Leading Edge
Leading Edge aims to improve the gender diversity of life sciences faculty in the United States. It is a grassroots initiative; by early career scientists, for early career scientists. The Leading Edge Fellows program provides women and non-binary postdocs with
1) an opportunity to meet and connect with one another,
2) mentorship and career development training,
3) a platform to raise their visibility.
Leading Edge Fellows join the program as postdocs through an open competition that runs November-February each year. Fellows remain in the community as they progress through their postdocs, faculty searches, and assistant professorships, creating an extensive peer- and near-peer mentorship network. Throughout the year, the Leading Edge community communicates through a dedicated Slack, as well as regular Zoom meet-ups. Career development panels occur throughout the year by Zoom (see the Training page). Fellows also present their work during an annual symposium. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020, 2021, and 2022 symposia occurred virtually. The 2023 and 2024 symposia were generously hosted by Janelia Research Campus.
In its first 5 years, the Leading Edge program supported 200 Fellows. We are excited to grow our community with a sixth cohort! The 2025 Symposium will occur November 2-5,2025 at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratories!
Many Leading Edge Fellows also work together to develop public resources to demystify aspects of the hidden curriculum and initiate discussion around major issues in the scientific ecosystem. Peer-reviewed publications, blog posts, and slide decks emerging from Leading Edge collaborations are available on the Resources page.
The application for the 2025 Cohort is now open!
Deadline: February 3, 2025, 11:59 PM ET
We thank our incredible supporters and advisers
Iain Cheeseman, Ron Vale, Janine Stevens, and the Tara Health Foundation