Washington Update

FASEB Webinar Series on Supporting the STEM Workforce

By: Nabila Riaz
Wednesday, July 9, 2025
As part of its ongoing commitment to advancing the biomedical research enterprise, FASEB recently hosted a three-part webinar series addressing critical issues in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) workforce. The series highlighted the rapidly evolving landscape of the biomedical research workforce, offering actionable strategies and resources to help graduate students, professional students, and postdoctoral scholars align their training with diverse career opportunities both within and beyond academia. The series aimed to strengthen the United States scientific enterprise by fostering mentorship, integrating scientific training with professional development, and broadening awareness of career pathways.

Empowering Graduate and Postdoc Success Through Effective Mentorship
The first webinar featured Angela Byars-Winston, PhD, of the University of Wisconsin–Madison, who shared evidence-based mentorship practices to help participants cultivate strong, sustainable mentoring relationships. Dr. Byars-Winston highlighted several key resources to support the science and practice of effective mentorship: Crafting Your Postdoc Path: Why Pursue One and How to Design It
The second webinar featured Emily Ackerman, PhD, of Harvard Medical School, and Maryam Majeed, PhD, of Allen Institute for Brain Science, who shared their journeys as postdoctoral scholars in academia and industry, respectively. The discussion offered practical guidance on how to approach the postdoc decision process by aligning opportunities with one’s career goals, interests, and preferred work environment. The speakers also addressed important considerations such as lab culture, research focus, and long-term career implications, providing attendees with valuable tools to navigate their own postdoctoral choices.

A recording of this webinar is available on FASEB’s YouTube channel.

Take Charge of Your Research Training: Supporting Career Development Using IDPs
The third webinar in the series featured Melanie Sinche, Director of Career and Professional Development at the University of Virginia. Sinche introduced the Individual Development Plan (IDP) framework and demonstrated how graduate students and postdocs can use it to align their career aspirations with their transferable skills. She shared practical strategies for leveraging IDPs to support long-term career planning across various fields and career trajectories.

Key resources highlighted during this session included:
  • myIDP
  • ChemIDP
  • Imagine PhD
A recording of this session is also available on our YouTube channel.