What is Research Unplugged
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.
Tracks
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.
Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) Training
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.
Upcoming RCR Workshops:
- November 4, 2026: Research integrity, misconduct, data management and sharing
- Speaker: TBD
- Panelists: TBD
- Subject matter:
- h. secure and ethical data use; data confidentiality, management, sharing, and ownership
- i. research misconduct and policies for handling misconduct
- d. 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:
- e. collaborative research, including collaborations with industry and investigators and institutions in other countries
- a. 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:
- k. the scientist as a responsible member of society, contemporary ethical issues in biomedical research, and the environmental and societal impacts of scientific research
Completed RCR Workshops:
- 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):
- f. peer review, including the responsibility for maintaining confidentiality and security in peer review
- j. responsible authorship and publication
- c. 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:
- g. 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
- h. 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:
- b. policies regarding human subjects, live vertebrate animal subjects in research, and safe laboratory practices
HOURS OF COMPLETION:
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:
|
| 1 | Research Compliance Hot Topics and Training Program sessions; fulfills the face to face requirement |
| 1 | Research Unplugged RCR Workshops; fulfills face to face requirement |
