The Leadership Alliance’s Virtual Professional Development Series (VPD) is designed for undergraduate students who are interested in exploring a research career. The VPD is designed for all students - from those who are just beginning to understand what research is to those with multiple research experiences. The VPD will:

• Improve your understanding of the overall research process
• Provide a better understanding of research opportunities across disciplines and subject areas
• Introduce you to professionals in industry, academia, and government who are affecting social change through their research
• Give you increased confidence for future research opportunities and graduate school application processes
• Improve your networking skills and expand your network at multiple career levels
• Understand the careers that are available to research professionals
• Inspire hope, ignite curiosity, and help propel you to the next phase of your academic career

This program is FREE and runs from June 1 through July 17, 2026, and will feature:

• Weekly "Conversations with a Doctoral Scholar" (Leadership Alliance alumni who have received their PhDs or MD-PhDs) on Mondays at 4 pm EDT
• Professional Development Workshops on Wednesdays at 4 pm EDT
• Graduate School Recruitment and Info Sessions on Thursdays from 3 - 4 pm EDT and 4 - 5 pm EDT, and on Fridays 2 - 3 pm EDT, and 3 - 4 pm EDT.
• The opportunity to connect with peers, mentors, and future colleagues

Participation in most events can happen synchronously (live - strongly encouraged if the option is available to you) or asynchronously (through recordings and related follow-up activities). All registered participants will be enrolled in a Google Classroom where all workshop and program materials will be stored.

The Leadership Alliance will present a digital badge/certificate of completion to students who:

• Attend (or asynchronously view) at least 5 of the 7 Wednesday Workshops
• Visit at least 4 Graduate School Recruitment and info sessions
• Submit a question for at least 2 of the 7 "Conversations with a Doctoral Scholar" sessions
• Follow The Leadership Alliance on LinkedIn
• Complete a post-survey

Participants will be able to upload their digital badge to various platforms (LinkedIn, Facebook, etc) and share with prospective employers and graduate institutions via email.

Program information and the link to register can be found on The Leadership Alliance's website here: https://theleadershipalliance.org/virtual-professional-development