communities, all while building connections with colleagues committed to expanding scientific communication beyond English.
Neuroscience Departments and Programs Workshop: Resilience in Research and Education: Personal and Global Perspectives
Organizer/Moderator: Lique Coolen
This workshop aims to cover different types of disruptions that neuroscience programs may face. Departments need to have mechanisms in place to respond to disruptions caused by a variety of sources, whether they come from events in the world or from events within a program.
Advancing Your Career Through Effective Science Writing for the Public and Creating Clear, Eye-Catching Research Statements
Organizer/Moderator: Eduardo Rosa-MolinarSpeaker: Wendy Jarrett, Jim Newman, Paula Clifford
Track: Science communication
This workshop aims to provide instruction on writing effective research summaries for various audiences, including the public. The intended audience is early and mid-career neuroscientists who would like to enhance their skills by learning how to summarize their studies for funding opportunities, public programs, job applications, and websites.
Elevating Pedagogy: Teaching-Focused Career Paths at Research-Intensive Universities
Organizer/Moderator: Suzanne WoodSpeaker: Karenna Malavanti, Samantha Scudder, Tsz Man Vanessa Chan-Devaere, Sarah DeMoya, Celeste Pilegard, Melissa Maffeo Masicampo
Track: Career path
Teaching-focused faculty are an integral part of a growing number of departments at research-intensive institutions, yet, for many job seekers, this career path is overlooked or unknown. In this workshop, teaching-focused faculty at various career stages and from diverse institutions will share insights about their positions, institutional support, and strategies for professional growth. Join this timely discussion of how to thrive in a teaching-focused role at a research-intensive university.
Life After the PhD: Career Opportunities in Brain Data Science
Organizer/Moderator: Mathew AbramsSpeaker: Dimitri Yatsenko, Uma Karmarkar, Angie Michaiel
Track: Career path
This workshop will address career paths outside of academia and alternative careers in which neuroscience skills, big data analysis, as well as other skills, would be advantageous. The workshop will provide perspectives from individuals who have enjoyed diverse careers outside of academia and traditional neuroscience career paths. The panelists will share how they got there and advise attendees on how to follow in their footsteps.
Tools and Resources for Teaching Neuroscience: A Core Concepts Approach
Organizer/Moderator: Kimberley PhillipsSpeaker: Audrey Chen, Jennifer Schaefer, Patrick Sonner
Track: Neuroscience education
Neuroscience educators may face challenges keeping pace with rapid developments in the field as they design and revise courses. Core concepts are unifying big ideas that allow educators to anchor new developments into a timeless framework that applies across neuroscience subdisciplines. Speakers will describe how they incorporate core concepts into their courses and/or curricula through teaching tools. Small groups will develop or adapt tools for their own teaching.
Women Shaping Neuroscience: Navigating Leadership of Major Multidisciplinary Collaborative Projects
Organizer/Moderator: Frederick GregorySpeaker: Maiken Nedergaard, Mounya Elhilali, Maryam Shanechi, Elaine Hsiao
Track: Research skills
This workshop will explore the experiences of women who have led successful multidisciplinary collaborative projects through the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) Multidisciplinary University Research Initiative. Attendees will gain valuable insights into the challenges each speaker faced as women and leaders, their strategies for overcoming obstacles, and key lessons learned about leading academic teams. The workshop will cover topics such as academic careers, collaboration, and project management.
Are SBIRs or STTRs Right for You?: A Primer for Small Businesses and University Partners
Organizer/Moderator: Sharon HrynkowSpeaker: Richard Giersch
Track: Research skills
The federal government provides $4B annually in nondilutive funds to small businesses, with or without a university partner, to advance innovative technologies toward commercialization. This workshop will provide an overview of the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs, with specific focus on awards from NIH and NSF. This workshop will cover eligibility, differences between SBIRs and STTRs, and review considerations.
Navigating Your Career Roadmap in a Changing Landscape
Organizer/Moderator: Michelle Jones-LondonSpeaker: Delia Olufokunbi Sam, Derrick Morton, Krissy Lyon
Track: Career path
This workshop will feature advice and strategies from trainees and mentors, with interactive activities and small group discussions to provide insights into helping graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, junior faculty, and their mentors navigate career development plans with an emphasis on change management strategies. The conversations will extend beyond funding opportunities, focusing on planning and developing a career roadmap in a changing landscape.
Leadership at Every Step of the Journey
Organizer/Moderator: Sonia BansalSpeaker: Michaela de Kock, Dionna Williams, Denisse Paredes, Stephanie Proano, Annabell Segarra
Track: Career skills
Scientific leadership evolves with career stages, from early career researchers building credibility through collaboration and mentorship to mid-career leaders managing teams and securing funding, and senior scientists shaping policy and mentoring future leaders. This diverse workshop, proposed by World Women in Neuroscience, will discuss how leadership development throughout scientific careers, challenges encountered, and strategies to foster leadership within the scientific community.
