Professional Development Workshops
Can I Reuse Public Data for a Grant Proposal? Exploiting Online Archives of Neuroscience Data for Non-Data Scientists
Organizer/Moderator: Susan TappanSpeaker: Maryann Martone, Michael Halle, Suparna Goswami, Joost Wagenaar, Benjamin Dichter
Location: WCC Rm 207A
Session Number: PDW01
Track: Research skills
New funding policies require data sharing, yet many scientists deposit data and move on. While NIH now requires alternate methods in translational research, bench scientists often overlook public datasets that could fuel this computational work. This workshop introduces AI tools and platforms from SPARC, BRAIN Initiative, and HEAL, showing how scientists without robust coding skills can reuse data to plan experiments, obtain preliminary results for grant proposals, or drive discoveries.
Making the Leap: Using Transition Awards as a Launchpad for Advancing Your Career Toward Independence
Organizer/Moderator: Viktoriya ZhuravlevaSpeaker: Sasha Fulton, Robert Froemke, Ashlee Van't Veer, Arthur Uhimov, Justin O'Hare
Location: WCC Rm 207B
Session Number: PDW02
Track: Career skills
This workshop will prepare trainees and their mentors to apply for transition awards through the NIH and other sponsors. The speakers’ goal is to equip trainees to utilize these mechanisms as an on-ramp to the next stage of their careers. The panel, composed of successful transition awardees, proposal reviewers and NIH program officers, will share expertise on successful strategies and common misconceptions as attendees develop individual career transition timelines and proposal plans.
Access in Action: Navigating Disability Accommodations and Disclosure
Organizer/Moderator: Jennifer TudorSpeaker: Michelle Jones-London, Catarina Miranda, Thomas Carew, Rainbo Hultman
Location: WCC Rm 207B
Session Number: PDW03
Track: Career skills
Access to academia, the research sphere, and even the public space is not equitable across the globe. There is a critical need for practical guidance on disability disclosure and accommodation requests. In this workshop, participants will have an opportunity to learn about accommodation law, hear leadership considerations and perspectives related to disability, and practice scenarios related to disclosure and accommodation decisions to move from anecdote to action.
Hardware That Heals: Neuroengineering Careers in BCIs, Neurostimulation, and Implants
Organizer/Moderator: Srikanth RamaswamySpeaker: Cynthia Chestek, Corey Keller, Jacques Carolan, Elisa Kallioniemi, Babak Kateb
Location: WCC Rm 207A
Session Number: PDW04
Track: Career path
Neurotechnology is revolutionizing brain sciences, yet career pathways remain opaque to trainees. This workshop bridges basic neuroscience and clinical translation, featuring pioneers in brain-computer interfaces (BCIs), neurostimulation, and AI-driven therapies. Panelists will demystify how to transition from academic neuroscience into neurotech careers, in academia, industry, or entrepreneurship, and discuss emerging opportunities in BCIs, brain stimulation devices, and AI-guided therapeutics.
Effective Allyship as an Essential Strategy for Professional Career Development
Organizer/Moderator: Jean KingSpeaker: Emmeline Edwards, Tracy Bale, Anne Etgen
Location: WCC Rm 207B
Session Number: PDW05
Track: Career skills
This workshop is designed to emphasize the importance of establishing professional and personal allyship relationships and highlight information sharing of the difference between allyship in various contexts and settings. The session will feature a 60-minute effective allyship workshop including formal presentations by panelists, followed by discussion-based mentoring circles.
Lived Experience in Neuroscience: Career Development, Mentorship, Inclusion, and Co-Production
Organizer/Moderator: Uma ChatterjeeSpeaker: Brandon Staglin, Dionna Williams, Devin Effinger, Rachel Wurzman, Edward Twomey
Location: WCC Rm 207A
Session Number: PDW06
Track: Career skills
Neuroscience researchers with lived experience (RWLE) of complex brain disorders (e.g., mental illness/neuropsychiatric, neurodevelopmental, injury-/illness-related, and neurodegenerative conditions) bring unique firsthand insights to research, yet navigate stigma, disclosure risks, and structural barriers. This workshop by RWLE and co-production experts will provide guidance on supporting RWLE, strengthen mentorship, and demonstrate how co-production improves translational relevance and impact.
Building AI-Aware Assignments for Neuroscience Education
Organizer/Moderator: Mary HarringtonSpeaker: Ashley Juavinett, Blanca Martin-Burgos, Taralyn Tan
Location: WCC Rm 207B
Session Number: PDW07
Track: Neuroscience education
We will discuss why you should value incorporating AI in the classroom, and outline several important pitfalls. We will situate these choices within frameworks of assessment validity, assurance of learning,and inclusive design. We will provide examples to offer structured practice working with AI while still generating evidence of learning outcomes. We will demonstrate ways to leverage AI integration into assessments to enhance learning and ways to redesign assessments to buffer from AI use.
Neuroscience Departments and Programs Workshop: Neuroscience in Action: Community-Engaged Learning for Real-World Impact
Organizer/Moderator: Amy Jo Stavnezer, Minna NgSpeaker: Aparna Shah, Sally Seraphin
Location: WCC Rm 207A
Session Number: PDW08
The undergraduate neuroscience curriculum is often confined to the classroom and other academic settings, limiting the application of neuroscience knowledge and its real-world impact. This workshop presents community-engaged learning (CEL) as a versatile framework for addressing these challenges at the classroom and program levels. Facilitators will present adaptable CEL models and partnerships while participants explore implementation strategies, barriers, and interdisciplinary collaborations.
Emerging Into Prominence: Strategies for Young Neuroscientists From Under-Resourced Settings
Organizer/Moderator: Rukhsana NawazSpeaker: Fadwa Al-Mughairbi, SAIMA Gul, Farina Hanif, Nayla Munawar
Location: WCC Rm 207A
Session Number: PDW09
Track: Career skills
Many young neuroscientists across low- and middle-income countries wonder how to get noticed in a highly competitive field, particularly when they are far from well-funded and well-equipped research centers. This collaborative workshop is designed to share practical strategies to strengthen professional visibility and relationships, with a special spotlight on female neuroscientists in Pakistan and other low- and middle-income countries.
Improving Pathways for Scientific Careers in and Outside Academia
Organizer/Moderator: Robert FernandezSpeaker: Julianna Gerold, O. Hecmarie Meléndez-Fernández, Christian Cazares, Jennifer Valdivia Espino
Location: WCC Rm 207B
Session Number: PDW10
Track: Career path
This workshop will discuss the work of academic and non-academic leaders in improving pathways to higher education in the sciences. Through expert panelists, the attendees will be informed on opportunities to build up research experience and enhance their professional development, how to start their own scientific outreach work, and learn about how to start preparing for academic and non-academic careers.
Careers in NeuroAI
Organizer/Moderator: Courtney PinardSpeaker: Nina Hsu, Gina Adam, Ida Momennejad, Daniel Levenstein, Chethan Pandarinath
Location: WCC Rm 207B
Session Number: PDW11
Track: Career path
NeuroAI — at the intersection of neuroscience, artificial intelligence, robotics, neuromorphic engineering, and neuroethics — is rapidly expanding across academia, startups, government, and industry. Yet many early-career researchers have limited exposure to how neuroscience expertise translates into NeuroAI careers. This workshop is designed to support career exploration and orientation by presenting NeuroAI as a problem-driven research ecosystem with a broad spectrum of career opportunities.
Permission to Pivot: Navigating Career and Life Transitions During Times of Change
Organizer/Moderator: Ericka BooneLocation: WCC Rm 207A
Session Number: PDW12
Track: Career path
Permission to Pivot is a professional development workshop focusing on empowering early career scientists and trainees to navigate small and large personal and professional pivots during uncertainty. Through practical guidance, candid insights, and reflection, participants will explore how to make values-aligned decisions, overcome fear and self-doubt, recognize their evolving leadership potential, and activate “power pivots” that support continued growth and career advancement.
Neuroscience Departments and Programs Workshop: Shaping the Future Workforce: Innovative Hiring and Promotion Practices in Neuroscience
Organizer/Moderator: Julio RamirezSpeaker: Lisa Gabel, William Martin, Alyssa Picchini Schaffer, Liisa Galea
Location: WCC Rm 207A
Session Number: PDW13
This workshop aims to explore methods of advancing effective hiring and promotion practices to strengthen the future neuroscience workforce across academic and industry career paths.
Online Presence and Personal Branding Workshop for Neuroscientists
Organizer/Moderator: Cindy PhamSpeaker: Claudia Belliveau, Ieva Andrulyte, Lindsay Ejoh, Alexandra Martinez Lopez, Rose De Guzman
Location: WCC Rm 207B
Session Number: PDW14
Track: Science communication
This interactive workshop teaches emerging neuroscientists the foundations of personal branding and online community building. Participants will explore why visibility matters in academia and beyond, define their unique brand, and learn practical strategies for various digital platforms. Through hands-on exercises and case studies, attendees will draft bios, brainstorm content, and create a 30-day action plan to showcase their research and professional identity.
