2025 Early Career Leadership Program

Picture of postdocs in a meeting room talking to each other.

Feb. 24 - April 11, 2025 

Details coming soon.

Hosted by NSF NCAR Education, Engagement, and Early-Career Development (EdEC).

  What is the ECLP?  It is a  seven-week-long leadership program for early career scientific and technical staff that is a journey of self-exploration, professional skill development, and cohort-building. The program will foster and support the participants on their career paths. The skills learned and practiced here will augment participants' ability to function well in their jobs, take on leadership roles (informal and formal), and become more eligible for promotion or future employment. 

Who is eligible?  Early career employees of NSF NCAR and UCP who are scientific and technical staff and interested in gaining leadership skills. We seek candidates from a diversity of labs, disciplines, and job categories. Acceptance into the program will also be based on answers to the short essay questions in the application. 

When is it?  The Early Career Leadership Program or ECLP will start on Feb. 24th, 2025. Then small groups of participants will meet three times biweekly in March and April. The program will culminate in a 2.5 day workshop on April 9, 10, and 11, 2025 at the NSF NCAR Mesa Lab in Boulder, CO. The last day, April 11, will be a half day. 

How will it work?  The program will kick off with an online welcome and pod launch. All participants will join this meeting to get an overview of the program, discuss leadership, and meet their fellow 3-4 pod-mates. Pods will meet biweekly three times between the program kickoff and the in-person meeting. The two day in-person workshop at the end of the program will include all participants. 

Topics:    Topics include types and qualities of leadership, awareness, and regulation of emotions, listening as leadership, scientific and technical communication, and intercultural awareness, among others. 

Registration Fee:  The applicant's Lab/Program/Center/Office will be asked to pay a $200 registration fee for each participant. This covers lunches, coffee, snacks, and materials for the onsite program component. 

Travel funding:  Non-local staff should work with the lead administrator of their Lab/Program/Center/Office to use REM funds to pay for travel and lodging for the in-person components of the program. They may consider being in Boulder a bit longer to meet with supervisors, colleagues and teams. 

Guidance for NSF NCAR staff charging time for non-science activities: This may be found on this web page in Sun Dog.

Questions?  Please contact Valerie Sloan at vsloan@ucar.edu.