Do you feel like your career is “just happening” to you instead of being driven by you?

Are you energized by collaborative science, but unsure how your values, goals, and leadership style fit into academia or industry?

Do you ever wonder what “success” in science really looks like for you beyond titles, grants, and publications?

In the rush of experiments, papers, and deadlines, it’s easy to default to the paths and expectations around us. But building a sustainable, collaborative scientific career requires intention: clarity about your values, a vision of the life and career you want, and the skills to lead and mentor others along the way.

In this interactive workshop, we’ll explore how to design a scientific career that aligns with your values and leverages collaboration as a core part of your professional identity.

In this hands-on workshop, we’ll cover:

• Values & self-reflection: Clarifying what matters most to you in your work and life and how those values can guide your career decisions.

• Defining success on your own terms: Exploring what a “successful” scientific career looks like to you (not just to your advisor, institution, or field).

• Driving your own path: Exploring multiple future career visions to spark new possibilities and reduce the pressure of choosing a single “right” path.

• Manager, leader, mentor – what’s the difference? Understanding these roles, how they overlap, and why each matters in scientific workplaces.

• Who do you want to be for others? Articulating the kind of leader and mentor you want to become - whether you see your future in academia, industry, or beyond - and identifying meaningful next steps to grow into that role.

You’ll walk away with a clearer understanding of your values, new language to describe what a meaningful and collaborative scientific career looks like to you, and practical tools to support ongoing reflection and intentional career design. Rather than prescribing a single “right” path, this workshop will help you begin shaping your own, one that resonates with your strengths, values, and long-term vision.

Presenter: Ellen Dobson, PhD, GCDF

Does the idea of suddenly being responsible for building, leading, and managing a research team feel a bit overwhelming… maybe a little scary?

How will you implement the vision you’ve laid out on Day 1? 

Most science today is done in teams, yet the majority of us received very little (if any!) training in how to set up and lead a team. In this session, you’ll learn how to adapt research from The Science of Team Science to implement strategies, practices and tools for leading collaborative science… now and into future interdisciplinary collaborations! 

On Day 2, you’ll dive into:

• Opportunities and challenges in Team Science: Why does doing high-impact science require collaboration, and what challenges might I encounter?

• Envisioning what Team Science will look like for me: What kind of collaborative projects will I need to achieve my research vision? What kind of team will I need to build? 

• Being a successful collaborator: What are the essential skills and practices of scientists who excel at collaboration? And how do I scale those skills as my research program grows?

• Building research support systems that facilitate your work: Without robust systems to support your work, you can end up spending all your time managing the project instead of doing the science you love. What kinds of systems do you need to be as efficient and effective as possible? 

By the end of Day 2, you’ll be able to craft a Team Science strategy that helps you achieve the vision you laid out on Day 1! You’ll have tangible, accessible skills, practices, and tools that you can implement to make your transition from post-doc to superstar scientist easier and more fun.

Presenter: Betsy Rolland, PhD MLIS MPH ACC

Ever felt like you didn’t quite know how to get your message across? Panicked at the thought of presenting to people outside your discipline? You’re not alone!

Group meetings, thesis defense, manuscripts, conference presentations…today’s graduate and advanced scientific training generally only teach early-career scientists how to communicate professionally with other researchers in their field of study.

Then, suddenly, you find yourself trying to convey your thoughts to faculty outside your discipline, deans, mentees, funding agencies…maybe even donors, journalists, and the public. And the stakes are high: Some of these interactions can change the course of your career. 

In this workshop, we’ll work through strategies for communicating effectively with audiences of all types, and we’ll build your confidence in these interactions with others. 

Together, we will explore:

• How to identify to whom you need to communicate and what you need to convey.

• Building skills in adjusting your communication style to match your audience.

• Institutional resources that may be available to help you with specific communication challenges.

• Ways to communicate your science beyond traditional publishing.

At the end of the session, you’ll have a better sense of what communication essentials will be necessary to reach your goals as a scientific team leader. You’ll have some practice exercises to reflect upon, and you’ll leave with a toolkit that you can use to elevate your communication style for years to come.

The workshop is primarily geared toward senior post-doctoral researchers planning to transition to leading research teams, either in industry or academic research. That said, we believe first and second-year faculty would also benefit!

At this time, registration is restricted to post-docs and early-career faculty. If you do not fall into one of these categories but are still interested in participating, please contact Betsy Rolland to discuss before registering.

This workshop series will be 100% virtual, delivered via Zoom. Once you have registered and checked out, you will receive a calendar invite with connection details.

The cost for all three days of the workshop is $500 (USD). Check with your advisor or department to see if you might have professional development funds to support your participation!

Thanks to the generosity of our two UW-affiliated speakers, official University of Wisconsin post-docs will pay just $167 for the full workshop. If that is you, make sure to register using your UW email and use the discount code UWPOSTDOC during checkout.

No, we are not offering single-day registrations. 

Your registration in this workshop reserves your spot. As such, we cannot offer refunds once you have completed the registration. However, if you are unable to attend, please let Betsy Rolland know ASAP. If we are able to fill your spot with someone off of the waitlist, you will receive a refund of your registration fee, minus a $50 processing fee.

If the presenters need to reschedule the workshop series due to illness or other unforeseen circumstances, we will attempt to accommodate as many registered participants as possible. If you are unable to attend on the new dates, you will receive a full refund.

We will be capping registration at 30 participants.

Yes! If the workshop is full, you will be redirected to a form where you can put your name on a waitlist in case spots open up or we offer the workshop again.

If you are unable to attend this series but want to hear about future events, please join the TSL email list (below) to be included in future announcement.

Yes! A PDF of the slides from all 3 days will be emailed to everyone who completes the final evaluation form.

All three days will be highly interactive, with practical exercises designed to help you build skills and implement strategies. Please come ready to participate in discussions and share your work and thoughts with others!

Please contact Betsy Rolland with your request using the Contact form.