SEEDS Workshop

August 24-28, 2025 at the University of Chicago

Announcing the fifth annual mentoring and career-enhancement program, SEEDS Workshop, for early-career neuroscientists.

 

Deadline: April 18, 2025

Financial Support: All accepted scholars will receive travel and accommodation support from one of the sponsors listed below.

Sponsors: American Psychological Foundation (APF MFP fund), International Brain Research Organization (IBRO), Alzheimer’s Association, Burroughs-Wellcome Fund.

THE WORKSHOP

 

The program begins with an intensive workshop to be held at the University of Chicago on August 24-28, 2025, to be followed by 6-10 months of individual career-development coaching. Eligible SEEDS participants are early-career M.D., M.D./Ph.D., and Ph.D. scientists in neuroscience-related fields who cannot access opportunities for mentorship and training due to constraints around institutional resources, personal networks, and other factors.

SEEDS is a privately funded program whose goal is to increase the successful transition to and retention of emerging neuroscientists into academic positions. The program will provide neuroscientists with long-term mentoring and professional enrichment, with a particular emphasis on assistance with preparation, submission, and revision of career development and research grant applications to NSF, NIH, and other private foundations.

In the initial workshop, participants will form small grant-coaching groups, facilitated by a senior faculty member. These groups will meet in person during the workshop and then engage in virtual meetings for 6-10 months to revise and hone grant applications prior to submission. Therefore, applicants should be planning to submit a career development (e.g., NIH K or NSF Career Award) or research grant (e.g., NIH R or NSF standard) application within 6-10 months of the workshop.

Other structured activities during the workshop will address issues that impact the persistence of early neuroscientists in academic careers, such as the perception that they do not belong in the scientific community, isolation and solo status, and negotiating institutions and tenure.

ELIGIBILITY

SEEDS encourages applicants from all backgrounds, with respect to age, race, color, religion, creed, nationality, ability, sexual orientation, gender, and geography.

Eligible SEEDS Workshop participants are early-career M.D., M.D./Ph.D., and Ph.D. scientists in neuroscience-related fields.

“Early career” includes senior postdoctoral researchers, assistant professors, assistant research professors, and other pre-tenure level academic positions.

 

 

APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS

Application Materials:

 

  • Curriculum vitae/resume
  • One-page description of proposed grant application (Specific Aims page for NIH applicants; Project Summary for NSF applicants), including planned submission deadline
  • One-page personal statement describing your commitment to an academic career, your research area, availability of scientific advisors, and expectations of the workshop
  • Two letters of reference

 

Applications for the 2025 SEEDS Workshop are currently closed. 

Previous Participants

2025

Olamide Adebiyi D.V.M., PhD, University of Saskatchewan

Dario Aspesi, PhD, Georgia State University

Brenda Cabrera-Mendoza, MD, PhD, Yale University

Carlos Cardenas-Iniguez, PhD, University of Southern California

Erynn Christensen, PhD, Northwell Health

Amelia Cuarenta, PhD, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Can Dong, PhD, Stanford University

Tahra Eissa, PhD, University of Colorado

Claudia Espinosa-Garcia, PhD, Yale University

Rodolfo Flores Garcia, PhD, University of Texas at El Paso

Joshua Gill, PhD, New York University

Suelyn Koerich, Pharm.D., MSc, PhD, University of Texas

Sailee Sham Lavekar, PhD, Houston Methodist Research Institute

Rebecca María Parodi-Rullán, PhD, University of Puerto Rico

Deborah Rose, MD, Johns Hopkins University

2024

Alzahraa (Zahra) Amer, PhD, Northwestern University

Kynon Jade Benjamin, PhD, Northwestern University

Karl Y. Bosque-Cordero, PhD, University of Illinois, Chicago

Hector D. Bravo-Rivera, PhD, National Institute of Mental Health

Anthony Q. Briggs, PhD, New York University

Cellas Hayes, PhD, Stanford University

Rachael Heuer, PhD, University of Miami

Jorge Jaramillo, PhD, University of Chicago

Suelyn Koerich, Pharm.D., MSc., PhD, University of Texas

Carine Lampert, PhD, University of Alabama at Birmingham

Richard Lopez, PhD, Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Ana Paula Mendes-Silva, PhD, University of Saskatchewan

Bonnie M. Scott, PhD, University of Texas at Austin

2023

Camila de Avila Dal-Bo, PhD, Arizona State University

Elvisha Dhamala, PhD, Northwell Health

Antonia Kaczurkin, PhD, Vanderbilt University

Debra Karhson, PhD, University of New Orleans

Seetha Krishnan, PhD, University of Chicago

Farrah Madison, PhD, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Lisa Maeng, PhD, University of Massachusetts Boston

Naomi Lee, PhD, Northern Arizona University

Mariajose Metcalfe, PhD, University of California, Irvine

Carlene Moore, PhD, Duke University

Jadiel Wasson, PhD, New York University

2022

Nicole Cruse, PhD, Sacred Heart University

Amelia Cuarenta, PhD, Temple University

Stacey Glasgow, PhD, University of California, San Diego

Okunola Jeyifous, PhD, University of Chicago

Kyunghee Kim, PhD, University of California, San Francisco

Rodrigo Lopez Gonzalez, PhD, Case Western Reserve University

Mahmoud Maina, PhD, University of Sussex

Christopher Norris, PhD, University of Pittsburgh

Cristina Roman-Vendrell, PhD, Marine Biological Laboratory

Rammohan Shukla, PhD, University of Toledo

I-Chen Ivorine Yu, PhD, Indiana University

Chao Zheng, PhD, Yale University

2021

Byron J. Aguilar, PhD, Boston University

Robert Carrillo, PhD, University of Chicago

Victor Cazares, PhD, Williams College

Eyemisi Damisah, MD, Yale New Haven Hospital

Bernard Fongang, PhD, Glenn Biggs Institute for Alzheimer’s and Neurodegenerative Diseases

Joyonna Gamble-George, PhD, New York University

Autumn Ivy, MD, PhD, University of California, Irvine

Nelly Joseph-Mathurin, PhD, Washington University in St. Louis

Farr Niere, PhD, Wake Forest University School of Medicine

German Plascencia-Villa, PhD, University of Texas at San Antonio

Shivon Robinson, PhD, Williams College

Carlos Rodriguez, PhD, Mind Research Network (MRN)

Cristina Roman-Vendrell, PhD, Marine Biological Laboratory

Sally B. Seraphin, PhD, Trinity College

“I feel much more confident in my ability to write a successful grant, but more importantly, I feel more prepared to be a good mentor and establish a lab culture that I can be proud of.”

Former scholar

“I am extremely excited about the content provided in the SEEDS workshop. This information I can use as I continue on my career path. I am glad to have made new connections at SEEDS and will continue to use this network in the future.”

Former scholar

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