SEMINARS & PANELS

6 JUNE 2025- My Plant Biology Story- episode 2: Three faculty from CINVESTAV-Irapuato, Mexico.

Panelist Introductions- Each panelist gives a short presentation, including the unique challenges they faced, who helped support them on their career journey, and any other insights they'd like to share.

Discussion: How did they get interested in plant biology? Where are they from? How did they find themselves in Mexico, researching Arabidopsis? What were the challenges they faced as they navigated an international career?
What were the lessons they learned, having a career that included working in multiple countries, before starting their independent position in Mexico? Would you go back to Mexico and do science, if you could choose now? Did the research that you started in your PhD determine your current career destiny?

29 MAY 2025- Featuring Dr. Rachel Shahan (UCLA), Dr. Kevin Cox (WUSTL/Danforth Plant Science Center), and Dr. Monika Fischer (University of British Columbia).

Panelist Introductions- Each panelist gives a short presentation covering their career journey, a brief overview of their current research, and any other insights they'd like to share.

Becoming a PI- This segment focus on broader, reflective questions about the journey to becoming a PI. Discussion: (1) What motivated you to become a PI? When and how did you make that decision? (2) What unique elements from your previous mentors or labs have you carried into your own lab?

Running a lab- This portion focuses on practical aspects of starting and running a lab. Discussion: (1) How did you approach recruiting and staffing your lab? (2) Now that you've been through the process, what budgeting or spending advice would you give your past self? Are there any funding decisions you regret?

Audience Q&A

Beyond his innovative research, Jamaine is deeply committed to mentoring and promoting diversity in STEM fields. He actively engages in community outreach, inspiring the next generation of underrepresented scientists and advocating for greater inclusivity in scientific research.

How long did it take you to fully set up your lab? What was the biggest challenge starting your lab? How did you manage to get enough funding and people to start a lab? As a leader- what is your most difficult task? How do you manage it? How did you decide who to hire? How do you foster lab culture?

The panelists discuss these questions & more!

1- Dr. Aman Husbands (USA)

2- Dr. Xue Pan (Canada)

3- Dr. Carlos Ortiz-Ramírez (Mexico)

The objective of the panel is to engage scientists that fairly recently obtained a plant biology PhD (and often held postdoc positions) using Arabidopsis and have gone on to recently secure an independent position in academia, industry, and other skilled areas. We include panelists that have a variety of positions following their education and training in plant/Arabidopsis biology, including current positions in plant biology as well as outside of plant biology.

Panelists:

1. Dr. Natalie Clark (USA)

2. Dr. Cesar Cuevas-Velázquez (Mexico)

3. Dr. Heather Meyer (USA)

4. Dr. Justin Watkins (USA)

Learn About the Many Paths to Being a Scientist. What inspired them? What challenges did they face? What was the path that they took? What obstacles did they overcome? Who helped them along the way? What lessons have they learned?