ASM MOSAIC Program

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ASM MOSAIC ABSTRACT The American Society for Microbiology’s Maximizing Opportunities for Scientific and Academic Independent Careers (ASM MOSAIC) program is a five-year initiative that will support early-career scientists from minoritized groups to transition successfully from postdoctoral positions to tenure-track faculty positions at research-intensive institutions. Increasing the number of faculty members from groups historically underrepresented in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics is essential to advancing biomedical research in the United States. While the number of postdocs from minoritized groups has modestly increased over the last couple of decades, the number of faculty at research - intensive institutions has yet to show a similar increase. Increasing the number of scientists from minoritized groups who pursue doctoral degrees is not enough to correct this imbalance, which requires targeted interventions to help them succeed. ASM MOSAIC’s three phases will cover the skills needed to (1) secure a faculty position at a research-intensive university, (2) excel in a faculty position, and (3) become a scientific leader. All three phases will include courses and workshops for skill development and mentoring. The program’s first specific aim focuses on the foundational skills required to gain faculty positions. To address this aim, the program will pair each scholar with a network of mentors to help them assess different career pathways, develop the skills needed to maximize their productivity as a postdoctoral fellow, and transition to a faculty position. The mentors will consist of (i) an institutional mentor, (ii) a scientific mentor, and (iii) a career development mentor. The second specific aim will help the scholars embark on a successful tenure-track career and will cover setting goals, building relationships with department leadership, establishing a research laboratory, and managing work-life balance. The scholars will also take grant and manuscript writing courses and participate in mentorship training. The third specific aim focuses on catalyzing the scholars’ progression to scientific leadership. This phase of the program will provide the scholars with the skills to acquire sustained research funding, build a scientific reputation and professional network, and understand the business of science. To grow their networks, the scholars will attend two conferences: the ASM-managed Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minoritized Scientists (ABRCMS) and ASM’s annual flagship meeting, ASM Microbe. Microbiologists and immunologists research basic life processes, promoting knowledge that improves public health and the economic and environmental well-being of the United States. The ASM MOSAIC program will support early-career scientists from minoritized groups to achieve successful careers as microbiologists and immunologists and prepare them to mentor the next generation of scientists.