Session Details: Research Leadership Skills

Research initiatives often depend on the efforts of multiple people working toward a clearly defined shared goal. Whether in a large lab, cross-functional collaboration, or an individual research project, successful execution requires clarity, coordination, communication, and collaboration. In other words, it requires project management, a discipline many early-career researchers may not have encountered in their formal training.

In this workshop, participants will be introduced to core project management principles and practical techniques that can support the successful completion of research objectives. The session will also address strategies for managing personal time, setting boundaries, navigating interpersonal conflict, and contributing effectively within a research team. Participants will leave with tools and concepts that can help them position their work for success, whether they are leading a team, contributing as a team member, or managing a project independently.

By the end of this program, participants will be better able to:

Identify the project management focus areas that define the project life cycle
Examine how project management performance domains can help researchers direct time toward high-impact management activities
Define and communicate project scope, risks, and expectations to strengthen communication with relevant stakeholders
Apply and communicate project priorities to support efficient project execution
Recognize common sources of intra-team miscommunication and identify strategies to minimize them

This program is designed for:

Students preparing to contribute to research teams in academic, nonprofit, industry, or other research settings
Graduate students, postdoctoral researchers, and early-career scientists working on collaborative research projects
Research team members who contribute to projects as individual contributors, coordinators, or informal project leads
Emerging team leaders who want to strengthen their ability to plan, coordinate, and communicate around research objectives
Researchers or research professionals who manage projects independently or as part of a larger team
Students and professionals with no prior project management training who want an accessible introduction to project management concepts and tools

No prior project management experience or formal project management education is required

David Vincenti, PMP
David Vincenti has held positions in Research and Development, Quality, Manufacturing, Marketing, IT, and Business Process Management. A certified Project Management Professional (PMP), he has presented widely at learning events on topics including project management, career development, team behaviors, and risk management. Projects Vincenti has led have resulted in the commercialization of medical devices for specimen collection, drug delivery, and diabetes management, as well as disposable devices commonly used in doctors’ offices and hospital rooms around the world. Vincenti is an adjunct professor of business at Montclair State University and teaches project management for Harvard Catalyst. He holds degrees in Materials Engineering and Technology Management and has been recognized for his work with early-career technical professionals.

While the Research Leadership Skills Series is designed to support comprehensive skill development, each session can also be attended as a standalone event. For those seeking to achieve the full learning objectives, we encourage registering for the complete series. Bundled member pricing offers the best value, and nonmembers may wish to explore the cost savings and additional benefits of membership before registering. If you register for the full series after one or more sessions have already taken place, you will receive access to the recordings for any events you may have missed.

*Our Student community includes Postdocs and Fellows

Category	Series Rate	Individual Event Rate
Member: Student*	$25	$10
Nonmember: Student*	$65	$35
Member	$50	$20
Nonmember	$130	$50

For graduate students and postdoctoral fellows, relationships with faculty mentors, advisors, PIs, and senior collaborators can have a deep and enduring impact on your research progress, professional growth, and career development. These relationships often shape access to feedback, opportunities, authorship, career guidance, and support. Yet many graduate students and postdoctoral fellows receive little formal training in how to engage effectively with senior colleagues, clarify expectations, advocate for their needs, or navigate difficult conversations in research environments where communication styles, timelines, priorities, and power dynamics may not always be explicit.

Studies have demonstrated that effective mentorship is associated with greater research productivity, an increased sense of belonging, and higher career satisfaction. Drawing on research and curricula from the Center for the Improvement of Mentored Experiences in Research (CIMER), this interactive workshop will introduce practical, evidence-based strategies for “mentoring up” — engaging proactively and constructively with mentors, advisors, PIs, and other senior colleagues.

This will be an interactive working session where participants can reflect, share, and crowdsource strategies with fellow researchers. Participants will leave with initial action steps they can use to strengthen mentoring relationships, communicate more clearly, navigate their academic and research environments more effectively, and apply these insights as they prepare to mentor students, trainees, or junior colleagues in academia and beyond.

This interactive workshop will be conducted via Zoom meeting. Participants will be encouraged to engage in practical discussions and activities, and to connect to Zoom using a computer (as opposed to a phone) to fully engage in the activities.

Join live, watch later.
The best experience happens live. Join the conversation, ask questions, and engage with the instructor in real time. Register now to secure your spot and receive access to the recording, giving you the flexibility to tune in live, catch up later, or revisit the content anytime.

By the end of this program, participants will be better able to:

Describe the concept of “mentoring up” in academic and research settings, including its relationship to “managing up” from the business world
Explain how the National Academies report "The Science of Effective Mentorship in STEMM" highlights the gap between research on effective mentorship and actual mentoring practice in many academic settings
Identify common challenges in mentoring relationships, including two of the most common areas of tension: communication and aligning expectations
Apply key strategies for communicating effectively with mentors and aligning expectations in mentoring relationships
Compare different types of expectations documents that mentors have used to align expectations with their mentees and evaluate how they could be adapted for their own mentoring relationships

Steve Lee, PhD
Steve Lee, PhD, serves with the Center for the Improvement of Mentored Experiences in Research (CIMER) as a Principal Facilitator to develop and deliver trainings for mentors and mentees. He is also the Assistant Dean of Inclusion in the School of Humanities and Sciences at Stanford University. Previously, Lee was the Graduate Diversity Officer for the STEM disciplines at UC Davis, and the assistant director for a graduate diversity program at Northwestern University. He was also on the faculty at Roosevelt University and Wheaton College. Lee earned a PhD in chemistry from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a BS in chemistry from Carnegie Mellon University. His experiences in mentorship, graduate education, and STEM training make him well positioned to guide early-career researchers in mentoring relationships.

While the Research Leadership Series is designed to support comprehensive skill development, each session can also be attended as a standalone event. For those seeking to achieve the full learning objectives, we encourage registering for the complete series. Bundled member pricing offers the best value, and nonmembers may wish to explore the cost savings and additional benefits of membership before registering. If you register for the full series after one or more sessions have already taken place, you will receive access to the recordings for any events you may have missed.

*Our Student community includes Postdocs and Fellows

Category	Series Rate	Individual Event Rate
Member: Student*	$25	$10
Nonmember: Student*	$65	$35
Member	$50	$20
Nonmember	$130	$50

Launching an independent research laboratory is a major transition that requires far more than scientific expertise. While most researchers are trained in experimental design and data analysis, far fewer receive formal preparation in how to build and lead a research team, establish lab infrastructure, or develop a sustainable research program.

This workshop introduces a practical framework for planning and leading a research lab, drawing from real-world experience and structured toolkits designed for early-career investigators. The session will address key domains of successful lab leadership, including defining a research vision, making strategic hiring decisions, establishing systems and workflows, fostering a healthy lab culture, and supporting mentorship and performance. Participants will gain actionable strategies and tools that can be immediately applied in their own research environments, including planning worksheets, leadership frameworks, and approaches to navigating common challenges during the transition to independence.

By making the often “hidden” aspects of lab leadership more explicit, this workshop aims to help researchers build productive, collaborative, and sustainable scientific programs. This session is designed as an introduction to the foundational elements of research lab leadership, highlighting key concepts and practical tools that participants can build on in future training or professional experience.

Join live, watch later. The best experience happens live. Join the conversation, ask questions, and engage with the instructor in real time. Register now to secure your spot and receive access to the recording, giving you the flexibility to tune in live, catch up later, or revisit the content anytime.

By the end of this program, participants will be better able to:

Describe the key leadership challenges that arise when transitioning from trainee to independent research leader, particularly those not addressed in traditional scientific training
Identify the core domains of effective research lab leadership, including research planning, hiring, lab culture, mentorship, and team management
Apply selected practical tools or frameworks to begin planning elements of their own research lab or leadership approach
Recognize common pitfalls in early lab development and propose strategies to address them
Develop a preliminary plan for one area of lab leadership relevant to their current or future role (examples: hiring approach, lab structure, or mentorship strategy)

This program is designed for:

Postdoctoral researchers preparing for the transition to independent research positions
Early-career faculty and new principal investigators launching or developing their first research lab
Advanced graduate students considering academic research careers
Research scientists and clinician-scientists taking on leadership or team management responsibilities
Individuals involved in research training, mentorship, or research program development who seek practical guidance on lab leadership

Christine Rabinak, PhD
Christine A. Rabinak, PhD, MBA, is Associate Dean of Research and Professor at Wayne State University and Editor-in-Chief of Behavioral Brain Research. She is an NIH-funded investigator with extensive experience leading multidisciplinary research programs in translational neuroscience. During the early development of her lab, Dr. Rabinak recognized gaps in traditional scientific training related to leadership, personnel management, and organizational strategy. To address this, she completed an MBA in management and leadership, applying concepts from areas such as negotiation, conflict resolution, and team management directly to her research environment. She has since developed widely used, evidence-informed toolkits on launching and leading research labs, translating leadership and organizational principles into practical strategies that support early-career investigators in building sustainable and effective research programs.

Category	Series Rate	Individual Event Rate
Member: Student*	$25	$10
Nonmember: Student*	$65	$35
Member	$50	$20
Nonmember	$130	$50

October 22, 2026 · October 28, 2026 · April 29, 2027

Virtual Webinar Series | Individual Event Registration Available