Research vision workshopping: Peer mentoring to support the transition to independence.

The transition to independence requires shared enthusiasm for one's research goals from broad audiences. In this commentary, we describe the use of "research vision workshopping" within peer mentoring networks. We contend that this approach is broadly useful for the development and refinement of research visions for the academic job search.

Hannah A. Valantine, M.D., Stanford University School of Medicine.

Dr. Hannah Valantine is renowned for her work in transplantation medicine, leadership, and mentoring as well as her efforts to improve scientific workforce diversity. In this interview with Cell, she discusses her research; what Juneteenth means to her; the persistent gender, race, and ethnicity leadership gaps that exist in academic medicine; and the importance of equitable, inclusive, and diverse science.

The common sense of the community.

Maternal and childhood mortality are health indicators that show very wide gaps between rich and poor, and between countries. The 2022 John Dirks Global Health Award recognizes Zulfiqar Bhutta "for the development and evaluation of evidenced-based interventions in child and maternal health for marginalized populations, focusing on outcomes for the 'first thousand days' of life." Cell editor Nicole Neuman caught up with Zulfiqar to discuss how he became passionate about maternal and child health, how mentors have shaped his career, and the lessons of his work for high-income countries. Excerpts of the conversation are presented below and have been edited for clarity and conciseness.

Bringing research to the intensive care setting.

Dr. Deborah J. Cook's contributions in the field of critical care have not only impacted the intensive care unit (ICU) patients she treats and countless others worldwide but have also helped establish research programs and clinical trials as integral components of improving care and outcomes for the most seriously ill. Lara Szewczak spoke with Dr. Cook, recipient of the 2022 Canada Gairdner Wightman award, about critical care research, her reflections on the COVID-19 pandemic, and her views on mentorship. An edited version of this conversation is presented below.

Unrealized potential from smaller institutions: Four strategies for advancing STEM diversity.

Diversity within science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) remains disturbingly low. Relative to larger, highly funded universities, smaller schools harbor more diverse student demographics and more limited resources. Here, we propose four strategies leveraging the unique advantages of smaller institutions to advance underrepresented scholars along STEM pathways.

Nurturing Undergraduate Researchers in Biomedical Sciences.

Undergraduate researchers are the next-generation scientists. Here, we call for more attention from our community to the proper training of undergraduates in biomedical research laboratories. By dissecting common pitfalls, we suggest how to better mentor undergraduates and prepare them for flourishing careers.

Evolving as a Scientist and a Mentor.

Connie Eaves sets high standards for herself, her science, and her colleagues, which has fueled a stellar career that counts as successes insights into basic stem cell biology, important discoveries in leukemia and breast cancer, and a cohort of trainees that she considers family. Cell editor Lara Szewczak caught up with Connie, the recipient of the 2019 Canada Gairdner Wightman Award, to discuss her dual passions for stem cell biology and mentoring talented young scientists. Annotated excerpts from this conversation are presented below.

Meet the authors: Prashant Rawat and Marc Boehning.

We talk to Prashant Rawat and Marc Boehning, collaborators and co-first authors of "Stress-induced nuclear condensation of NELF drives global transcriptional downregulation" (this issue, previewed by Xu et al.), about their motivation for becoming scientists, the challenges they faced in the course of their project, and the importance of collaboration for scientific research.

Meet the authors: Kyosuke Nakamura, Georg Kustatscher, and Anja Groth.

Here, we talk to first authors Kyosuke Nakamura and Georg Kustatscher, as well as co-corresponding author Anja Groth, about their paper "Proteome dynamics at broken replication forks reveal a distinct ATM-directed repair response suppressing double-strand break ubiquitination" (in this issue of Molecular Cell) and their scientific journeys until now.

Voices on diversity: recruiting underrepresented scientists.

As part of our commitment to amplifying the voices of underrepresented scientists, we are publishing the insights and experiences of a panel of underrepresented scientists. In this piece, they discuss strategies to recruit underrepresented minority students to universities and careers in science. These are the personal opinions of the authors and may not reflect the views of their institutions.

Introducing new group leaders: Christina Towers.

Christina Towers discusses her search for a collaborative institute and why she chose the Salk, San Diego, to establish her lab studying autophagy in cancer. She shares her advice for applying, the importance of identifying what you want, tackling the perceived requirement for geographic mobility, and her hope to hire people who share her curiosity and love of asking questions.

Postdoctoral scientists are mentors, and it is time to recognize their work.

Academia often fails to recognize the important work that supports its functioning, such as mentoring and teaching performed by postdoctoral researchers. This is a particular problem for early-career researchers, but opportunities exist to improve the status quo.