Building a Robust STEM Workforce
We cultivate a robust STEM workforce through research, training and advocacy efforts by and for early career trainees. Our group operates at the intersection of research, higher education and workforce development to advance our priorities.
Adriana Bankston, PhD is a federal government relations expert, and scientific research and innovation advocate. She serves as Biomedical Workforce & Policy Research Advocate. Previously, Adriana advocated for University of California’s research priorities, and bolstered scientific research and innovation in the U.S. Congress. She held leadership roles with several national organizations on university research and the scientific workforce, developed and led educational programs, written pieces in influential outlets, and gave talks in universities and broader research policy venues. Adriana was recognized with an Award For Excellence in Advocacy from The Advocacy Association, the inaugural ARIS Emerging Broader Impacts Leader Award, and Sigma Xi’s Mantel Next Generation Women’s Leadership Award. She earned her Ph.D. in Biochemistry, Cell and Developmental Biology from Emory University.
Moraima Castro-Faix, PhD obtained her PhD from the Learning Cognition and Development department at the Graduate School of Education at Rutgers University. She also holds an MA from Rutgers University in Science Education and a BS in Genetics from the University of Puerto Rico. During her dissertation research, she studied a learning progression in genetics at the middle school and high school level and has been involved in the design, implementation, and revision of a genetics curriculum for grades 7-12. Work from these studies has been published in several top-tier journals in science education. Her interests are science education, science policy, and identifying the best practices for the development of the scientific workforce. Recently she participated in the National Center of Educational Statistics data institute at The American Institute for Research in which she studied the relationship between major changes and retention of at-risk students in STEM fields.
Siara Rouzer, PhD is a postdoctoral research fellow in the Department of Neuroscience & Experimental Therapeutics at Texas A&M University College of Medicine. A dedicated advocate for science policy and public education, she co-chairs the Public Outreach Committee and serves on the Advocacy Committee for the Research Society on Alcohol, where she promotes legislative initiatives to advance alcohol research funding and public health policy. She is also an active volunteer with the Texas FASD Network, a nonprofit organization dedicated to raising awareness and supporting individuals affected by Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder. In recognition of her advocacy efforts, she received the John and Patricia O’Neill Addiction Science Education Award in 2022. Dr. Rouzer’s research explores the neurobehavioral and physiological effects of prenatal alcohol and cannabinoid exposures, with a focus on sex-specific outcomes. Committed to fostering inclusivity in STEM, she is passionate about mentorship and policy training as tools for empowering the next generation of scientists. She earned her PhD in Behavioral Neuroscience from Binghamton University, NY.
Kassandra “Kass” Fernandez, MS (they/them) is an Engineering Education PhD student at the University of Florida (UF). They hold a BS in Biological Sciences from Miami Dade College (MDC) & an MS in Microbiology & Cell Science from UF. They previously worked as a science teacher at Homestead Senior High School & as an adjunct Microbiology professor at MDC. Their research explores STEM undergraduate perceptions of mentorship and how mentoring experiences impact STEM undergraduate students’ professional formation. Outside of their research, they are involved in various service & leadership activities. They are currently serving their third & final term as President of the Policy Advocacy in Science and Engineering (PASE) student organization at UF, which they founded in 2022. They are also the lead web developer for the Scientist Network for Advancing Policy (SNAP), a coalition of early-career scientists dedicated to mobilizing for large-scale initiatives & bridging gaps between scientists, their communities, & the general public.
JP Flores, BA (he/him) is a PhD Candidate in Bioinformatics & Computational Biology at UNC Chapel Hill studying the role of 3D chromatin structure in response to environmental stress and pursuing a Graduate Certificate in Innovation for the Public Good. He is the host of the From where does it STEM? podcast, senior editor for GeneBites, and recently completed a 6-month internship in the NIH Office of Science Policy in the NIH Office of the Director. He is an HHMI Gilliam Fellow passionate about bridging science and society and empowering others, especially those from minoritized and marginalized backgrounds.
Crystal Hammond, BA is an advocate for higher education. Crystal’s passion lies in addressing the pressing issues of educational policy, equity, and social justice. Previously, Crystal served as a research fellow at the Southern California College Attainment Network and interned at the University of California, Office of the President in Federal Government Relations. Her dedication to fostering positive change in education led her to earn a Bachelor’s degree in Public Policy from the University of California, Riverside.
Amy Ralston, BS is a PhD student in the Department of Physics & Astronomy at UC Irvine, holds an MS in Physics from UC Irvine, a dual BS in Physics and Astrophysics from University of Massachusetts Amherst, and an AA from Bard College at Simon’s Rock. Her research uses Hubble Space Telescope images and hydrodynamic simulations to reveal the mechanisms of star formation within the dense nodes of the Cosmic Web. Besides her academic work, Amy is passionate about employing techniques to approachably visualize and communicate data to drive evidence-based policy in the realms of space policy, science education, and climate change. At UC Irvine, she serves as the Vice President of the Science Policy and Advocacy Network, a National Science Policy Network Chapter.
(Former Group Member) Gwendolyn Bogard, BS is a Government Relations Associate with the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Office of Government Relations. Prior to joining AAAS, Gwendolyn worked in policy and communications at Research!America and interned with the House of Representatives Committee on Science, Space, and Technology. Gwendolyn earned her Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry from Southern Oregon University.
Call for Submissions: Initiative to Foster Biomedical Education Research Scholarship Project
Funded by the Burroughs Wellcome Fund, in partnership with the Graduate Career Consortium and the National Postdoctoral Association
Purpose: The Initiative to Foster Biomedical Education Research Scholarship (iBERS) Project aims to expand opportunities to engage with scholarship in graduate and postdoctoral training, to promote education research scholarship in the fields of biomedical education and training, and to enhance visibility and recognize the scholarly work of selected awardees. The iBERS Project supports current or prospective authors in publishing peer-reviewed manuscripts within the project scope. The funds are exclusively dedicated to covering publication costs in peer-reviewed journals, to be paid directly to the journal upon article acceptance.
Call for Applications: The iBERS Project invites applications from individuals and teams seeking support to advance the publication of biomedical education research. Prospective authors/teams may be led by faculty and/or staff (trainee co-authors are welcome) who support early career scientists across postsecondary biomedical research training pathways (e.g., BS, MS, PhD, MD/PHD) and seek to publish findings related to the education, training, and/or tracking of current and future graduate trainees and postdoctoral scholars. We especially encourage authors who are publishing in this area for the first time to apply to the funding call. Publications focused on themes of broad interest to those working in biomedical research and education could include, but are not limited to:
- Educational and training program outcomes
- Curriculum development and pedagogical innovation
- Workforce development in biomedical research
- Career and professional development strategies
- Admissions, recruitment, and retention in biomedical and clinical training
- Physician-scientist development and dual-degree program design
- Faculty development, mentoring, and mentor training
- Mental health, well-being, and trainee support
- Building community, fostering belonging, and shaping professional identity
- Cross-cutting issues that span biomedical and clinical training populations
This initiative seeks to support the publication of original research articles in the biomedical research and education space. Op-eds, viewpoints, commentaries, or perspectives are not eligible for award. A variety of methodologies (qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods) that align with the research question may be utilized. Secondary data analyses or meta-analyses of publicly available datasets are also acceptable.
Application Deadlines: June 1, 2026; Sept 1, 2026; Dec 1, 2026; March 1, 2027
Eligibility Requirements: Applicants must have submitted a manuscript to a peer-reviewed journal at the time of application. Accepted peer-reviewed manuscripts will be given funding priority and submitted manuscripts with positive reviews will be considered. Submissions may be under review, in revision, or accepted (submissions with published preprints available preferred). Please include a preprint citation and link (if applicable). Funding is intended to support publication-related costs (e.g., article processing charges, publication fees, journal charges). Off-cycle publication funding requests may be considered on a case-by-case basis at the discretion of the steering committee – to submit, the same criteria considerations as for an on-cycle submission will be used for consideration. Publication fees must be paid directly to the journal (reimbursements are not possible).
Submit your manuscript here: https://forms.gle/1UjAKu3qrU8WVTi39.
Information for Applicants/Awardees: Submissions will be accepted/funded until available funds are exhausted. Applicants will be accepted contingent upon successful peer-review and offer of publication from a peer-reviewed manuscript within scope. Published papers solely represent the views of the authors and do not represent the views of the iBERS steering committee or any affiliated/supporting organization. The iBERS Program will directly pay approved publication charges for the respective journal for the accepted authors’ manuscript. These are non-transferrable funds that can only be used to directly pay the approved publication costs of accepted applicants. Note that for awarded funds to be used, iBERS MUST pay the journal directly (NO REFUNDS CAN BE ISSUED). Authors, please DO NOT pay ahead, as reimbursements CANNOT be provided retroactively. Any unused funds of accepted applicants from prior submission rounds will be returned for use to the new applicant pool by the date of the next quarterly cycle submission – unless authors request an extension in writing, including evidence of positive reviews or acceptance pending. All accepted submissions will expire either in 3 months from the date of funding offer, or at the next quarterly cycle, whichever comes first – unless an exception/extension is submitted/approved by the iBERS steering committee. Applicants whose approval has expired are welcomed to reapply to be considered as a de novo application in the next quarterly cycle, and may be funded as long as funds remain available (but funds are not guaranteed if expiration date has already occurred).
*Note: Off-cycle publication funding requests may be considered on a case-by-case basis at the discretion of the steering committee – to submit, the same criteria considerations as for an on-cycle submission will be used for consideration.
For any questions, please reach out to the iBERS Steering Committee members. Additionally, if submitting off cycle, please email steering committee members to ensure the fastest possible response.
Affiliations
Steering committee members represent a wide cross section of leading national initiatives and organizations supporting graduate and postdoctoral training and biomedical workforce development. Affiliations do not denote formal sponsorship for this project.
1AAMC Group on Research, Education, and Training (GREAT)
2AAMC Group on Research Advancement and Development (GRAND)
3Advancing Research Impact in Society (ARIS)
4Burroughs Wellcome Fund & Career Guidance for Trainees (CGT)
5Future of Research
6Graduate Career Consortium
7National Postdoctoral Association
8NIH Broadening Experiences in Scientific Training Program
9National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE)
† current leadership role
‡ former leadership role
# current or former member
Rebekah Layton 1†, 4, 6†, 7, 8
UNC Chapel Hill, GCC, AAMC GREAT Publication Working Group
rlayton@unc.edu
CJ Neely 1, 4, 6‡, 7, 9
Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB)
cjn2336@gmail.com
Chris Smith 1†, 6‡, 7†, 8
Virginia Tech, NPA, AAMC GREAT Publication Working Group
christsmith@vt.edu
Selected events and writing on research funding, STEM education and workforce development.
EVENTS
- Making the Importance of Federal Research Funding Relevant to Policymakers. We covered the benefits from public investments in R&D, pathways from R&D to impact, and the economic calculation of social benefits including the workforce.
- Impacts of Science Funding Cuts on Early Career Researchers. Early career scientists are impacted by the Trump administration. We discussed these impacts, additionally how to stop the brain drain, and maintain America competitive in science.
WRITING
- Science Funding Cuts Break the Research Pipeline blog and related preprint including Dear Colleague letter and survey on impacts of federal science funding cuts.
- We joined Tomorrow’s Workforce Coalition and endorsed sign-on letter for the Freedom to Invest in Tomorrow’s Workforce Act to enhance workforce development.