Postdoctoral Research Articles

RESISTE Scholars: Empowering Future Hispanic-Serving Institution Researchers through Collaborative Femtorship

Undergraduate research and mentorship experiences are high-impact practices that foster positive outcomes among Latine and other minoritized students at Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs). This study examined the development and implementation of RESISTE Scholars, a collaborative HSI-STEM education research training and mentorship program. Our work is grounded in 1) notions of servingness aimed at creating a humanizing and liberatory experience in HSI research (Garcia, 2023), 2) intersectionality (Crenshaw, 1989), and 3) critical feminist and liberatory epistemologies centering equity, interdependence, valuing lived experiences, and an ethic of care (Benishek et al., 2004; Malone & Harper, 2022). Leading National Science Foundation-funded projects, RESISTE Scholars engaged in myriad collaborative research projects with faculty, postdoctoral, graduate, and undergraduate researchers. Most identified as Latine and/or WOC, and first-generation college students. Weekly team meetings were coupled with sessions intentionally tailored to build upon undergraduates’ strengths while meeting project goals and exploring graduate school and career aspirations. A combination of several qualitative methods, including collaborative autoethnography (Reyes et al., 2021), platicas (Delgado Bernal et al., 2023), and reflexive thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2019) of documents and students’ written reflections illuminate their program experiences. Results suggest that multi-layered femtorship within undergraduate research rooted in servingness and critical feminism may be key in empowering the next generation of scholars committed to equity and justice in HSI/STEM education. Integrating critical reflexivity and student input throughout the program, RESISTE Scholars emphasized the power of collaborative, student-centered activities and holistic support. Recommendations for research, policy, and practice on undergraduate research and mentorship at HSIs are discussed.

Intro to special issue

In the first of this double issue, we grounded the collection in Mass Culture’s Research in Residence: Arts’ Civic Impact (RinR) project. Aimed at creating a suite of impact measurement frameworks for arts organizations to assess where and how their work has impact, the SSHRC- and Mitacs-funded project embedded four individual graduate student researchers and one team of two graduate students—all from different post-secondary institutions—in arts organizations across the country. Also supported by a group of arts funders comprising an advisory, this first-of-its-kind initiative has had impressive impacts of its own in both the academic and culture sector spheres. Since publishing our first collection of articles, the landscape has changed. RinR’s graduate student researchers have all moved on in some way, be it finishing a master’s degree and starting a doctorate, finishing a doctorate and moving into a post-doctoral fellowship, finishing graduate school and working within an academic institution, and even continuing with their studies while starting a family. Other people involved in RinR have likewise changed jobs or even left the arts sector or academia altogether. Assembling this second issue has afforded us, the co-editors, some very welcome reflection on the project, the relationships we built through it, and how it continues to shape both our individual careers and perspectives on the arts’ civic impact.

Priced out of belonging? Insufficient concessions on membership fees across international societies in ecology and evolution.

Learned societies, as professional bodies for scientists, are an integral part of the scientific system. However, their membership fees have the potential to be prohibitive to the most vulnerable members of the scientific community. To shed light on how membership fees are structured, we conducted a survey of 182 international learned societies relevant to researchers in ecology and evolution. We found that 83% of these societies offered fee concessions to students, but only 26% to postdoctoral researchers. An average regular membership fee-US$67.8, student fee-US$27.4 (42.7% of the regular fee) and postdoctoral fee-US$42.7 (52.9%). Other types of individual concessions, such as for emeritus, family or unemployed, were rare (2-20%). Of the surveyed societies, 43% had discounts for members from developing countries (Global South). Such discounts were more common among societies located in high-income countries. Societies with a publicly visible commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion were more likely to offer different types of concessions. Currently, fees may prevent researchers from vulnerable and underprivileged groups from accessing multiple professional benefits offered by learned societies in ecology and evolution. This includes postdoctoral researchers, who should receive more support. We recommend tangible actions towards making learned societies more affordable and accessible.

Development and validation of an explainable machine learning model for mortality prediction among patients with infected pancreatic necrosis.

Infected pancreatic necrosis (IPN) represents a severe complication of acute pancreatitis, commonly linked with mortality rates ranging from 15% to 35%. However, the present mortality prediction tools for IPN are limited and lack sufficient sensitivity and specificity. This study aims to develop and validate an explainable machine learning (ML) model for death prediction among patients with IPN. We performed a prospective cohort study of 344 patients with IPN consecutively enrolled from a large Chinese tertiary hospital from January 2011 to January 2023. Ten ML models were developed to predict 90-day mortality in these patients. A benchmarking test, involving nested resampling, automatic hyperparameter tuning and random search techniques, was conducted to select the ML model. Sequential forward selection method was employed to select the optimal feature subset from 31 candidate subsets to simplify the model and maximize predictive performance. The final model was internally validated with the 1000 bootstrap method and externally validated using an independent cohort of 132 patients with IPN retrospectively collected from another Chinese tertiary hospital from January 2018 to January 2023. The SHapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP) method was employed to interpret the model in terms of features importance and features effect. The final model constructed with optimal feature subset was deployed as an interactive web-based Shiny app. Random survival forest (RSF) model showed the best predictive performance than other 9ML models (internal validation, C-index=0.863 [95% CI: 0.854-0.875]; external validation, C-index=0.857 [95% CI: 0.850-0.865]). Multiple organ failure, Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Examination II (APACHE II) score ≥20, duration of organ failure ≥21 days, bloodstream infection, time from onset to first intervention <30 days, Bedside Index of Severity in Acute Pancreatitis score ≥3, critical acute pancreatitis, age ≥ 50 years, and hemorrhage were 9 most important features associated with mortality. Furthermore, SHAP algorithm revealed insightful nonlinear interactive associations between important predictors and mortality, identifying 9 features pairs with high interaction SHAP value and clinical significance. Two interactive web-based Shiny apps were developed to enhance clinical practicability: https://rsfmodels.shinyapps.io/IPN_app/ for cases where the APACHE II score was available and https://rsfmodels.shinyapps.io/IPNeasy/ for cases where it was not. An explainable ML model for death prediction among IPN patients was feasible and effective, suggesting its superior potential in guiding clinical management and improving patient outcomes. Two publicly accessible web tools generated for the optimized model facilitated its utility in clinical settings. The Natural Science Foundation of Hunan Province (2023JJ30885), Postdoctoral Fellowship Program of CPSF (GZB20230872), The Youth Science Foundation of Xiangya Hospital (2023Q13), The Project Program of National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Disorders of Xiangya Hospital (2021LNJJ19).

A Manager and an AI Walk into a Bar: Does ChatGPT Make Biased Decisions Like We Do?

Problem definition: Large language models (LLMs) are being increasingly leveraged in business and consumer decision-making processes. Because LLMs learn from human data and feedback, which can be biased, determining whether LLMs exhibit human-like behavioral decision biases (e.g., neglect, risk aversion, confirmation bias, etc.) is crucial prior to implementing LLMs into decision-making contexts and workflows. To understand this, we examine 18 common human biases that are important in operations management (OM) using the dominant LLM, ChatGPT. Methodology/results: We perform experiments where GPT-3.5 and GPT-4 act as participants to test these biases using vignettes adapted from the literature (“standard context”) and variants reframed in inventory and general OM contexts. In almost half of the experiments, Generative Pre-trained Transformer (GPT) mirrors human biases, diverging from prototypical human responses in the remaining experiments. We also observe that GPT models have a notable level of consistency between the standard and OM-specific experiments as well as across temporal versions of the GPT-3.5 model. Our comparative analysis between GPT-3.5 and GPT-4 reveals a dual-edged progression of GPT’s decision making, wherein GPT-4 advances in decision-making accuracy for problems with well-defined mathematical solutions while simultaneously displaying increased behavioral biases for preference-based problems. Managerial implications: First, our results highlight that managers will obtain the greatest benefits from deploying GPT to workflows leveraging established formulas. Second, that GPT displayed a high level of response consistency across the standard, inventory, and non-inventory operational contexts provides optimism that LLMs can offer reliable support even when details of the decision and problem contexts change. Third, although selecting between models, like GPT-3.5 and GPT-4, represents a trade-off in cost and performance, our results suggest that managers should invest in higher-performing models, particularly for solving problems with objective solutions. Funding: This work was supported by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada [Grant SSHRC 430-2019-00505]. The authors also gratefully acknowledge the Smith School of Business at Queen’s University for providing funding to support Y. Chen’s postdoctoral appointment. Supplemental Material: The online appendix is available at https://doi.org/10.1287/msom.2023.0279 .

On the Importance of Data – Introducing Perspectives as New Manuscript Type to SYNLETT

Ruben Martin was born in Barcelona (Spain) in 1976. After receiving his PhD at the Universitat de Barcelona with Prof. Antoni Riera, he moved in January 2004 to the Max-Planck-Insitut für Kohlenforschung (Mülheim an der Ruhr, Germany), as a Humboldt postdoctoral fellow with Prof. Alois Fürstner, where he worked on iron-catalyzed cross-coupling reactions. In May 2005, he undertook further postdoctoral studies at the Massachusets Institute of Technology (USA) with Prof. Stephen L. Buchwald where he developed new metal-catalyzed C–C and C–N bond-forming reactions. In September 2008, he initiated his independent career as an Associate Professor and subsequently as ICREA Research Professor (Spain). His research interests concern the discovery and development of synthetically useful organometallic methodologies. Manuel van Gemmeren was born in Madrid (Spain), and raised in both Spain and Germany. After studying chemistry at the Albert Ludwig University of Freiburg (Germany) until 2010, he conducted his doctoral studies in the lab of Prof. Benjamin List and obtained his degree in 2014 (summa cum laude). Subsequently, he joined the group of Prof. Rubén Martín for postdoctoral studies. From 2016 onwards, he established his independent research group at the University of Münster (Germany). In 2022, he joined the Otto Diels Institute of Organic Chemistry at Kiel University (Germany) as tenured professor for Organic Chemistry. Research in the van Gemmeren Lab focusses on the development of novel synthetic methods, typically based on Pd-catalyzed C–H activation, that enable challenging transformations to proceed with catalyst-controlled reactivity and selectivity. Debabrata Maiti received his Ph.D. from John Hopkins University (USA) in 2008 under the supervision of Prof. Kenneth D. Karlin. After postdoctoral studies at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT; USA) with Prof. Stephen L. Buchwald (2008–2010), he joined the Department of Chemistry at IIT Bombay (India) in 2011, where he is currently Professor. His research interests are focused on the development of new and sustainable synthetic and catalytic methods.

Strengthening public health education and humanitarian response through academic volunteerism

IntroductionVolunteers are an integral part of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent (RCRC) Movement, with over 16 million people actively contributing to humanitarian action worldwide. Academic volunteerism within the Movement includes contributions from students, volunteers and professionals from academic institutions who offer their time and expertise. In this study we aimed to understand the process of embedding academic volunteers in humanitarian organizations such as the Canadian Red Cross (CRC) and assess the impact of their activities within the realm of public health education.MethodsWe used a qualitative case study design with an instrumental approach. All documents related to academic volunteers within the CRC database from September 2018 to August 2023 were gathered and reviewed. Data related to the processes around engaging with volunteers, timelines, outcomes and feedback surveys from students and staff members were extracted and a content analysis was conducted. A return-on-investment analysis (ROI) was conducted to assess the financial impact of engaging academic volunteers.ResultsA total of 68 academic volunteers were engaged with CRC, including unpaid or partially paid master’s students, doctoral and postdoctoral fellows, and student volunteers. The collaboration between CRC and academic volunteers contributed to educational enrichment, professional development, knowledge transfer, operational efficiency, and talent pool expansion. Results from a survey on academic volunteerism further highlighted benefits such as maintaining project schedules, promoting diversity, and amplifying the Movement’s voice on important matters. The return on investment for unpaid academic volunteers and Masters students was 70%. A five-fold increase was measured for partially paid academic volunteers resulting in 486% ROI.DiscussionAcademic volunteerism yields mutual benefits for students, academic researchers, and humanitarian organizations. These volunteers enhance operational efficiency and fortify resilience, fostering adaptability amid challenges. They play a crucial role in strengthening evidence-based programming within organizations like CRC and bolstering their capacity to address emerging health issues. These volunteers constitute a valuable talent pool, bringing organizational knowledge and experience to the table. They provide critical support for scaling up programs, especially during emergency situations, offering innovative solutions to address human resource shortages driven by funding constraints.

Factors creating favorable conditions for activating innovative entrepreneurship and startups in post-war Ukraine

As global conflicts and hostilities become more prevalent, it is essential to investigate the conditions necessary for the operation and growth of innovative enterprises considering post-war recovery. The paper aims to determine crucial favorable conditions for activating innovative entrepreneurship and startups in the post-war period in Ukraine. The analysis is based on inductive, qualitative data from 24 interviews with the respondents from Ukraine and the Netherlands (eight scientists, ten startup founders and entrepreneurs, two government officials, and four entrepreneurs) to identify a range of favorable factors by utilizing qualitative analysis. The paper used individual, in-depth, semi-structured interviews. The study identified eight constraining aggregate themes (the consequences of war, policy and regulatory system, market and investment, the ecosystem, passive universities, education and skills, internationalization, and culture) and three enabling aggregate themes (the consequences of war, active universities, and the ecosystem) through the grouping of factors from the second-order code. The most significant constraining factor from aggregate themes “the consequences of war” is brain drain (40.63%). Among the eight constraining aggregate themes, 32.55% identified the policy and regulatory system as the main obstacle due to the absence of an effective strategy, ineffective legislation, passive municipalities, and bureaucracy. Moreover, the lack of funds is a critical issue in addressing the consequences of the war, financing startup projects, and creating favorable conditions. The results emphasize constraining and enabling conditions for activating innovative entrepreneurship and startups. Such results are helpful for policymakers to improve the conditions for startup development by overcoming the immediate identified obstacles. AcknowledgmentThe publication was prepared in the framework of the MSCA4Ukraine postdoctoral fellowship (Oksana Khymych Ref.№ UKR 1233171), which is funded by the European Union that provides support and funding for the Ukrainian researchers displaced by the war, while the Consortium (a consortium comprised of Scholars at Risk Europe hosted at Maynooth University, Ireland (project coordinator), the German Alexander von Humboldt Foundation (AvH) and the European University Association (EUA)) is a collaborative network of institutions managing and implementing this initiative. The views and opinions expressed in this report are solely those of the authors and do not reflect the views of the European Union or the MSCA4Ukraine Consortium. Neither the European Union, the MSCA4Ukraine Consortium, nor any individual member institutions of the Consortium can be held responsible for these views and opinions. We would like to express our sincere gratitude to the colleagues at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam for their invaluable support in conducting the research and for fostering an environment conducive to academic excellence and innovation.

Interview with Associate Editor Aryeh Warmflash

ABSTRACT Aryeh is an Associate Professor of BioSciences and a CPRIT Scholar in Cancer Research at Rice University, Houston, Texas, USA. Aryeh graduated with a bachelor's degree in physics and mathematics from the University of Pennsylvania (Philadelphia, USA), followed by a PhD in Physics at the University of Chicago (Chicago, USA), under the supervision of Aaron Dinner, where he modelled complex biological systems focusing on the immune system. For his postdoctoral studies he moved to The Rockefeller University (New York, USA), where he worked with Ali H. Brivanlou and Eric Siggia to recapitulate early embryonic spatial patterning with human embryonic stem cells. In 2014, Aryeh started his own research group at Rice University to study signalling dynamics and spatial cellular organisation in early embryonic development. Aryeh recently joined Journal of Cell Science as an Associate Editor and brings to the journal his expertise in signalling dynamics, stem cells and mathematical modelling. We spoke to Aryeh over zoom to hear more about his career, his approaches to establishing collaborations and his advice to young scientists.

Emerging themes in microbial stress response and mechanistic insights: key findings from the fall 2024 ASM Theobald Smith Society meeting.

The annual fall meeting for the Theobald Smith Society was held in November 2024 on the campus of Rutgers University-New Brunswick. Eighty-six branch members from across New Jersey attended the meeting, composed of undergraduate, graduate, and postdoctoral trainees, faculty members, and government and industry professionals. This report highlights the breadth and diversity of research conducted by American Society for Microbiology members in the Theobald Smith Society and celebrates their groundbreaking discoveries.

First person – Brandon Scharpf and Hannah Ruetten

ABSTRACT First Person is a series of interviews with the first authors of a selection of papers published in Disease Models &amp; Mechanisms, helping researchers promote themselves alongside their papers. Brandon Scharpf and Hannah Ruetten are co-first authors on ‘ Prostatic Escherichia coli infection drives CCR2-dependent recruitment of fibrocytes and collagen production’, published in DMM. Brandon is a PhD student in the lab of Dr Chad Vezina at University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA, investigating the mechanisms of fibrosis-induced lower urinary tract dysfunction, which is necessary for the development of, currently unavailable, targeted treatments. Hannah is a postdoctoral research fellow in the lab of Dr Koudy Williams and Dr Steve Walker at Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine, Winston Salem, NC, USA, optimising animal models for understanding pathophysiology and developing treatments for genitourinary diseases.

Moving from data crunchers to sense makers: The art of providing neuropsychologically-informed services

This article summarises the rationale for providing a conference workstream delivered jointly by leads, educators and clinicians of the Division of Neuropsychology (DoN) and of the Faculty of Psychology for Older People (FPOP). The aim of the workstream was to address a long-expressed hunger on the part of qualified FPOP clinicians to enhance their formal training in neuropsychology to apply them to their clinical practice. The second part of the workstream gave a platform to practicing Clinical Psychologists who have undergone additional post-doctoral neuropsychology training, to present the diverse and varied ways in which this additional framework enables them to deliver not just neuropsychological assessments and rehabilitation, but to more broadly guide neuropsychologically-informed clinical services.

Cathy Barr: Genetics and neurobiology of childhood psychiatric and cognitive disorders

Cathy Barr completed her Ph.D. in molecular biology at the University of Texas, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences (M.D. Anderson Cancer Center) in Houston, Texas, followed by postdoctoral training in the genetics of complex behaviors at Yale University and the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto. Currently serving as a Senior Scientist at both the Hospital for Sick Children and the Krembil Research Institute (University Health Network) and as a Professor in the Departments of Psychiatry and Physiology at The University of Toronto, Dr. Barr investigates the genetic foundations of behavior, cognition, and psychiatric disorders with established genetic predispositions. Her research mainly focuses on childhood-onset conditions, including depression, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, reading disabilities, and Tourette syndrome, with special emphasis on understanding shared risk factors across disorders – a critical area given that children with neurodevelopmental disorders face a fivefold increased risk of depression. Through innovative approaches, Dr. Barr and her research team have successfully identified risk-contributing genes. They are investigating how DNA variations in these genes influence gene function and neural cell behavior. In this Genomic Press Interview, she generously shares insights from her groundbreaking research into the genetic underpinnings of childhood psychiatric and neurodevelopmental disorders.

ESPO AND NIA’S BUTLER WILLIAMS PROGRAM: RESOURCES AND SUPPORTS TO CULTIVATE THE FORTITUDE FACTOR

Abstract Aging research, education, and practice all continue to expand in their diversity across methods, scope, and reach. Navigating a career in any of one of these sectors requires many elements of fortitude – curiosity, discipline, collaboration, creativity, and resilience. The Gerontological Society of America’s Emerging Scholar and Professional Organization (ESPO) has long collaborated with the National Institute on Aging to support students, trainees, and emerging professionals in their scientific and professional development. The Butler Williams Scholars Program, hosted by the NIA’s Office of Special Populations, is an annual immersive program for advanced postdoctoral fellows and early career faculty. For many attendees, participating in this program is an opportunity to engage with Program Officers, exchange ideas among colleagues with diverse training and interests, and develop a national network of scientific and professional collaborators. This symposium features work by past Butler Williams participants, including reflections on how GSA and NIA have each helped to shape professional and research trajectories. Specifically, Dr. Matos-Moreno will discuss ongoing work around kinship structures in different migratory scenarios. Dr. Hughes will discuss a portfolio of interdisciplinary research focused on the scale and spread of health promotion programs for older adults. Dr. Dotson will discuss a career composed of diverse funding mechanisms and initiatives to promote healthy lifestyles and optimize brain health. The session will close with remarks by staff from NIA’s Office of Special Populations and other program areas.

DETERMINING APPROPRIATE LOAD: BUILDING STRENGTH AND ENDURANCE AS A REHABILITATION RESEARCHER

Abstract Physical therapy educational programs typically teach students to dose patients’ exercises with the goal of increasing strength or increasing endurance – an “either/or” decision rather than a “both/and” decision. However, clinicians working with older adults know that our patients will be more successful when we help them build both strength and endurance. In this presentation, the presenter will discuss why a strategy of building both strength and endurance also applies to the early years of a research career. The presenter will discuss how she built strength while making pivotal career decisions including whether to pursue research or teaching, whether to pursue post-doctoral training, and how much clinical practice is reasonable to build into one’s schedule. Next, the presenter will discuss how she learned (more accurately, ‘is still learning’) to accept being told “no” most of the time, and how the arduous process of pursuing grants and publishing manuscripts builds endurance. Finally, the presenter will discuss lessons learned as an early career rehabilitation researcher. These lessons include: (1) improving balance is difficult, both as a patient in physical therapy and as an early career researcher; (2) it’s okay to be a terrible juggler, as long as one surrounds herself with people who can help her keep all of the balls in the air; (3) how early career researchers may position themselves for careers that are both strong and endurant.

Putting Trainees at the Center of the Family Medicine Research Workforce of Tomorrow.

The Family Medicine Research Summit culminated in a strategic action plan to enhance research in family medicine and expand the primary care research workforce. The strategic plan focuses on infrastructure, mentorship, and funding objectives needed for robust family medicine research. Trainees play a central role in the success of the strategic plan. This commentary outlines how the strategic plan impacts trainees from undergraduate students to postdoctoral research fellows through funding initiatives for research and trainees, fostering curiosity among family medicine clinician trainees, transdisciplinary collaboration, enhancing primary care research knowledge, and mentoring the next generation of researchers.

The Anatomy of Context.

For most of my career, I focused on understanding how and where spatial context, the place where things happen, is represented in the brain. My interest in this began in the early 1990's, during my postdoctoral training with David Amaral, when we defined the rodent homolog of the primate parahippocampal cortex, a region implicated in processing spatial and contextual information. We parceled out the caudal portion of the rat perirhinal cortex (PER) and called it the postrhinal cortex (POR). In my own lab at Brown University, I continued to study the anatomy of the PER, POR, and entorhinal cortices. I also began to characterize and differentiate the functions of these regions, particularly the newly defined POR and the redefined PER. Our electrophysiological and behavioral evidence supports a view of POR function that aligns with our anatomical evidence. Briefly, the POR integrates object and feature information from the PER with spatial information from the retrosplenial, posterior parietal, and secondary visual cortices and the pulvinar and uses this information to represent specific environmental contexts, including the spatial arrangement of objects and features within each context. In addition to maintaining a representation of the current context, the POR plays an attentional role by continually monitoring the context for changes and updating the context representation when changes occur. This context representation is accessible to other regions for cognitive processes, including binding life events with context to form episodic memories, guiding context-relevant behavior, and recognizing objects within scenes and contexts.

The views of educators on the utilisation of information and communication technologies in controlled educational environments: The example of therapeutic communities

Reintegration of individuals into the community constitutes an official strategic aim for correctional facilities. It methodically addresses the factors that contribute to the recurrence of delinquent behaviour while simultaneously reinforcing those that will aid in the stability of this integration. From this perspective, incarcerated individuals need to be educated on how society and the state operate. A crucial part of this education, not as a privilege but as a necessity for reintegration into a world where technological advancements affect the structure and functions of social systems, is familiarisation with Information and Communication Technologies (ICT). For this reason, educators who undertake the task of educating delinquent individuals have an exceptionally challenging job. They strive to prepare individuals who are already disadvantaged in various aspects of their lives for their return to society, in highly restrictive environments, both in terms of educational and technological infrastructure. This research is part of a postdoctoral study on education and reintegration. It focuses on the views of educators who teach in therapeutic reintegration communities regarding utilising information and communication technologies in the education provided in these structures. The method of interviews was used with a total of 8 educators teaching in therapeutic communities in Greece.

Unanswered questions in ageing: an interview with Dr Joris Deelen

Joris Deelen obtained his PhD at the Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC) in 2014. In 2016 he joined the Max Planck Institute for Biology of Ageing as a postdoctoral researcher and was promoted to independent Research Group Leader in 2020. From 2025 he will be back at the LUMC as an associate professor.

Cultivating anti-racism in the classroom and beyond through collaborative learning in the environmental sciences

AbstractSpurred by nationwide protests against anti-Black violence in the summer of 2020, academic departments across the USA saw an uptick in efforts to integrate belonging, diversity, equity, justice, and inclusion initiatives into their programs. In this vein, graduate students in the Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management at the University of California, Berkeley, developed and led a semester-long course, “Critical Engagements in Anti-Racist Environmental Scholarship.” The course cultivated anti-racist mindsets through collaborative learning and action projects. We designed and taught the class as a team of doctoral students, and course participants consisted of faculty, staff, postdoctoral scholars, and other graduate students, thus disrupting traditional academic power structures. In this article, we draw on our experiences from two years of developing and teaching this course. We begin by outlining our theory of change, depicted as a tree rooted in our pedagogical approach, which ultimately bears the fruit of anti-racist mindsets and actions. We then provide an overview of our pedagogical approach, which includes attending to the roots of curriculum, classroom structures, and teaching practices. Next, we highlight the four key elements of the course’s success: (1) Centering Black voices and experiences, (2) Flattening academic hierarchies, (3) Fostering a community of learners, and (4) Developing action-oriented mindsets to sustain long-term anti-racist praxis. To conclude, we reflect on the successes and challenges of this approach two years later. Overall, this article shares our experiences conducting an environmental sciences-specific version of this course, with the understanding that this model can be adopted by other departments seeking to implement anti-racist praxis through coursework and long-form professional development training for academics.