In tandem with the GYA’s 2024 Annual General Meeting in Washington, D.C., USA, 40 particpants –  newly selected GYA members , additional participants and mentors – took part in a 2-day Science Leadership Workshop.
The workshop aimed to create space for collaborative and individual reflection on how to be leaders in diverse contexts. Early career researchers exercise leadership in their research contexts, in the institutions and communities where they live and work, and within the GYA. During the workshop, participants practiced effective and creative problem solving and collective leadership tools.
Pre-AGM science leadership workshops have been offered as a training opportunity for new members since the GYA’s 2018 AGM, expertly facilitated by InclusiveInnovation; The 2024 workshop was facilitated by Maggie Dugan, César Guerrero and Leshi Oluwatosin. GYA members Devina Lobine, Markus Prutsch and Lydia Rhyman took part in the workshop as mentors.
Impressions from participants
I liked that the tools that are really helpful in our own research careers. I feel like this workshop will have a great impact on our time and resource management skills
– Inayat Ullah
There are not many times you actually stop and think about your own and others approaches and views in life.
– Melina Flórez-Cuadros
About Science Leadership and the GYA
The GYA helps young scientists and scholars develop competency in how they talk about their research, conduct discourse across disciplines, develop networks and engage the public with science. These soft skills, however, aren’t necessarily part of a research career.
To address this gap, GYA members worked together with Inclusive Innovation to build the Africa Science Leadership Program (ASLP) in 2015. The programme aims to help early-career researchers in Africa engage more effectively across disciplines, and up and down the hierarchy of their universities and academies. Since the start of the Africa SLP, the ASEAN SLP, a new LAC-SLP and numerous spin-off science leadership workshops have been organised by GYA members.
Read more about the GYA science leadership model.