The School of Molecular & Cellular Biology is pleased to announce two new seminars from the Departments of Microbiology and Cell & Developmental Biology. Both series are focused on bringing early career scientists to campus. Speakers from historically marginalized communities are encouraged to apply.
The Department of Microbiology’s Abigail Salyers Distinguished Early Career Researcher Seminars will begin Fall 2021. This program offers senior PhD students and postdoctoral fellows the opportunity to visit the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign campus and present their research in the Department of Microbiology seminar series (in person or virtually). Speakers will also have the opportunity to meet with faculty, postdocs, and students during their visit. Travel expenses will be covered and speakers will receive an honorarium.
The department is committed to promoting an inclusive community that is open, just, and welcoming for all. We are accepting applications from trainees studying any aspect of the microbial sciences and are particularly interested in applications from members of historically marginalized groups.
Dr. Abigail Salyers started her career in academia with a PhD in physics, then transitioned to the field of microbiology and became the first tenured woman in the Department of Microbiology at UIUC in 1983. Dr. Salyers is regarded by many as the mother of microbiome research because of her steadfast dedication to studying and developing tools to manipulate organisms she often called “funny bugs” - anaerobic Bacteroides species - at a time when most microbiologists were focused on a few model organisms. She won many awards for her research, teaching, and mentoring, authored several books, and served as the president of the American Society for Microbiology during the U.S. anthrax crisis. Dr. Salyers was a trailblazer and inspired her trainees and colleagues with her vision and passionate promotion of microbiology and especially her drive to explore the frontiers of microbial diversity. We seek to honor her legacy by providing the next generation of microbiologists from diverse backgrounds with the opportunity to share their research and make professional connections.
To apply for consideration as a speaker in the Abigail Salyers Distinguished Early Career Researcher Seminar series, please visit this online form. The deadline to apply for a Fall 2021 seminar is July 12, 2021.
The Cell and Developmental Biology Early Career Inclusive Excellence Seminar Series will also launch in Fall 2021. The goal of this seminar series is to promote diversity and inclusion in our scientific community.
Postdoctoral fellows studying any aspect of cell and developmental biology are welcome to apply; applications from members of historically underrepresented groups are particularly encouraged. Approved applicants will be contacted to schedule a visit to the university (in person or virtually). During the visit, the speakers will have the opportunity to present their research during the department's seminar series and to meet with faculty, postdocs, and students. The department will cover travel expenses and lodging (if visiting in person) and provide an honorarium to the speaker.
The application deadline to be considered for a Fall 2021 CDB seminar is July 16th, 2021. Apply via the online form.