Australasian Cell Death Society Mentorship Program 2025

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The ACDS committee is thrilled to launch the 2025 Mentorship Program for early- to midcareer

researchers (EMCRs). This pilot program is designed to pair junior members of the

Australasian cell death community with esteemed leaders in the field. By fostering

meaningful mentorship, this program aims to provide EMCRs with an invaluable opportunity

to receive tailored guidance and perspectives to cultivate their professional growth, build

confidence, and achieve their career aspirations.

Our program will include:

• Connecting one EMCR (Mentee) with an ACDS Leader (Mentor):
  • Each Mentee is required to meet with their Mentor at least twice, either face-to-face or virtually during 2025.
  • Additional meetings are encouraged to maximise the benefits of mentorship.
  • Brief talking points and topics will be provided to facilitate initial discussion.
• Professional Development (PD) Workshops:
  • All Mentees are invited to attend the four exclusive ‘Rapid Fire’ PD workshops led by selected Mentors.

The ACDS ‘Rapid Fire’ Professional Development Workshops are a series of 4 dynamic sessions designed for ACDS Mentees. Each 30-minute workshop features a 15 min presentation from an influential leader in the cell death community, followed by a 15 min open discussion period. These workshops are designed to foster an engaging environment that encourages active participation and open dialogue between other Mentees and selected Mentors. Mentees will gain invaluable insight and advice from inspirational members of the ACDS community to build their own research careers. This format promotes a dynamic exchange of ideas and personalised guidance crucial for professional development.

Workshop 1: Research Career in Industry – Dr. Kim Newton, Genentech

Date: Wednesday April 2nd 

Time: 9-9:30am AEDT (4-4:30pm San Fran time)

Brief: Gain first hand insights into building a successful research career working in industry and understand how this compares to traditional academia. Dr Kim Newton will delve into the contrasts between industry and academia, highlighting the pros and cons of each. Gain advice on transitioning and pursuing this route.

Workshop 2: Conflict Resolution – Prof. James Murphy, WEHI

Date: Wednesday May 28th  

Time: 2-2:30pm AEDT

Brief: Perspectives on navigating conflicts effectively within academic/workplace settings. Prof. James Murphy will discuss strategies for managing disagreements over project direction, resolving disputes when supervisors restrict conference participation, and dealing with difficult conversations surrounding authorship for publications. Topic in this session will help you to apply to other conflicting situations such as interpersonal challenges with lab members.

Workshop 3: Research Financing & Budgeting – Prof. Ivan Poon, LIMS

Date: Wednesday August 13th 

Time: 2-2:30pm AEDT

Brief: Unlock the essentials of effective financial management in research with Prof. Ivan Poon. Critical aspects in this session will cover: (1) How do you write a budget when applying for grants (i.e. lab supplies, your salaries and PhD stipend/RA salaries). (2) You’ve finally got a grant, how do you manage this and keep track of spending. 

Workshop 4: Interviews & Interviewing – Prof. Kate Schroder, UQ

Date: Wednesday October 22nd 

Time: 2-2:30pm AEDT

Brief: Tips and tricks for interviewing for your dream job – what are interviewers often looking for. Conversely, when are you interviewing potential students, RAs etc, what are the green and red flags? Advice for key questions to ask? Background checks? Weight on referees – how to decipher a bad referee based on a personal clash rather than work qualities? 

Prof. Kate Schroder shares all the tricks and benefits to secure your next dream job or hiring the perfect person

We are extremely grateful to the following inspirational leaders in the Australasian cell death community who have generously agreed to support our junior researchers:

• Prof Peter Czabotar, WEHI (BCL-2 proteins, apoptosis, necroptosis, structural biology)
• A/Prof Helen Healy, UQ (kidney disease, inflammation, innate immunity, fibrosis)
• Dr Conor Kearney, ONJCRI (T cells, granzyme, cancer biology)
• Prof Sharad Kumar, Uni SA (autophagy, caspases, extracellular vesicles)
• Dr Larisa Labzin, UQ (macrophage, influenza, SARS-CoV-2, inflammation, pyroptosis)
• A/Prof Kate Lawlor, Hudson (apoptosis, pyroptosis, necroptosis, inflammation)
• Prof Seth Masters, Hudson (auto-inflammatory disease, inflammasomes, NLRP3)
• Prof Andrew Murphy, Baker (ferroptosis, inflammation, haematopoiesis)
• Prof James Murphy, WEHI (MLKL, necroptosis, pseudokinases)
• Dr Kim Newton, Genentech (RIPK1/3, necroptosis, inflammatory disease)
• Prof Ivan Poon, La Trobe University (apoptotic bodies, cell clearance, ecerocytosis)
• Dr Jaclyn Pearson, St Andrews (microbiology, E.coli, infection and immunity)
• Prof Kate Schroder, UQ (Pyroptosis, inflammasomes, drug development)
• Prof Tri Phan, Garvan (Intravital microscopy, macrophages, apoptosis, B cells)
• Prof Andreas Strasser, WEHI (Apoptosis, blood cancers, p53, drug development)
• Prof Stephen Tait, Uni of Glasgow (mitochondria, apoptosis, minority MOMP)
• Prof Ana Traven, Monash (Fungal infections, Candida, macrophage)
• Dr Erinna Lee, ONJCRI (Apoptosis, autophagy, inflammatory bowl disease) *newly added!
• A/Prof Doug Fairlie, ONJCRI (Autophagy, cancer cell death, BH3 mimetics) *newly added!

To ensure the success of this program, applicants must meet the following criteria:

• Be an early- or mid-career researcher (up to 8 years post-PhD), including current PhD students.
• Be a registered member of the Australasian Cell Death Society .
• Demonstrate a commitment to career development and active participation in the field.
• Selection will be based on alignment with program goals, career stage, and availability of suitable mentors.