October 12th - October 16th, 2026 | Vol. 12, Issue 41
In this issue:
Annual Career Development Retreat
��️Monday, October 12th | ⏱️ 9:00am - 4:00pm |�� Kellie Anderson Seminar Room (Bloch Alumni & Advancement Center)
Featuring Lauren Celano
Founder & CEO, Propel Careers
Explore career pathways, build essential skills, and gain practical strategies to navigate your next step in the life sciences. Food will be provided.
Event Highlights:
Beyond the Bench: The Business of Running a Lab
Learn what it takes to successfully lead a lab beyond the science.
�� Developing a Career Search Strategy
Build a focused, effective job search aligned with your skills, interests, and goals.
�� The Job Talk: How to Prepare an Effective Talk
Learn how to showcase your research, tell your story, and make an impact in academic and industry job talks.
�� The State of the Industry Job Market
Get an inside look at the evolving life sciences job market and strategies for finding and pursuing opportunities.
2nd GWIS Meeting: Speaker: Dr. Ximena Barros Álvarez
��️Thursday, October 15th | ⏱️ 3:00pm - 4:00pm |�� Lower Adolph Aud 1-7619
Invited Speaker: Ximena Barros Álvarez, PhD, Director of Structural Biology, Schrödinger Therapeutics Group, Boston, MA
TOPIC: “From Curiosity to Impact: My Journey Through Structural Biology, Drug Discovery, and Leadership”
Career Story with Ryan Dawes, Ph.D.
Join Neuroscience Graduate Program alumnus Ryan Dawes, Ph.D., for two engaging sessions exploring career opportunities beyond the bench and the intersection of science, strategy, and biotech business development.
��️Thursday, October 15th | ⏱️ 1:00pm - 2:30pm |�� CEL 2-7536
Hear Dr. Dawes share his career journey from neuroscience research and drug discovery to business development and external innovation.
Interactive Session & Networking Lunch
Interactive Session: ��️Friday, October 16th| ⏱️ 10:00am - 12:00pm |�� 1W – 502 Collins & Wilson
Take part in an interactive, case-based session on biotech search and evaluation, followed by a networking lunch.
Networking Lunch: ��️Friday, October 16th| ⏱️ 12:00pm - 1:30pm |�� 1W – 502 Collins & Wilson
SMD GEPA Alumni & Trainee Networking Dinner on Elmwood Ave
��️ Monday, October 19th | ⏱️ 5:00 pm -7:30 pm | ��Seasoning Thai Bistro on Elmwood
Connect with SMD alumni at the GEPA Alumni & Trainee Networking Dinner at Seasoning Thai Bistro on Elmwood Avenue! Enjoy a cocktail reception, sit-down dinner, and dedicated time to ask questions and expand your network.
Space is limited to 40 trainee spots, so register early. Registration for this event opens on Thursday, October 1st!
myHub Career Ready Boot Camp: Build, Brand, and Break Through - Networking
��️ Monday, October 19th | ⏱️ 12:00 pm -1:30 pm | ��Louise Slaughter Room (1-9555)
Take charge of your professional future with our 15-week interactive program designed to guide you through every step of career exploration and development. Whether you're a graduate student or postdoctoral fellow, this experience-based program will empower you with the tools, knowledge, and confidence to take the next big leap in your career. This will include asynchronous, group, and individual appointments. Snacks will be provided.
Registration is closed.
Transitioning Projects from the Open Science Framework (OSF)
��️Tuesday, October 20th | ⏱️ 1:00pm - 2:00pm |�� Virtual
OSF is changing! Join us on Tuesday, October 20th, from 1 – 2 pm to understand what this means for you and your projects moving forward. Learn which platforms are available to you for migration and plan ahead.
OSF is phasing out OSF Projects as an active collaboration and storage workspace. Published OSF Projects will remain available in a static form indefinitely, but active projects should migrate to alternative platforms. OSF itself will continue, with a renewed focus on supporting open, connected research workflows through Preregistrations. Attend this event to learn your options at the University of Rochester.
Future Faculty Workshop Series: Understanding the Faculty Role Part 1
��️Friday, October 23rd | ⏱️ 11:00 am - 12:00 pm |�� Hybrid, In person: 109 - Fantone Lecture Hall, Robert Goergen Hall
Considering a career in academia but unsure where to start? This workshop explores academic career paths, faculty roles, and how hiring decisions are made. Whether you’re just beginning or actively applying, you’ll gain clear answers and practical advice to confidently navigate the faculty journey.
| MyHub Writing Retreat at the Gell Center! |
Fall into Focus: Offsite Writing Retreat at the Gell Center
��️ Wednesday, November 4th | ⏱️ 9:30 pm -5:00 pm | ��Gell Center of the Finger Lakes
Escape the daily grind for a serene day of writing and community | With Dr. Elaine Smolock, Ph.D.
What’s Included:
- Dedicated, quiet writing time off campus at the Gell Center of the Finger Lakes on W. Hollow Road!
- Light breakfast & catered lunch
- Refreshing nature walk or relaxing movement activity
- Optional: Celebratory social gathering after the retreat at Glen Hollow Winery on Seneca Point Road!
- Open to all grad students and postdocs.
�� Capacity: Limited to 20 people!
Brought to you in part by Writers & Books: A premier literary arts organization dedicated to fostering the reading, writing, and sharing of literature. Learn more at writersandbooks.org.
Dine on Do Not Disturb
Put down your phone and pick up a conversation using prompts such as Would You Rather, Hot Takes, Silly Suggestions, and other guided conversation starters. Make new friends or get to know current friends better every Thursday evening in Danforth Dining Hall throughout the fall 2026 semester!
Red Watch Band
Red Watch Band is a bystander intervention program focused on promoting safety around alcohol and other drugs. Its goal is to increase students’ awareness, knowledge, and skills, empowering them to support and intervene effectively in critical situations. By doing so, the program fosters a campus culture of kindness, responsibility, and compassion. Join Health Promotion on October 21st from 5-6:30pm in Genesee 325. Register today to reserve your spot!
Relax & Renew Retreat
Make time for rest and reflection this fall semester with Relax & Renew, a half-day silent meditation retreat offered by the Mindful University Project, an initiative of Health Promotion. Join us on Sunday, October 25, from 9 AM–1 PM for four hours of noble silence and a variety of contemplative practices. The retreat will be co-facilitated by Mindful University Project meditation instructors. No prior meditation experience is necessary, and all University of Rochester students, faculty, and staff are welcome. Please dress comfortably. Register today!
| URochester Connects - Career Advice & Networking |
Have a Career Question?
Exploring Career Options in Regulatory Affairs?
Exploring Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Public Health?
Preparing for a Job Search?
Ask a Rochester Alum!
URochester Connects Q&A makes it easy to connect with a network of more than 130,000 University of Rochester alumni who can share career insights, experiences, and advice.
Whether you're exploring career options, preparing for a job search, or curious about a particular industry, your next connection could be just one question away!
It's simple: Just ask!
Get started today: rochester.protopia.co/
| Mental Health First Aid Training October Sessions! |
Mental Health First Aid is a skills-based training course from the National Council for Mental Wellbeing. Since 2008, more than 3 million people in the U.S. have been trained by certified instructors to identify, understand, and respond to signs and symptoms of mental health and substance use challenges. More information about Mental Health First Aid is available at the National Council for Wellbeing, and also in the slides below.
Training is available for everyone - SMD graduate students, postdocs, staff, and faculty can all attend Mental Health First Aid training conveniently on-site. MHFA Certified Instructor Amber Rivera, Director of Learner Life and Wellness, offers the training several times per year. Contact Amber (amber_rivera@urmc.rochester.edu) for more information or to register for an upcoming training session.
Training Sessions for Graduate Students & Postdocs
Morning Sessions:
��️Monday, October 15th & Tuesday, October 16th| ⏱️ 8:00am - 12:15pm |�� Rooms will be emailed
Training Sessions for Faculty/Staff
Morning Sessions:
��️Monday, October 19th & Tuesday, October 20nd| ⏱️ 8:00am - 12:15pm |�� Rooms will be emailed
| NIH Fellowship Mock Study Section |
NIH Fellowship Mock Study Section
��️Thursday November 12th | ⏱️ 12:00pm - 2:00pm |�� 1-7619 Adolph (Lower) Auditorium
myHub will host an NIH Fellowship Mock Study Section to help trainees understand what happens to a fellowship application after it is submitted, reviewed, and processed.
University of Rochester Faculty will review fellowship applications and demonstrate the process by which an application is discussed and scored.
Food will be provided
| America's Got Regulatory Science Talent Competition |
The fourteenth annual America’s Got Regulatory Science Talent student competition, scheduled for Wednesday, December 2, 2026 at 12:00 pm is now accepting applications. Organized by the UR CTSI, the competition aims to promote student interest in regulatory science. Students matriculated at the University in any undergraduate or graduate program of study are welcome to submit a 50-word entry and provide a five-minute presentation during the competition. The proposed solution should align with the FDA Focus Areas of Regulatory Science. Visit the America’s Got Regulatory Science Talent page to learn more.
Entry forms are due by 5:00 pm on Wednesday, November 4, 2026.
This week's featured read ��✨: Finding the Space to Lead: A Practical Guide to Mindful Leadership by Janice Marturano is a guide to developing mindful leadership skills through focus, self-awareness, and intentional decision-making. Drawing on mindfulness practices, Marturano explores how leaders can create space to reflect, manage competing demands, and respond to challenges with greater clarity and purpose. This book offers practical strategies for cultivating leadership skills, strengthening communication, and navigating professional responsibilities with greater awareness. It is a helpful resource for graduate students and postdocs looking to develop their leadership abilities, build resilience, and approach their academic and professional journeys with intention.
Stop by the GEPA office to check it out!
This week’s spotlight celebrates Esteban Avendaño-Fernández Ph.D. for successfully defending his doctorate in Translational Biomedical Science at the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry!
Assistant Professor Floria Mora-Kepfer Uy shared her congratulations, celebrating the milestone and the special connection of chairing the defense of a fellow Costa Rican: “Congrats to Esteban Avendaño-Fernández for his successful doctoral defense in translational biomedical science at University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry!”
Congratulations to Esteban on this exciting milestone and best wishes for continued success in his scientific career!
The University of Rochester is committed to providing inclusive experiences and equal access to programs and services. If you anticipate needing any type of accommodation, please contact the Office of Disability Resources. In all situations, a good faith effort (up until the time of the event) will be made to provide accommodations.
OTE Submission Information
Submissions for the weekly Monday edition of OTE are due by Thursday at 5:00 pm. Please submit materials to myHub@urmc.rochester.edu.
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