ADVANCE Leadership Award: Collaborative Research: Evolving Biological Sciences - WEBS Symposia for early career female scientists

University Of California-Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz CA

Investigators

Abstract

Women Evolving Biological Science (WEBS) will be an annual three-day symposium aimed at addressing early career issues related to transitions from early career stages to tenure track positions and leadership roles in academic and research settings. The goal of WEBS is to increase significantly the retention and advancement of women in academia in biological sciences in order to enhance excellence and create greater diversity in academic and scientific leadership. The intent of focusing on this career stage is to address the attrition of women between the postdoctoral or research faculty arena and the tenure track. As a nation, the U.S. cannot afford to continue to lose highly trained scientific talent. WEBS will address issues of early career transitions in biological sciences, with emphasis on the fields of ecology and evolutionary biology. WEBS will support participants who have earned their doctoral degrees within the past two to eight years and who do not have tenure, in order to address the critical transition period from graduate studies and post-doctoral positions to permanent research and teaching positions. Each WEBS symposium will focus on skills development and on topics participants identify as important to their ability to succeed during the critical transition from graduate school to leadership roles in academic settings. This effort has support from the Society for the Study of Evolution, the University of Washingtons School of Aquatic and Fishery Science, and the North American Benthological Society. More than 10 professional societies have committed to help advertise the workshops, demonstrating the recognition of the importance of defining strategies to retain and advance the talented pool of doctoral recipients in the biological sciences. This award is supported by an ADVANCE Leadership award. Leadership Awards support the efforts of individuals, small groups, or organizations in developing national and/or discipline-specific leadership in enabling the full participation and advancement of women in academic science and engineering careers