Overview
The 2024 National Cancer Institute (NCI) Junior Investigator (JI) Meeting will be held at the NIH Campus in Bethesda, MD on August 22-23 (with virtual option). This two day meeting is a collaborative effort of NCI program groups: Cellular Cancer Biology Imaging Research (CCBIR), Cancer Systems Biology Consortium (CSBC), Innovative Molecular Analysis Technologies (IMAT), Information Technology for Cancer Research (ITCR), Metastasis Research Network (MetNet), Physical Sciences-Oncology Network (PS-ON), Synthetic Biology (SynBio), and Tissue Engineering Collaborative (TEC).
This 2-day hybrid (in person & virtual) meeting will bring together junior investigators (defined as late stage graduate students, postdocs, and early career faculty) representing experimental and systems biologists, physical scientists, big data scientists, engineers, and computational modelers who build and apply novel tools to better understand cancer. Registration is free. In addition to a keynote lecture, panel discussions, and workshops, there will be oral talks and poster presentations by the trainees. This meeting aims to provide opportunities for junior scientists to meet fellow researchers, showcase their work, foster collaborations, and generate synergy between individuals with diverse skills and shared research interests.
Diversity Statement
The future success of science hinges on diversity.
The junior investigators within the CCBIR, CSBC, IMAT, ITCR, MetNet, PS-ON, SynBio & Cancer, and TEC communities publicly advocate for justice, diversity, equity, and inclusion for all individuals in science. We vehemently condemn discrimination, racism, white supremacy, and violence of all forms. We are committed to creating opportunities for – and uplifting persons of – diverse identities not limited to race, ethnicity, age, sex, gender identity, (dis)ability, national origin, religion, language, dialect, socioeconomic status, neurodiversity, and appearance. Our goal is to show (not just tell) junior investigators that diversity is relevant to science; and that each person, and the differences they bring, is required to make the group more effective. We are committed to working harder towards the highest ideals of justice and equity.
We recognize that academic research, specifically biomedical sciences, has historically excluded and underrepresented many marginalized and underprivileged groups. We seek to identify and denounce systemic practices which perpetuate exclusion and underrepresentation, and will work to establish systems which actively incorporate and uplift diverse backgrounds, thoughts, and approaches within the CCBIR, CSBC, IMAT, ITCR, MetNet, PS-ON, SynBio & Cancer, and TEC communities. We are committed to fostering a sense of belonging. We pledge to build an equitable scientific community composed of diverse voices, which: (1) uses existing privileges to uplift underprivileged groups, (2) actively identifies and dismantles biased systems, (3) protects those who cannot defend themselves, and (4) fosters a better, more just environment in our scientific fields, in our communities, and in our society.
We insist on a culture of respect at the 2024 Junior Investigators meeting and will not tolerate bigotry in any forms. We urge our participants to maintain open-mindedness and remind them that all words and actions matter.