PROGRAM OVERVIEW

Program Details

PLS offers two parallel groups within each cohort to reflect the varied experiences of parenting in academia—the Researcher Moms Group centers on traditionally motherhood-associated experiences, and the Researcher Dads Group centers on traditionally fatherhood-associated ones. This structure honors the different challenges shaped by caregiving roles, identity, and social context. Most sessions are held separately to support honest, focused dialogue, with occasional joint sessions to address shared barriers and explore institutional change. While applicants may choose only one group to apply to per cycle, both are open to all eligible faculty. This RFA is for the Researcher Dads Group only. 

If you are interested in applying for the Researcher Moms Group, please refer to the Parents Leading Science 2027 Researcher Moms Group RFA. 

Applicants are limited to one group per calendar year, i.e., either apply to the Researcher Moms Group or the Researcher Dads Group.

• Group size: Researcher Dads Group – up to 12 participants

• Length: 1-year formal programming, followed by an annual retreat

• Curriculum: Grounded in Stewart Friedman’s Total Leadership and Brené Brown’s research on vulnerability and worthiness, PLS empowers faculty to lead with courage and self-awareness. We embrace Krista Tippett’s insight that “we create transformed, resilient new realities by becoming transformed, resilient people,” believing that personal transformation is the foundation for meaningful, sustainable leadership.