Research Unplugged (RU) is an informal, interactive series featuring investigators at all career stages. It provides opportunities to stay informed about current scientific developments, exchange ideas with peers, explore newly published research, and participate in topic-specific training for those beginning their research careers. Sessions are held on Wednesdays from 4:00 to 5:00 PM PT via Zoom, unless otherwise indicated.
The series is organized into five thematic tracks. Please register separately for each track. One registration per track allows all associated sessions to be automatically added to your calendar via a Zoom confirmation email.
This series is offered under the Career Development Track of Research Unplugged. RCR courses are open to anyone who needs to complete the required eight hours of RCR training. Topics follow the NIH guidelines outlined in Notice NOT-OD-22-055.
Sessions are held in person from 3–5 pm PT (2 hours each). Locations may vary but will be on the La Jolla campus. Please RSVP to each event individually using the links below.
November 4, 2026: Research integrity, misconduct, data management and sharing
Speaker: TBD
Panelists: TBD
Subject matter:
secure and ethical data use; data confidentiality, management, sharing, and ownership
research misconduct and policies for handling misconduct
safe research environments (e.g., those that promote inclusion and are free of sexual, racial, ethnic, disability and other forms of discriminatory harassment)
March 3, 2027: Collaborative Research, conflict of Interest & commitment
Speaker: TBD
Panelists: TBD
Subject matter:
collaborative research, including collaborations with industry and investigators and institutions in other countries
conflict of interest personal, professional, and financial and conflict of commitment, in allocating time, effort, or other research resources
June 2, 2027: Science communication, social responsibility, and research impact
Speaker: TBD
Panelists: TBD
Subject matter:
the scientist as a responsible member of society, contemporary ethical issues in biomedical research, and the environmental and societal impacts of scientific research
June 3, 2026: Mentoring with Integrity: Building Healthy and Responsible Research Cultures —RSVP HERE
Speakers: Sara Gianella Weibel, MD and Sinem Beyhan, PhD
Subject matter (2 hours, face-to-face):
peer review, including the responsibility for maintaining confidentiality and security in peer review
responsible authorship and publication
mentor/mentee responsibilities and relationships
March 4, 2026: Research in the age of technology & AI
Speaker: Kathryn Barker, ScD, MPH
Panelists: Nadir Weibel, PhD and Camille Nebeker, EdD
Subject matter:
data acquisition and analysis; laboratory tools (e.g., tools for analyzing data and creating or working with digital images); recordkeeping practices, including methods such as electronic laboratory notebooks
secure and ethical data use; data confidentiality, management, sharing, and ownership
November 19, 2025: Human Subjects and Animal Research
Speakers: Kacey Pratt and Sarah LaMere, DVM, PhD
Panelists: Sara Gianella, PhD and Nadejda Beliakova-Bethell, PhD
Subject Matter:
policies regarding human subjects, live vertebrate animal subjects in research, and safe laboratory practices
NIH requires 8 hours of Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) training, including at least 1 hour of face-to-face training. Below are options to fulfill this requirement:
HOURS
COURSE
3
Any ONE of these courses: CITI RCR for NIH (ID: 370219) CITI RCR for NSF / USDA-NIFA Faculty and Senior/Key personnel (ID: 370223) CITI RCR for NSF / USDA-NIFA Students and Postdocs (non-faculty, inclusive of staff for USDA-NIFA) (ID: 370224)
1
CITI Biomedical Research- Basic/Refresher (ID: 30151) or Social & Behavioral Research- Basic/Refresher course (ID: 30152)
