Resources

Thursday Oct 3rd, 3 pm Eastern

Applying to Graduate School in Biophysics

This panel discussion will target students with an interest in biological physics, who are applying to graduate school or considering doing so in the future. Topics for discussion will include: the pros and cons of embarking on a PhD program, how to choose schools, how to craft your personal statement to convey the most relevant information, when and how to reach out to potential research advisors, and more. Join us to learn more about how to make the most of opportunities for graduate study in biophysics.

Panelists:

• Joshua Shaevitz, Professor of Physics & Biophysics, Princeton University

• Hernan Garcia, Associate Professor, Department of Molecular & Cell Biology and of Physics, UC Berkeley

• Arvind Murugan, Associate Professor, Department of Physics, University of Chicago

• Brian Camley, Assistant Professor, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Johns Hopkins University

Moderator: Elena Koslover, Associate Professor, Department of Physics, University of California, San Diego

Register Now

Friday Sept 20th, 4:00 pm Eastern

Demystifying the independent postdoc funding application process

Are you an early-career postdoc? Are you considering applying for independent funding? Join our workshop to learn the ins and outs of the application process. Our expert panel, featuring recipients of prestigious independent grants like the Damon Runyon, Burroughs Wellcome, and NIH K99, will share their experiences and advice. We'll cover essential topics such as application materials, timelines, and key strategies for success. Plus, there will be a Q&A session where you can get your specific questions answered. Don't miss this opportunity to gain valuable insights into writing a successful application!

Panelists:
Ankur Jain, Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, MIT, NIH K99 recipient
Maijia Liao, Assistant Professor of Physics, Northeastern University, Burroughs Wellcome Fund Career Award recipient
Jung-Shen Benny Tai, Postdoctoral Fellow, Yale University, Damon Runyan Fellowship recipient

Moderator:
Sarthak Gupta (sg207@rice.edu), Postdoctoral Fellow, Center for Theoretical Biological Physics, Rice University

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Thursday July 25th, 12 pm Eastern

Navigating the transition from grad student to postdoc

If you’re a grad student thinking about making the leap into a postdoc, this panel is for you. The search for a postdoc can seem opaque and chaotic, but (as with many disordered systems) there are some guiding principles that can make the transition manageable, and maybe even enjoyable. We’ll hear from an expert panel of scientists across career stages—from grad student to postdoc to faculty—who each have a unique perspective on the postdoc transition. We’ll hear about things to look for in a postdoc position, strategies for approaching potential postdoc mentors, tips for applying to postdoctoral fellowships, and much more.

Panelists:

• Stephanie Palmer, Associate Professor of Organismal Biology & Anatomy and Physics, University of Chicago

• Caroline Holmes, Postdoctoral Fellow in Organismic & Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University

• Jason Kim, Bethe/Wilkins/KIC Theory Postdoctoral Fellow, Cornell University

• Matthew Leighton, PhD Student in Physics, Simon Fraser University

Moderator: Christopher Lynn (christopher.lynn@yale.edu), Assistant Professor, Yale University

Tuesday March 19, 12 pm Eastern

Career and skills development for grad students and postdocs

It is normal during graduate school and a postdoc to be focused on the immediate tasks at hand, especially on advancing your current research. But with a broader and forward-looking perspective in mind, what experiences and skills should you be cultivating as part of your graduate and/or postdoctoral life, to set you up to secure that next position and be successful in it? Join APS DBIO for a discussion and Q&A with panelists across academia and industry and from a variety of backgrounds spanning physics to biology. We will discuss our thoughts on career and skills development while a trainee, and engage with your questions. Everyone is welcome to attend.

Panelists:
Prachee Avasthi - Co-Founder and CSO, Arcadia Science; Associate Professor of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth College
Cynthia Fuhrmann - Associate Professor of RNA Therapeutics Institute, UMass Chan Medical School; Principal Investigator, Professional Development Hub
Sarah Schlobohm - Head of AI, The Citation Group

Moderator:  David Sivak, dsivak@sfu.ca; Associate Professor of Physics, Simon Fraser University

Monday January 22, 2024 2:30 pm Eastern

Postdoc Networking: Bridging Boundaries and Interdisciplinary Challenges in Biophysics

Navigating the multidisciplinary field of biophysics involves collaborative research with scientists from diverse disciplines, presenting a significant challenge for biophysics postdoctoral researchers trained in different academic departments. In this workshop, panelists will address these challenges and share firsthand experiences on navigating their careers and capitalizing on the inherent interdisciplinary nature of biological physics.

Moderator: Mohammad Nooranidoost, mnooranidoost@fsu.edu

Panelists: Eric Jones (Simon Fraser University), Babak Vajdi Hokmabad (Princeton University), Vincent Noireaux (University of Minnesota), Veronika Magdanz (University of Waterloo)

Tuesday December 12, 2023, 4:00 pm Eastern

From Classrooms to Community: Nurturing Future Biophysicists Through Outreach

When high school or undergraduate students or the public discuss Physics, it's rare for biological physics to be a part of those conversations. This could result in a lack of future biophysics researchers, enthusiasts, or public speakers. However, this situation can be addressed by providing more exposure to this exciting field. By incorporating outreach and courses at these educational levels, we can introduce students and the public to the captivating world of biological physics. Our panel will share their experiences initiating biophysics outreach and teaching programs at their respective institutions. We will discuss the challenges they encountered and how these initiatives helped expose students and the public to our fascinating field. Join us as we explore how you can establish and contribute to similar programs at your institution, offering insights into various outreach and teaching directions and more.

Moderator: Sarthak Gupta, sg207@rice.edu

Panellists:
Lorna Dougan (University of Leeds), Lisa Lapidus (Michigan State University), Greg Morrison (University of Houston), Rae Robertson-Anderson (University of San Diego)

Monday November 6, 2023, 2:30 pm Eastern

Non-academic careers for biological physicists

Are you curious about how to use your training in biological physics in fields outside academic research?  Do you want to learn about how to find a path from academia to a job in industry?  Join us at this panel, and hear from Biological Physics graduates who have forged their own paths following their PhDs.  Bring your questions and share in the opportunity to learn about diverse career trajectories.

Moderator: Nancy Forde, nforde@sfu.ca

Panellists:
Teddy Hay - CEO & co-founder, Emano Metrics
Bryan Jackson - Senior Program Manager, D.E. Shaw Research
Cassandra Niman - Systems Engineer, Element Biosciences
Naghmeh Rezaei - Senior Research Scientist, Google

Monday October 2, 2023, 1:00 pm Eastern

Preparing for and navigating the academic job market: From grad students to faculty

If you are a postdoc or grad student considering an academic career, this panel is for you. Come join an expert set of panelists from all career stages at different institutions who will break down the academic hiring process for you. We will discuss actions you can take to be best prepared for the job market with a focus on biological physics positions - broadly defined. Topics will involve crafting your applications including CV, research, teaching and diversity statements; networking; engaging in outreach and professional development; letters; the interview process - talks, Q&A with hiring committees and much more.

Moderator: Ajay Gopinathan, agopinathan@ucmerced.edu

Panelists: Hernan Garcia, Andrea Liu, Rae Robertson-Anderson, Jennifer Ross, Suraj Shankar

Monday September 18 2023, 12:00 pm Eastern

Interdisciplinary early career faculty life: charms and challenges

Early career faculty working on interdisciplinary topics in biological physics experience unique set of challenges. These include securing resources and funding for their research, providing mentorship and training to students with different scientific backgrounds, and working in departments which may be distinct from their own academic background. In this workshop we discuss charms and challenges of being an early career interdisciplinary faculty with biological physicists from different levels of seniority and different departments. After some brief comments from panelists, we will hold a discussion about what support we might like to see and how we might go about providing it. Everyone is welcome to attend.

Moderator: Armita Nourmohammad

Panelists:

Andrea Liu (University of Pennsylvania; Professor of Physics)

Orit Peleg (UC Boulder; Associate Professor of Computer Science)

Evelyn Tang (Rice University; Assistant Professor of Physics)

Thierry Emonet (Yale University; Professor of Molecular Cellular and Developmental Biology & Physics)

Wednesday 30 August 2023, 4:00 pm Eastern

How to get involved with APS and DBIO

The DBIO Executive Committee is a great way to serve the broader biological physics community. We run the DBIO program at March Meeting, oversee the selection of relevant APS awards & honors, and organize numerous community engagement efforts. We need individuals dedicated to strengthening the biological physics community to step up to keep our community strong.

Join us at this panel discussion to learn more about how to get involved in your DBIO community, whether through formal nomination to an executive position or in a smaller capacity! 

Executive positions that are open for nomination (nomination deadline September 1, 2023 or until candidates are identified) are: 

• Vice Chair, 4 years - through Chair Line

• 2x Members-at-Large, 3 years

• Early Career Member, 2 years

Elected candidates will begin their terms at the conclusion of the 2024 March Meeting.

This event will present the organization chart of the DBIO Executive Committee and explain the duty and time commitment of these positions. We’ll also discuss other ways to contribute to the work of DBIO, and welcome the opportunity to hear from members at all levels about what we can do differently!

Moderator: Dr. Margaret S. Cheung, Chair of the DBIO Nominating Committee, Past Chair of DBIO.

Tuesday July 18, 2023, 4:00 pm Eastern

Building a Network of PUI Faculty

Faculty working at primarily undergraduate institutions have work experiences different from faculty at large research institutions. In this workshop, biological physics faculty from PUIs will discuss how we might build a cohesive national network to provide each other support. After some brief comments from panelists, we will hold a discussion about what support we might like to see a network provide and how we might go about building it. Everyone is welcome to attend.

Moderator: Orrin Shindell oshindel@trinity.edu

Panellists: Patricia Soto Becerra (Creighton University),Bruce Rodenborn (Centre College), Catherine Crouch (Swarthmore College)

Tuesday, June 13, 4:00 pm ET

Teaching Biophysics – Retaining student excitement

Join us in a discussion of how to improve our teaching of biological physics to retain the excitement that students have for science.

Organizer: Sarah Marzen marzen.sarah@gmail.com 

Moderator: Nancy Forde

Panelists: Josh Shaevitz, Jané Kondev, Raghu Parthasarathy

Wednesday, May 31, 12:30 pm ET

PRX Life – what’s it all about and why you should care

Join us for an online information session about PRX Life, APS's new interdisciplinary journal exclusively for quantitative biological and neuroscience research - the first of its kind and open access.

The editors Margaret Gardel and Serena Bradde will discuss what makes the journal special, including its scope, selection criteria, and unique review process, as well as share tips for getting published in PRX Life. And don't forget to bring your burning questions about the editorial process, as there will be ample opportunity for Q&A.

Thursday, February 9, 11 am ET

Networking for introverts: A Pre-March Meeting Warm-Up

We often hear that networking is an important part of building a career, but building a network can be challenging for many people. Join us for a discussion, where panelists will share tips and tricks that they have used to overcome personal barriers to networking. This will be followed by a breakout session, where you can meet other networking novices, exchange ideas, and practice talking to strangers to warm-up for the March Meeting.

Moderator: Suliana Manley suliana.manley@epfl.ch
Panelists: Moumita Das, Mike Murrell, Alison Patteson, Sahand Rahi, Arpita Upadhyaya

Monday, December 19, 12 pm ET

Making the most of your postdoc training

How does one get the most value out of their time as a postdoc in biophysics? What qualifies as "success" when you are a postdoc?

These questions and more will be answered in this workshop sponsored by APS DBIO. A panel of academicians at various career stages will provide their insights into the purpose of postdoctoral training and how it can be used to prepare biophysicists for their future careers.  In addition, they will talk about their personal experiences as successful, former postdocs and provide the audience with advice about how to effectively interact with other biophysicists and interdisciplinary collaborators.

Moderator: Mohammad Nooranidoost
Panelists: Debra Fadool, Eyal Karzbrun, Christopher Smith

Tuesday November 15, 12 pm ET

The Future of Biological Physics

The Decadal Survey for Biological Physics suggested that there were four key scientific questions the next decade would tackle: what physics problems do organisms need to solve?  How do living systems represent and process information?  How do macroscopic functions of life emerge from interactions of many microscopic constituents?  And, how do living systems navigate parameter space?

Are there any big questions they missed?  And, maybe more importantly, what can we do now to train ourselves and our students for the next decade of such questions and their many instantiations?

The discussion will be stimulated by these scientific questions and education, funding, and inequality recommendations contained in the report.

Moderator: Sarah Marzen (Claremont Colleges)
Panellists: Hernan Garcia (University of California, Berkeley), Jasmine Nirody (The Rockefeller University, University of Oxford), Peter Foster (University of Southern California)

Thursday November 3 2022, 1 pm ET

Strategies for incorporating Biological Physics into undergraduate programs

In this panel followed by small group discussions, we’ll consider three different ways that biological physics can be incorporated into the undergraduate physics curriculum for physics majors: examples used in standard courses, strategic course adaptations, and biological physics or other interdisciplinary majors. If your department or program is interested in finding ways to modify your curriculum to incorporate more biological physics, please join us! The final 20 minutes will be devoted to breakout room discussions with the panelists, with each room focused on one of the three approaches, so we hope that you will share your own ideas and experiences as well as hearing about the panelists’ successes and lessons learned.

Moderator: Catherine Crouch

Panelists: Ashley Carter, Jané Kondev, Wolfgang Losert, Patricia Soto Becerra

Wednesday September 28, 2022, 2 pm ET

Communicating Biological Physics - advice from the experts

It can be difficult to communicate our science to others and the public, even when we think our research findings represent a breakthrough and may also be super cool! Join APS DBIO for a discussion and Q+A with three experts at scientific communication, to learn how to hook your audience and convey the excitement and importance you feel about your work. What are the keys in successfully pitching your work to an editor or to a journalist? How can illustrations and animations help to capture the essence of a system while getting the science “right”? How can you convey the important Physics that you’re learning, while connecting to the biological insight that results? Join us to learn how to convey the importance and excitement about research breakthroughs in Biological Physics.

Moderator: Nancy Forde (Simon Fraser University)

Panelists: Philip Ball (Science Writer), Janet Iwasa (Biochemist and Scientific Animator), Raghuveer Parthasarathy (Biophysicist, Blogger and Author).