About this session

Thursday, 11:50 AM - 1:20 PM

Guiding Developmental Scientists Beyond Academia

Developmental scientists are needed in many diverse contexts and capacities. However, many scientists are not aware of the different avenues through which they can implement their valuable skills. During this panel we plan to share career paths outside of the academy and provide attendees with the tools to holistically explore their diverse options.. The goal of this session is to inform SRCD attendees who are predominately developmental scientists about the career opportunities available outside of the academy, how to discover the right fit for their career goals, and practical tips to land their next role. This session will also show faculty/PIs how to support trainees interested in non-academic careers.

This professional development session was co-developed by Dr. Lorena Aceves, a first generation, Latina Research Scientist in the Education area at Child Trends, and Dr. Ashley Ruba, a queer, first-generation, neurodivergent entrepreneur and founder/CEO of After Academia. The panelists for this session will include 1) Dr. Ashley Ruba (also a co-organizer), 2) Dr. Amanda Coleman, Deputy Division Director of the Division of Child and Family Development (DCFD) within the Administration for Children and Families’ (ACF) Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation 3), Dr. Stephen Plank, vice president of Research, Evaluation, Evidence and Data at the Annie E. Casey Foundation 4) Dr. Ashley Boat, an applied research scientist at Search Institute, and 5) Dr. Alana Anderson, a Senior Research Manager at OMNI Institute .