2026 GSA Presidential Membership Initiative Application Survey

Demographic Information and Initial Application Questions

The Presidential Membership Initiative (PMI) invites early career scientists who may not have otherwise joined GSA to become a part of our community. We know that membership in a scientific society can play key roles in a career journey, serving as a steadfast professional home throughout the growth and transitions of a budding career. Getting involved early can pay dividends for years to come and GSA is always seeking talented and creative individuals from diverse backgrounds to ensure that our membership encompasses a broad range of viewpoints and experiences.

To achieve this, we invest in early career scientists by providing eligible early career scientists and faculty with a complimentary membership, member benefits, and unique networking opportunities to launch their career. Presidential members also receive:

Free membership for 2027
Discounted membership for 2028
Recognition in Genes to Genomes, GSA's blog
Unique training opportunities for early career researchers
An abstract fee waiver for one GSA conference (valid for up to 3 years with current GSA membership)
Access to special events at GSA conferences

Because this initiative is primarily designed to bring in new members, eligibility is restricted to early career scientists who are not current (2026) members of the Genetics Society of America, were not members in 2025, and have not previously held membership for more than one membership cycle. 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). Undergraduate students and international applicants are welcome to apply.

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 to program participants who are interested, 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 have any questions about this application or need assistance, please contact us at equityinclusion@genetics-gsa.org.

1.If you have a GSA profile, review and confirm your demographic information. If any of your information is incorrect, you must update your information in your profile using the link above.(Required.)

I confirm that I have reviewed my demographic information and made necessary updates if needed.

I do not have a GSA profile.

2.Did you use the 2026 Early Career Scientist Professional Development Programs Application Checklist to prepare your application?(Required.)

Yes

3.First and Last Name:(Required.)

4.Email: (Required.)

5.Pronouns (optional):

6.What is your career stage?(Required.)

Postdoc equivalent - please clarify the role you are currently serving at your institution, such as a postdoc whose job title is Research Assistant due to immigration requirements.

7.Years in current career stage:(Required.)

8.Please list all of your current organizations and/or institutions:(Required.)

9.Country of residence:(Required.)

10.Social media account(s) (optional):

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

No file chosen

12.Please certify your eligibility to apply for PMI.

To be eligible to apply for PMI, you must meet all of the below criteria:

Graduate student, postdoc, early-stage investigator (pre-tenure faculty), or early-stage staff scientist or industry researcher (≤5 years in a position) within seven years of having earned your PhD
Not a current (2026) GSA member
Not a GSA member in 2025
Have not previously held membership for more than one membership cycle

(Required.)

I meet all of the eligibility criteria for the Presidential Membership Initiative.

13.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.(Required.)

Yes

I am not eligible

I am a current member of the PEER Review Training Program.

The following questions give you the opportunity to describe how you envision your future with GSA.

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.

14.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.

(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. Various opportunities include writing for the Genes to Genomes blog, helping to plan professional development events for conferences, helping to organize a GSA conference, reviewing for or publishing in GENETICS or G3, joining a committee, and eventually even becoming a GSA Board Member.(Required.)

15.(300 words) Members of GSA's early career scientist programs serve as exemplary examples of GSA members for the Society at large. 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.(Required.)

16.(300 words) Describe one major change you think is needed to include and cultivate more voices in the scientific enterprise. How do you plan to use your career to help make this change?(Required.)

17.Confirm below that you have provided a personally written response to the above question, and that if you used LLMs/AI this use was only to enhance your response.(Required.)

I confirm that I personally wrote the above response, and if I used LLMs/AI this use was only to enhance my response. I understand that applicants who are found to have used an LLM to generate their answer will receive a lower overall application score and be less likely to receive a Presidential Award.

18.Are you a Drosophila researcher who is planning to submit an abstract to the 68th Annual Drosophila Research Conference?(Required.)

Yes

19.Are you a C. elegans researcher who is planning to submit an abstract to the 2027 International C. elegans Conference?(Required.)

Yes