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Education ASM Maximizing Opportunities for Scientific and Academic Independent Careers (MOSAIC) Program

Our Work

The ASM MOSAIC program is a professional development program that supports successful transition of early-career scientists from historically underrepresented groups from postdoctoral positions to tenure-track faculty positions at research-intensive institutions. This 5-year initiative is an essential step to achieve the Society’s goal for diversity in the microbial sciences.  

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Professional Development that Promotes Faculty Diversity

The ASM MOSAIC program, a cooperative agreement between NIH and ASM, is a 5-year initiative that will support early-career scientists from underrepresented groups as they transition successfully from postdoctoral positions to tenure-track faculty positions. The program will support scholars to achieve robust careers as microbiologists and immunologists and prepare them to mentor the next generation of scientists.

MOSAIC has 2 components:

  1. The career transition award for postdoctoral researchers to enhance diversity through the well-established K99/R00 award system.
  2. The research education cooperative agreement for ASM and other scientific societies that provide courses for skills development and mentoring activities.

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ASM MOSAIC Scholar Experience

ASM's MOSAIC program is funded by the NIH MOSAIC Institutionally-Focused Research Education Award (UE5). The program's 3 phases will include courses, workshops and mentor support for scholars in the microbial sciences to achieve the following goals:

  • Focus on the foundational skills required to gain faculty positions.
  • Embark on a successful tenure-track career.
  • Catalyze progression to scientific leadership.

FAQs About the ASM/NIH MOSAIC Program

Learn about eligibility information, application requirements, the review process and more.

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Key Activities

Years 1 and 2

  • Create and refine Individual Development Plans (IDP).
  • Choose a faculty pathway.
  • Apply and interview for a tenure-track position.
  • Develop a philosophy and plan for successful mentoring.
  • Establish a mentoring network.
  • Foster a community of peers and mentors, both virtually and in person.

Years 3 and 4

  • Build departmental relations and support diversity.
  • Attend "Lab Management" workshop.
  • Foster a community of peers and mentors, both virtually and in person.
  • Participate in workshops and training courses for "Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR)."
  • Attend "Leadership Training in the Business of Science" workshop.
  • Develop science communication skills.
  • Acquire tools for sustained research funding, e.g., grant writing, scientific publishing.

Years 5+ 

Over the course of the experience, scholars will have the opportunity to grow their peer networks by attending and presenting at the ASM-managed Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minoritized Scientists (ABRCMS), ASM’s annual flagship meeting, ASM Microbe, and other ASM meetings and events.

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ASM MOSAIC 2023 Scholars

Omokolade Adebowale

Harvard University

Diana Elizondo

U.S. National Institute of Child Health and Human Development

Krista Freeman

University of Pittsburgh

Project: Biophysical cues shaping macrophage and T cell functions.

Project: Delineation of macrophage-derived transglutaminases role in adipose tissue health and inflammation in obesity.

Project: Improving phage-based medicine with immunoengineering.

Ramiah Jacks

University of Michigan at Ann Arbor

Ayano Kohlgruber

Brigham and Women’s Hospital

Joscelyn Mejias

Johns Hopkins University

Project: Regulation and maintenance of adipose tissue T cells.

Project: Decoding synovial CD4+ T cell antigen specificities in rheumatoid arthritis.

Project: Age and sex differences in the immune response to synthetic materials.

Rachael Philips

National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases

Project: Genomic regulation of immune response by a STAT1 gain of function mutation.

ASM MOSAIC Mentors

ASM MOSAIC scholars are guided by these mentors who support their progress from innovative researchers to competitive applicants for biomedical research funding.

  • Hector Aguilar-Carreno, Ph.D., Cornell University.
  • Juan Alfonzo, Ph.D., Ohio State University.
  • Cynthia Cornelissen, Ph.D., Georgia State University.
  • Patricia Champion, Ph.D., University of Notre Dame.
  • Vincent Lee, Ph.D., University of Maryland, College Park.
  • Petra Levin, Ph.D., Washington State University in St. Louis.
  • Mary O’Riordan, Ph.D., University of Michigan.
  • Christina Stallings, Ph.D., Washington University in St. Louis.
  • Jorge Vidal, Ph.D., University of Mississippi Medical School.
  • Allison Wiliams, Ph.D., University of California San Francisco.
  • Jinwei Zhang, Ph.D., National Institute of Health, NIDDK.

ASM MOSAIC Program Leadership

This ASM program is supported by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Grant #UE5AI178763.

Principal Investigator:

Irene Hulede, Education Director, American Society for Microbiology

Co-Investigators

Advisory Committee

These are the members of the program’s advisory committee.

  • Avery August, Ph.D., professor, Cornell University.
  • Stefano Bertuzzi, Ph.D., MPH (Ex-Officio), Chief Executive Officer, ASM.
  • Arturo Casadevall, M.D., Ph.D., M.S., chair and professor, Johns Hopkins University.
  • Jo Handelsman, Ph.D., director and professor, University of Wisconsin-Madison.
  • Akiko Iwasaki, Ph.D., professor, Yale University.
  • Greetchen Díaz-Muñoz, Ph.D., Director, Science Education Program and Community Partnerships, Ciencia Puerto Rico.
  • Courtney Robinson, Ph.D., associate professor, Howard University.
  • Alfredo Torres, Ph.D., professor, Associate Provost of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, The University of Texas Medical Branch.
  • Raphael Valdivia, Ph.D., professor, Duke University.

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