The Intersections Science Fellows Symposium will feature talks from 47 outstanding pre-faculty scientists and keynotes from inspiring role models Huda Zoghbi and Freeman Hrabowski III
Registration for the Intersections Science Fellows Symposium (ISFS) is now open. The event, which will take place online Wednesday, October 4 to Friday, October 6, highlights outstanding postdocs in the biological and biomedical sciences who are poised for promising faculty careers.
The Symposium is the salient event of a postdoc-led, faculty-advised initiative that supports the scientific and professional development of the next generation of academic faculty, including those from backgrounds historically underrepresented in academia. This year, 26 Fellows and 21 honorable-mention Associates spanning over 20 institutions across the U.S. were selected for the program, from a pool of 261 applicants.
Fellows and Associates are selected through a rubric-led review process for their cutting-edge and exciting science and their commitment to a more diverse and inclusive academia. As part of ISFS, these talented scientists are matched with faculty mentors and invited into a community of other promising postdocs, many of them from backgrounds underrepresented in medicine. The ISFS Fellows and Associates also receive professional development training to prepare them for the faculty search before, during, and after the symposium. Trainings that have been scheduled thus far include effective mentor-mentee relationships for the fellows, associates, and their assigned mentors, and a workshop on the elements of the faculty application.
“We need faculty members who are not only excellent scientists, but who are also able to establish inclusive research environments where bright minds from many walks of life can thrive and innovate,” said Giovanna Guerrero-Medina, PhD, Director of DEI, Wu Tsai Institute at Yale University and an ISFS Co-Chair. “We are excited about this new cohort of ISFS fellows and associates, who demonstrate excellence in their cutting-edge research and creative approaches, and in their care about continuing to build a scientific enterprise where all are welcome.”
The virtual event on October 4-6 will offer a rich program of presentations by Fellows and Associates, professional development workshops and panels, and networking sessions of interest to established and developing scientists alike. Activities are designed to facilitate collaboration, knowledge sharing, and the formation of lasting professional relationships among the participants. ISFS will also feature keynote talks by two inspiring scientists who are role models in advancing inclusion and good mentoring practices in academia, Huda Zoghbi, professor, Molecular and Human Genetics at Baylor College of Medicine, and Freeman A. Hrabowski III, past-president of the University of Maryland. People can register for ISFS through the following website: https://cvent.me/5DVA1R