The Global BioImaging Working Group “Career Paths for Imaging Scientists” has been busy – first releasing their International Recommendations for Imaging Scientist Careers in Core Facilities and now with the publication of “Recognising the importance and impact of Imaging Scientists: Global guidelines for establishing career paths within core facilities” in the Journal of Microscopy. The JoM publication presents a condensed form of the international recommendations aimed at reaching the broader community.
To continue the conversations sparked by the publications and to highlight success stories and initiatives towards building sustainable career paths for imaging scientists in core facilities, the Working Group is now launching the GBI’S- Global BioImaging Spotlight Series: register at www.tinyurl.com/gbispotlight
Each iteration of this monthly seminar series will feature speakers from the different Global BioImaging partner networks or other community members advancing career paths for core facility staff. The seminar will be split between presentations and community discussions around the presented approaches, challenges and solutions.
To allow for broad attendance from the global imaging community, the seminars will be held twice on the same topic – one aimed at the Eastern hemisphere (8-9 am CEST, 3 pm JST, 4 pm AEST) and one for the Western hemisphere (5-6 pm CEST, 12 pm UYT/BRT/ART, 11 am EDT, 9 am CST, 8 am PDT). It will always take place on the last Wednesday/Thursday of the month.
The seminar series will launch on May 30th (8-9 am CEST, 3-4 pm JST, 4-5 pm AEST and 5-6 pm CEST, 12-1 pm UYT/BRT/ART, 11-12 am EDT, 9-10 am CST, 8-9 am PDT) with a presentation from Lisa Yen, Microscopy Australia, Jamie Riches, Queensland University of Technology, and Sach Jayasinghe, Queensland Cyber Infrastructure Foundation, on “Mapping and influencing career pathways for Core Facility Staff in Australia”.
At Queensland University of Technology (QUT), the roles of Research Infrastructure Specialists (RIS) are formalized within the Academic Career Framework. RIS facilitate research through domain knowledge, training end-users, and maintaining instruments. They engage in method development, grant applications, and university representation. Promotion processes allow focus on specific categories and recognize training and maintenance roles. Pro Vice-Chancellor (Research Infrastructure) involvement ensures an understanding of infrastructure capabilities. Successful promotions have occurred at various academic levels, showcasing recognition of core research staff. The initiative has attracted and retained top research talent, with recruits crediting the RIS opportunities for their decision to join.
