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Professional Development

Programs and Resources

The Graduate Affairs and Admissions Office provides a academic and professional development programs and resources for all graduate students and postdocs on the Homewood Campus.

• Responsible Conduct of Research
• Research Writing
• Lattman Graduate Student Community Lectures
• Career Centers
• Teaching Assistant Training

Responsible Conduct of Research

Researchers at all levels of their career spend time and effort on two aspects of responsible conduct of research. First, researchers are concerned that their behavior is always characterized by others as ethical. In the area of ethical research, many components are very straightforward and "black and white", such as behavior that is scientific misconduct (research fraud). However, many aspects of ethical research behavior are more nuanced or "grey", such as how many different statistical approaches does one use to analyze data. Second, researchers must remain up-to-date about the various regulations that apply to their research. These research regulations cover research using humans, animals, recombinant DNA, and radioactivity, to just name a few.

Perhaps the most effective way to learn about responsible conduct of research is as part of a research group, with the research mentor articulating what is ethical behavior and what is the appropriate way to deal with regulation. The behavior of the research mentor, in addition to his/her articulating various aspects of responsible conduct of research, is an important aspect of mentorship. Another way to learn about responsible conduct of research is to periodically take a formal course on the topic. This course, taught by Dr. Sharon Krag, combines didactic material and extensive discussion of case studies to effectively teach researchers during the first years of their work.

The curriculum is based on the principles given by the U.S. Federal Office of Research Integrity (www.ori.dhhs.gov) and includes approaches by researchers throughout the world. Specific topics covered include scientific misconduct, conflict of interest, mentorship, academic integrity, data management practices, publication practices, and human and animal subjects research regulations. These topics are discussed from the point of view of researchers in laboratory-based, qualitative, and quantitative disciplines.

Each winter intersession, the Homewood schools offer this week-long discussion-based course in Responsible Conduct of Research. The course is free of charge and for credit (Pass/Fail). Anyone wishing to register must do so in person with the Graduate Registrar. The course number is AS.360.625.

Research Writing

Graduate students in the Homewood schools have access to the Center for Leadership in Education's (CLE) Research Writing course offered at various times of the year. Because space is limited, it is recommended that students sign up early. There is no fee for taking the course. A full description of the course is posted on CLE's website. The course number is 661.610.

Lattman Graduate Student Community Lectures

In recognition of the importance of facilitating interdisciplinary research opportunities, training graduate students, and strengthening the graduate student community at Homewood, the Deans of the Krieger School of Arts and Sciences and the Whiting School of Engineering have established the Eaton E. Lattman Graduate Student Community Seminar Series - named after former Krieger School Graduate Dean and faculty member, Dr. Eaton "Ed" Lattman. Through this series, Homewood graduate students will present broad-based research seminars to fellow graduate students and the entire Homewood community in an environment of collaboration and support.

The Homewood schools sponsor one seminar per academic semester. Each seminar spotlights three graduate students each presenting a 20-minute talk on their area of research or a closely related subject, allowing for an additional 5-minute question-and-answer session.

All Homewood graduate students are invited to submit a proposal for the spring and fall seminars. The deadline for submission is typically early fall and spring. All applicants will be notified of the final selections. A proposal should be no longer than one page, single-spaced, and it should include the title and a description of the presentation. For more specific information and deadlines for the current academic year, graduate students should contact the Graduate Affairs and Admissions Office.

Career Centers

Homewood Career Center
The Homewood Campus has a Career Center which has, among other things, a 'Writing your CV' workshop, an 'Academic Job Search for Graduate Students' workshop, workshops on career opportunities outside academia, individual consultation, and on-campus recruiting. There is a section of their website expressly for graduate students.

JHMI Professional Development Office
The East Baltimore Campus has a Professional Development Office with resources such as career panels and speakers, online 'Tools for the Upwardly Mobile Scientist' and guidelines for CVs, letters, networking, and interviewing, individual consultation, and ongoing visits by industry representatives such as McKinsey & Company, Merck, Novartis, and others.

Meg Urry, PhD ’84
Physics
On being a role model: Appointed last year as chair of Yale University’s physics department, Urry is one of a handful of female physics chairs at major research universities in the U.S. She now gets to be the role model she didn’t have.
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