Dr. Diane Klotz is Director, Office of Education, Training, & International Services and Associate Dean of Administration and Professional Development in the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences at Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute in La Jolla, CA. In these positions Diane oversees a team responsible for creating and delivering innovative programs to support the professional growth and complement the scientific education and training of Sanford Burnham Prebys’s graduate students and postdoctoral researchers. She also participates in institute-wide efforts in strategic planning with respect to education and training initiatives, serves as an advisor to faculty on education and training best practices, and consults to executive leadership on education and training policy. Additionally, Diane serves as an internal educator for Sanford Burnham Prebys on topics surrounding leadership and management development, team building, conflict, and interpersonal dynamics.

Diane received her PhD in Molecular and Cellular Biology from Tulane University, and pursued her postdoctoral research training at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS, NIH). Diane’s research focused on cross-talk between steroid hormone receptor and growth factor signaling pathways in the female reproductive tract and the impact of environmental chemicals on these pathways. Outside the lab, Diane served as a member and chair of the NIEHS postdoctoral association, and was a member and chair of the National Postdoctoral Association (NPA) Board of Directors, where she remains active as a member of the NPA Advisory Council. Beginning in 2014 Diane served as a member of the External Scientific Panel of advisors for the recently completed NIH Broadening Experience in Scientific Training (BEST) Award program.

Diane’s career path has been shaped by her observations of and experiences with how scientific organizations function and how scientific leaders strive to effect change and make progress. Her focus in the education and training of scientists at all levels and in all career paths is on helping scientists find their voices as high impact leaders who are able to guide their teams with compassion, clarity, vision, and intent. Diane has worked with academic labs, professional associations, and biotech companies towards developing high-performing teams and cultures that support them. Diane has achieved a certification in Conflict Management and Change Management, is a certified DiSC® facilitator and MBTI® practitioner, and obtained a certificate for Negotiation and Leadership from the Harvard Program on Negotiation.

Heather Dillon is the Career and Professional Development Program Manager in the Office of Postdoctoral and Research Scholar Affairs at the University of California, San Diego. In this position, Heather develops, coordinates, and presents programs to meet the training and professional development needs of the UCSD postdoctoral community. Heather serves as an ex-officio member and advisor to the UC San Diego Postdoctoral Association Board and collaborates with partners across UC San Diego to facilitate high-impact career development programs for PhDs and Postdocs.

Heather graduated with Highest Honors from the University of California, Davis with a degree in Neurobiology, Physiology, and Behavior and has a Master’s degree in Cognitive Neuroscience from Dartmouth College. She is a Gallup-Certified Strengths Coach and MBTI® Certified Practitioner. With over a decade of experience in recruitment and advising, Heather has assisted hundreds of graduate students and postdoctoral fellows with their job searches and application materials. She is devoted to helping trainees succeed in their chosen professions by providing career guidance and advice through seminars, workshops, and individual meetings.

Dr. Ee Phie Tan is a postdoctoral fellow in the Hansen lab at Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute. Ee Phie’s current research project is to understand the role of a cellular recycling process, called autophagy, in organismal aging. Ee Phie received her PhD in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from the University of Kansas Medical Center where she demonstrated a single sugar post-translational modification, called O-GlcNAc plays critical role in maintaining the proper functions of mitochondria.

Outside of lab, Ee Phie currently serves as one of the Co-Chairs for the SBP Science Network, an organization of postdoctoral fellows and graduate students at the Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute. Ee Phie was also one of the participants in the 2018-2019 Torrey Pines Leadership Development Program cohort. Ee Phie was so fascinated with all the knowledge she gained through the leadership program that she returned the following year to observe the program. Now she is serving as one of the facilitators for the program.