LEAD: Lifelong education and development
LEAD participants build skills in mentorship, strategic learning, academic resilience, navigating difficult conversations, and project management. The activities and the assessments are designed to be authentic and immediately relevant, in that they are tailored to the work/research that participants are currently doing. The course has already been piloted and formally offered, with fantastic outcomes, and we’re excited to be able to reach even more learners.
Who?
LEAD is designed for early career researchers/students from any discipline, especially postdoctoral researchers, graduate students, and senior undergraduate students. At any career stage, LEAD offers opportunities to further develop professional and lifelong learning skills, to help participants be more successful in their studies and career.
Why?
Fostering innovation and scientific discovery in today’s fast-changing world requires exceptional training for graduate students, postdoctoral researchers, and other highly qualified personnel. However, many issues can plague research and advanced training environments, including steep learning curves where many professional and learning skills are rarely taught, despite the best intentions. Further, many equity-deserving groups disproportionately face barriers to success. Our team developed this course to better equip and empower participants with lifelong learning and professional skills and foster more inclusive, equitable, and productive research and work environments. Supporting students in taking LEAD is one way that professors can contribute to building equitable, inclusive, and diverse training environments, as increasingly required by granting agencies.
The LEAD team is a collaborative, dynamic group of experts from many disciplines and universities. Meet the team