Interesting Features at PWN for 4.27.15

News from the PWN Pipeline:

Consider Co-Mentoring

An interesting article written by two entrepreneurs, Dawn Wells Nadeau and Sara Gaviser Leslie, in Fast Company online suggests a novel mentoring approach, or even alternative to structured mentoring programs, that involves peers mentoring one other. Importantly, Nadeau and Leslie are quick to point out that individuals should not arrange a co-mentoring relationship with peers who may be colleagues or 'competition' given that it is difficult to be honest and vulnerable with someone who may work side-by-side with you in the same industry and may compete for the same resources and job titles. Some of the benefits of a co-mentoring relationship between peers includes increased accountability for timelines and goals as well as new exposure to complementary skills and experiences.

The 5 Most Influential Women in Science and Medicine in Time 100

The Time 100 list is meant to identify the 100 most influential people in the world across all industry. This year, the magazine identified 5 outstanding women who have made immense scientific progress in the fields of medicine, genetics, and infectious disease. Click the link above to read more about these female pioneers, one of whom sings in a rock band when she's not sequencing the genome of the Ebola virus.  

Interesting Features at PWN for 4.20.15

News from the PWN Pipeline:

"I try to let fear be a good sign."

A recent post in The Guardian features several tips given by Julie Lenzer Kirk on navigating a mid-career transition. Lenzer Kirk is a serial technology entrepreneur who, within the past year, was appointed to Director of the Office of Innovation and Entrepreneurship in the US department of commerce. When she began her position, she had little experience in the federal government. In the post, she offers several key mindsets she adopted in order to succeed in adapting and succeeding in her role, including viewing fear of failure as an enormous opportunity for career growth.  

'Many female computer science students feel uncomfortable speaking up.'

In a commentary for Fortune online, Pooja Sankar, the CEO and founder of Piazza, a social learning platform that connects college students with classmates and instructors in real time, expresses concern about the pervasive confidence gap among female computer science majors. An analysis of Piazza data revealed that female computer science majors, relative to their male counterparts, asked more questions but answered fewer questions online and when given an option, preferred to ask and answer questions anonymously. Sankar suggests that female computer science majors may feel uncomfortable speaking up, and indicates that the Piazza data findings are replicated at many computer science programs in Ivy League universities and tech powerhouse schools. One strategy that these programs could employ, suggests Sankar, is to introduce more 'active learning' in classrooms in order to engage male and female students in their coursework and encourage participation via collaborative projects and activities.  

Interesting Features at PWN for 4.13.15

News from the PWN Pipeline: 

'The person you are negotiating with has probably adopted a planned strategy to test you.'

Natalie Reynolds, the Managing Director of advantageSPRING Limited and a leading expert on the topic of effective negotiation, has penned an article for The Guardian describing her top 5 tips to negotiating the best deal. She notes that many people are certain that they are negotiating when, in fact, they are actually just arguing. Reynolds reminds us that proposing ideas that help the other person see the way you are thinking is far a more effective approach than arguing. This is a great quick read and a fantastic reminder of successful strategies for negotiation.

"It's too soon to say, 'OK, problem solved.' We haven't solved the problem of underrepresentation of women in the sciences."

A recent study by researchers Wendy Williams and Stephen Ceci of Cornell University created three hypothetical candidates for an assistant professorship (an extremely well-qualified woman, an extremely well-qualified man, and a slightly less qualified man), developed comparable job application packages for each candidate, and asked 873 tenure-track male and female faculty nationwide to rank the candidates. Williams and Ceci found that a woman applying for a tenure-track position in a STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) field at a US university is twice as likely to be hired as an equally qualified man. These findings, specifically highlighting the hiring phase of STEM careers, offer some insights into the issue of underrepresentation of women in STEM faculties. The study authors suggest that successful training programs about gender and hiring as well as growing beliefs in gender parity in STEM may have influenced the study outcome. Some limitations of the study include the generalizability of the findings to the real world as well as potential biases earlier in the selection/interview process.

Interesting Features at PWN for 4.5.15

News from the PWN Pipeline:

'Gender discrimination need not be overt in order to exist.'

Ellen Pao's gender discrimination lawsuit against her former employers, the venture capital firm Kleiner, Perkins, Caufield, and Byers, has captured media attention in part due to Pao's assertion that gender discrimination was occurring in subtle ways at the firm and likely due to unconscious bias. A recent article in the Huffington Post examines rampant national skepticism of unconscious bias and suggests that Ellen Pao's legal team always had an uphill climb in proving their case. Though Pao ultimately lost her gender discrimination suit, she may have helped grow awareness of unconscious sexism and microdiscrimination decisions taking place in not only the tech world, but industry at large.


Advancement Opportunities:

Postdoctoral Research Fellow positions available at the Centre for Applied Neurogenetics at the University of British Columbia

Excellent opportunity for candidates with a PhD (or equivalent degree) in a field directly relevant to translational neuroscience, and with experience in biochemistry, cell biology or rodent behavior, neurochemistry and electrophysiology. The research opportunities at the Centre for Applied Neurogenetics (CAN) relate to novel discoveries of pathogenic mutations in VPS35, RME-8 and LRRK2 linked to late-onset, familial Parkinson's disease. A variety of models and tools have been generated and tested, including human iPSCs and conditional cre-loxP transgenic mice. CAN provides well-equipped, modern facilities and the opportunity to learn/apply a range of molecular, cellular and physiological neuroscience techniques. Successful candidates will show strong research acumen, a successful track record of publication, broad knowledge of human molecular genetics, neurology and neuroscience, excellent communication and presentation skills, and ambition.

More details in the link above
Interested applicants | CV, 3 written references, 3 representative publications
Send to: jobs@can.ubc.ca

Interesting Features at PWN for 3.30.15

News from the PWN Pipeline:

"Women don't need work-life balance to be happy, we've just assumed they do."

An interesting article from Harriet Minter of The Guardian sheds some light on lingering corporate beliefs that women leave their positions in order to stay home with the children. Termed 'benevolent sexism', Minter indicates that decisions are being made about the upward career trajectory of women based on assumptions of what they may want in the future or needing to achieve a certain work-life balance, instead of focusing on current ambitions, productivity and goals.


Advancement Opportunities

Postdoctoral Research Association position available in the Laboratory of Alcoholism and Addictions at Washington State University

Fantastic postdoctoral research opportunity for a candidate with a PhD in a biological psychology- or neuroscience-related discipline with experience in using pharmacological, immunohistochemical, molecular or genetic/epigenetic approaches to understand and/or modify behavior as well as a publication background. The successful candidate would join a multidisciplinary research program to participate in NIH-funded translational alcohol dependence neuroscience research. Research training would include theoretical and technical training in preclinical models integrating behavioral animal models with neuroscientific techniques to elucidate neuroadaptations in limbic and cortical dynorphin/kappa opioid receptor systems that promote maladaptive behavioral regulation in models of alcohol dependence and neuropsychiatric disorder.

Interested applications: CV | Statement of research interests
Send to: Principal Investigator, Brendan Walker, PhD | b_walker@wsu.edu