If you are a faculty member starting out in your research career, you are in charge of leading a team that will drive one of the most critically important professional enterprises of your life. Leading this group successfully will depend on more than just your outstanding scientific skills. You will need advanced interpersonal and management skills, the ability to articulate a vision and inspire others to work together towards achieving it, and the capacity for continuous growth and development.
If you want to learn to meet these challenges with more confidence, consider applying for the Duke LEADER program.
Apply now for the 2025 program!
Application Deadline: November 12
LEADER is an interactive 5-month program that provides a unique opportunity to build leadership skills and network with a multidisciplinary group of faculty from across the university. The program kicks off with a 3-day leadership intensive, followed by monthly half-day sessions for a total of 6 months. Sessions are held in-person on or near Duke campus. Each participant also engages in two, 1:1 executive coaching sessions focused on individual career development goals.
Sessions will address topics such as:
- Leading with emotional intelligence
- Time management
- Shifting from mentee to mentor
- Fostering inclusion in your research space
- Complexities of financing an academic health center
- Conflict management
- Team dynamics
- Conflict management
LEADER utilizes adult learning principles by combining didactic learning, peer mentoring, small and large group exercises, and time for personal reflection and goal setting. Course content is delivered by leadership experts from both inside and outside Duke.
View the complete program schedule to learn more about the content and speakers.
Participation in the LEADER program costs $1,500. Applicants must provide information about who will support their tuition costs at the time of application. Tuition payments must be made via departmental charge, tuition cannot be paid with sponsored codes. This one-time payment covers all aspects of course participation, including assessments, materials, meals, coaching, and inclusion in follow-up alumni programs at no additional charge.
The most competitive applicants will be junior faculty who are leading a research team and have clearly identified research as the principal focus of their career. Applications from basic, clinical, translational and data scientists are encouraged, as well as applications from STEM fields on campus. Applicants must have the support of their department chairs in order to participate.
Interested applicants should discuss their potential participation with their supervisor (Department Chair, Division Chief, Institute or Center Director) in advance of their application to ensure their willingness to provide the required letter of support. Understanding that this time commitment is significant for a junior investigator, this discussion should confirm the requirement that, if accepted, the participants must attend the entire course. This conversation should also include a discussion of who will pay the required tuition costs if the applicant is accepted.
Admission to the course will be determined on a competitive basis. Please have the following ready to upload before you begin filling out the application. You will NOT be able to save the application and return to it later.
- 200-word statement describing why you should be selected to participate in the course
- NIH Biosketch (preferred) or CV if you do not have a Biosketch
- Letter of nomination from Department Chair, Division Chief, or Center/Institute Director
- The name and e-mail address of the person who will provide your tuition payment
Apply now for the 2025 program!
Application Deadline: November 12
Applicants will be notified of their acceptance in late December 2024.
Applications Open: Early September
Applications Due: November 12, 2024
Notification of Acceptance: Late December 2024
EQi Assessment: Friday, January 31, 2024