Principal Investigator, pd|hub
Associate Professor, RNA Therapeutics Institute and Biochemistry & Molecular Pharmacology; University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School

Trained as a chemist/structural biologist, Dr. Cynthia Fuhrmann brings more than 15 years of experience directing programs and curricula in professional development for early-career scientists, first at UCSF and then at UMass Chan Medical School. Her 2011 study of the career preferences of biomedical graduate students contributed to national awareness of the diversification of career paths for biomedical PhDs. At UMass Chan Medical School, Dr. Fuhrmann led an innovative effort to integrate career planning and professional development into the core doctoral and postdoctoral curricula required for all trainees. She co-developed and co-authored myIDP, an interactive career-planning website hosted by AAAS with more than 200,000 users, and continues scholarship focused on Individual Development Plans for scientists. Along with Dr. Bruce Alberts, Dr. Fuhrmann co-chaired the 2016 working group that initiated the concept for pd|hub, and has led pd|hub's growth since that time.

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Program Manager, pd|hub

Dr. Barbara Natalizio is the Program Manager for pd|hub. Dr. Natalizio has been an advocate for Ph.D. career and professional development and actively contributed to advancing these goals through numerous national roles.  Her previous experience includes as a Science Program Administrator at the Rita Allen Foundation, Chair of the Board of Directors and Interim Executive Director for the National Postdoctoral Association, and Vice President for Finance for the Association for Women in Science DC Metropolitan Chapter. Dr. Natalizio was a Program Officer with the Board on Higher Education and Workforce at the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, and worked in the Division of Graduate Education at the National Science Foundation as a AAAS Science and Technology Policy Fellow. Prior to joining pd|hub staff as Program Manager in 2020, she co-chaired the committee that organized the 2019 pd|hub Stakeholder Workshop. She earned her bachelor’s degree in biochemistry and history from Montclair State University and her Ph.D. in molecular genetics and microbiology from Duke University.

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Collections Specialist, pd|hub

Dr. Katie Kearns is the Collections Specialist for pd|hub. From 2005 to 2023, Dr. Kearns worked for Indiana University's teaching center and graduate school, facilitating communities of practice to support the professional development and personal growth of graduate students and postdocs. As an instructional consultant, she coached graduate students and led workshops and learning communities on course design, active learning, teaching statements, critical feminist pedagogy, and scholarship of teaching and learning. In 2019, she joined the University Graduate School as assistant vice provost for student development, contributing to broader graduate student professional development efforts both on the Bloomington campus and nationally as part of the Center for the Integration of Research, Teaching, and Learning (CIRTL). She has been an active leader in the Professional and Organizational Development (POD) Network; she was a chair of the Graduate student, Professional student, & Postdoctoral scholar Development (GPPD) special interest group and recently served a three-year term on POD's governing board. Dr. Kearns co-edited two books, Teaching as if Learning Matters (Indiana University Press, 2022) and Higher Education Careers Beyond the Professoriate (Purdue University Press, 2024) and has published in educational development journals. She received a bachelor's degree in biology from Cornell University and a PhD in ecology from the University of Georgia.

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Administrative Coordinator, pd|hub

Ann Latino is the Administrative Coordinator for pd|hub. She joined the RNA Therapeutics Institute, pd|hub’s home department at UMass Chan Medical School, after managing a large childcare center for 25 years. She completed her Masters in Deaf Education at Gallaudet University and taught HS Mathematics at the Learning Center for the Deaf in Framingham, MA for many years. When not working, she is caring for her great granddaughter and two foster children.

pd|hub Staff

Dr. Ryan Bixenmann has been involved with the pd|hub initiative through various roles since its inception. Dr. Bixenmann entered the field of gradaute education practice and policy as a AAAS Science and Technology Policy Fellow in the National Science Foundation Division of Graduate Education. He served as Director for PhD Career Services at Michigan State University where he developed and implemented a multifaceted approached to raising career awareness and preparedness among doctoral students and postdoctoral scholars. At UC Davis, Dr. Bixenmann developed data visualizations to communicate graduate program statistics and career outcomes as part of the Coalition for Next Generation Life Sciences. Additional roles have included serving as Senior Science Officer at the California Council on Science and Technology and as Chief of Operations for Limelight Rainforest (coordinating a project team that won the XPRIZE in 2024). He holds a PhD in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from the University of Utah, a BS in Biology from Mesa State College, and conducted postdoctoral research at Montana State University.

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CEO, Propel Careers

Lauren is the Co-founder and CEO of Propel Careers and has helped thousands of students, postdocs, and professionals advance their careers. Before Propel, she spent 10 years in life sciences with SNBL USA, Aptuit, Quintiles, and Absorption Systems. She has a B.S. (Biochemistry & Molecular Biology; Gettysburg College) and an MBA (health sector & entrepreneurship focus; Boston University). Lauren is on the Board of MassBioEd, the Advisory Boards of BU’s SPH Pharmaceuticals Program, the Professional Science Masters at Framingham State University and NE GWISE, and serves on the selection committee for ILC’s Life Sciences Immigrant Entrepreneur of the Year Award.

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Non-profit Executive
 
Dr. Joanne Kamens' career so far has spanned academia, pharma, biotechnology and nonprofits. Most recently, Dr. Kamens served for nearly ten years as Executive Director of Addgene, a mission driven, nonprofit dedicated to facilitating collaboration and materials sharing in the scientific community. Previous to that role, Dr. Kamens spent 15 years at BASF and Abbott and was Senior Director of Research Collaborations at RXi Pharmaceuticals. Dr. Kamens founded the Boston chapter of the Association of Women in Science and is a Fellow of the Massachusetts Academy of Sciences. She holds a PhD in Genetics from Harvard Medical School and a BA in Biology from the University of Pennsylvania.

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Co-Investigator, pd|hub Collections; Content Specialist, pd|hub Mentorship Action Collaborative

Former Assistant Vice Chancellor, Career Advancement, International and Postdoctoral Services, University of California, San Francisco

Bill Lindstaedt has been helping scientists and engineers launch successful careers for 30 years.  From 2001-2023, he supported the career development needs of PhD students, postdocs and their faculty mentors at the University of California San Francisco.  In his career counseling practice, he developed particular expertise working with biomedical scientists as they transition from academic positions to careers in the biotech/pharma sector.  While at UCSF, Bill co-authored Science’s “myIDP”, a web-based career development tool which has been used by more than 300,000 scientists and is recommended by dozens of graduate and postdoctoral programs around the country.  Recently retired from UCSF, he now serves as co-Investigator on the NIH-funded pd|hub Collections initiative to build STEM PhD professional development resources across institutions.  Additionally, he serves as a contracted career consultant with the Academic Programs Office at St. Jude Childrens’ Research Hospital and with Emory University’s Office of Postdoctoral Education.

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