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If you are a graduate student, postdoc, or postdoc equivalent, we welcome your application! You can review the Early Career Leadership Program here.

An ECLP representative appointment consists of:
  • 2 year appointment
  • 10 hour commitment per month (representative)
  • 15 hour commitment per month (co-chair)

Open-ended answers are restricted to 300 words, so we recommend composing your answers in a word processing program before entering them into this application.

Some applicants may want to use large language models (LLMs) such as ChatGPT to enhance their written responses. This is acceptable; however, please note that applications are not judged on technical writing proficiency but on content. Writing training is available through the program to those who would like it, and we most prefer a writing sample representative of the applicant’s current writing skills.

Please note that when an applicant uses an LLM to generate their entire response, specific phrases will be repeated across multiple applications, revealing this use to applicant reviewers. We will also compare AI-generated responses directly to applicant responses. Applicants who are found to have used an LLM to generate their answers will receive a lower overall application score and be less likely to receive an invitation to interview.

If you would like to receive individualized application support, email us at engagement@genetics-gsa.org.

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* 1. Did you use the ECLP Application Checklist to prepare your application?

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* 2. First and Last Name:

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* 3. Email:

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* 4. Pronouns (optional):

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* 5. What is your career stage?

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* 6. Years in current career stage:

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* 7. I plan to apply, or have applied, for the Presidential Membership Initiative. Early career scientists who are not current members of the Genetics Society of America are eligible to apply. For this award, early career scientist is defined as a graduate student, postdoc, early-stage investigator (pre-tenure faculty), or early-stage staff scientist or industry researcher (≤5 years in a position).

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* 8. I plan to apply, or have applied, for the GSA Journals Peer Review Training Program. Senior graduate students, postdocs, and early career scientists within 7 years of having earned their PhD are invited to apply. Applicants should have published at least one peer-reviewed manuscript, preferably as the first author. Some peer review experience is preferred, though not required.

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* 9. Please list all of your current organizations and/or institutions:

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* 10. Country of residence:

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* 11. Social media account(s) (optional):

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* 12. Please upload your curriculum vitae (CV) in either Word or PDF format. If you have any difficulties, you may also email your CV to engagement@genetics-gsa.org.

PDF, DOC, DOCX file types only.
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* 13. The ECLP is composed of the following subcommittees:

Accessibility Subcommittee: The Accessibility Subcommittee aims to make ECLP’s leadership and training opportunities more inclusive of early career scientists with disabilities. Members help raise awareness within the ECLP about the challenges and needs of scientists with disabilities and adopt a combination of universal design approaches to improve the accessibility of ECLP’s projects and resources. Members of this subcommittee work in coordination with GSA’s Equity and Inclusion Committee.

Career Development Subcommittee: The Career Development Subcommittee supports early career scientists as they navigate their career paths, learn about career options, and curate resume-enhancing skills and experiences. Members work together to develop resources that highlight the myriad career trajectories that are possible with a genetics education and research training.

Communication and Outreach Subcommittee: The Communication and Outreach Subcommittee aims to bridge the communication gap between scientific disciplines, as well as between scientists and the public. Members work together to craft informative articles and projects, helping to make new discoveries more accessible among researchers and fostering society’s understanding and appreciation of science.

Community and Member Engagement Subcommittee: Members of the ECS Community and Membership Engagement (CME) Subcommittee work to address the challenges and concerns of their fellow early career scientists by creating and facilitating team building activities and networking possibilities among Early Career Leadership Program cohort members. Projects include seminar series, mentorship programs, and peer support groups, in addition to organizing professional development events for GSA conferences.

Multimedia Subcommittee: The Multimedia Subcommittee aims to communicate genetics research to a broad audience in an easily accessible format. Members work together to develop their scientific communication and outreach skills by curating multimedia content such as podcasts and infographics.

Policy and Advocacy Subcommittee: The Policy and Advocacy Subcommittee aims to provide an interdisciplinary opportunity for early career scientists interested in developing their skills in science policy and advocacy through workshops, career informational interviews, and networking events.

Please rank the top three subcommittee(s) in the order you are most interested in joining:

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* 14. In up to 300 words, please explain why you ranked your subcommittee preferences in the order you did.

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* 15. The ECLP Steering Committee is composed of the co-chairs of each subcommittee. Each ECLP subcommittee has two co-chairs. They meet with the GSA Executive Director and members of the Board of Directors to discuss the direction of the Early Career Leadership Program, as well as share resources and establish collaborative projects between the subcommittees. The Steering Committee provides guidance to the ECLP subcommittees and facilitates projects, events, and proposals.

Would you be interested in serving as a co-chair of a subcommittee?

As a reminder, when an applicant uses an LLM to generate their entire response, specific phrases will be repeated across multiple applications, revealing the LLM use to applicant reviewers. We will also compare AI-generated responses directly to applicant responses. Applicants who are found to have used an LLM to generate their answers will receive a lower overall application score and be less likely to receive an invitation to interview.

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* 16. In up to 300 words, describe your personal goals related to an early career leadership role within the Genetics Society of America. How would you like to serve and/or contribute to the genetics community? Provide specific examples which relate to your personal experiences.

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* 17. In up to 300 words, describe how your personal experiences will drive your service within the GSA Early Career Leadership Program? Include any prior personal experience, skills, or expertise you feel is applicable.

Note: this program is meant to provide training and enhance your leadership skills; it is not necessary to have direct leadership experience to be an ideal candidate for the program.

GSA offers opportunities for scientists of all career stages, so there are many ways you can get involved with our Society throughout your career and continue gaining valuable skills—please email engagement@genetics-gsa.org if you would like to learn more.

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* 18. In up to 300 words, tell us about the path you see yourself following with GSA over the next 3-5 years, using the skills you learn through the program and engaging with the Society to write for the Genes to Genomes blog, help plan professional development events for conferences, help organize a GSA conference, review for or publish in GENETICS or G3, join a committee, and eventually even become a GSA Board Member.

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* 19. Confirm below that you have provided personally written responses to the above questions, and that if you used LLMs/AI this use was only to enhance your responses.

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