The Team Science Leadership Program returned for its second year with a new 2024 faculty cohort and another series of workshops. The program aims to promote strong research collaboration among mid-career faculty and train the next generation of science leaders for campus, and especially the Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology.

The TSLP is a certificate program offered by the IGB and spearheaded by Associate Head of Plant Biology James O’Dwyer (CAIM). Tailored for mid-career faculty affiliated with the IGB, the TSLP hosts a series of workshops focused on leadership training, networking, communication skills, and community building.

“Some scientific questions are just not possible to answer without broad disciplinary expertise. Bringing people with different perspectives together to solve problems has always been valuable, but the IGB has really been at the forefront of team science from the beginning,” said O’Dwyer. “So, how do we build a team in a way in which everyone is invested, engaged, and valued while also contributing to the team’s overall goals? Through our workshops, we are trying to learn from people who have had success with balancing these things.”

As an assistant professor, O’Dwyer grew accustomed to weekly coffees with IGB Director Gene Robinson and other assistant professors at the IGB. When he received tenure, O’Dwyer sought more opportunities for community building and professional development for mid-career faculty, leading to the initial idea for the program. The COVID-19 pandemic further emphasized the need to build connections with colleagues, so after gathering input from current mid-career IGB faculty and running preliminary workshops to test the concept, the first TSLP cohort began in fall 2023.

“TSLP was a big success last year,” said IGB Director Gene Robinson. “Professor O’Dwyer designed an outstanding program, and our first cohort of faculty found it to be very valuable. In particular, they really enjoyed learning the nuts and bolts of team science leadership, and by working together in the program, they also have expanded their professional network and built many productive connections.”

“I think that a nugget of a new scientific idea often comes when you're not planning for it, and chance conversations with colleagues working on different research can lead to really cool ideas,” said O’Dwyer. “I'm hoping the community building and conversations within the TSLP cohorts lead to these sparks of ideas.”

The first workshop of the year was held on September 13 and featured honey-tasting, which was a 2023 cohort favorite, and an introduction by Amy Wagoner Johnson (EIRH/RBTE), a professor of mechanical science and engineering, and Rachel Whitaker (IGOH leader), a professor of microbiology. O’Dwyer also acknowledges that the 2023 and 2024 programs could not be successful without the assistance of Mary Callaway and Brionna Gee in ensuring each event runs smoothly. For more information about the program, visit https://www.igb.illinois.edu/team-science-leadership-program

The 2024 cohort consists of:

Jessica Brinkworth (GNDP/IGOH)
Associate Professor, Anthropology

Li-Qing Chen (CABBI/GEGC)
Associate Professor, Plant Biology

Adam Dolezal (IGOH)
Associate Professor, Entomology

Anna Kukekova (GNDP)
Associate Professor, Animal Sciences

Erik Nelson (ACPP)
Associate Professor, Molecular and Integrative Physiology

Esther Ndumi Ngumbi (CIS/GEGC/MMG)
Assistant Professor, Entomology

Huanyu Qiao (EIRH)
Associate Professor, Comparative Biosciences

Sepideh Sadaghiani (M-CELS)
Associate Professor, Psychology

Nathan Schroeder (BSD/GNDP/MMG)
Associate Professor, Crop Sciences

Rachel Smith-Bolton (GNDP/RBTE)
Associate Professor, Cell and Developmental Biology

Diwakar Shukla (MMG)
Associate Professor, Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering

Csaba Varga (IGOH)
Assistant Professor, Pathobiology

Lav Varshney (CAIM)
Associate Professor, Electrical and Computer Engineering