STEM for Development

04/11/2026

STEM for Development will be holding Office Hours today, Saturday, April 11, from 2 to 3 PM GMT.

These sessions are meant to be practical and interactive. Students can come with specific questions about graduate applications, CVs, cold emails, research interests, fee waivers, or professional development more broadly, and talk them through in a real conversation with our team. In many cases, that kind of space to ask questions openly and get direct feedback is just as valuable as any formal workshop.

Today’s session will feature Hauwa Adedo, Joe Adabouk Amooli, and Michael Adu.

Join us here: http://t.ly/Dmfhw

If you would like to receive our biweekly reminders and calendar invitations for future Office Hours, you can sign up here: https://t.ly/4AJKD

To learn more about STEM for Development’s upcoming programs and events, you can also join our network at https://t.ly/E9r5 or visit stemfordevelopment.org.

03/15/2026

STEM for Development is gathering community feedback to help shape our mentorship programming for students from the Global South applying to STEM graduate programs. We are especially interested in understanding where students are applying, which destinations they most prefer, and why.

If you are a student from the Global South who applied to a STEM Master’s or PhD program for Fall 2026, we would greatly appreciate your response to this short survey. It takes less than two minutes:

t.ly/4cS8-

Please feel free to share this with eligible students in your network! Thank you very much for helping us better direct our programming.

-----
Join STEM for Development and support our efforts:
• Become a member today: t.ly/E9r5
• Visit our website: t.ly/XfqVi
• Follow us on Instagram: t.ly/ee_v-
• Like our page on Facebook: t.ly/oKi4Q
• Connect with us on LinkedIn: https://lnkd.in/g4rd6jJF

STEM for Development | 23,578 followers on LinkedIn. We provide free mentorship and professional/research skills training to STEM students in developing countries. | STEM for Development is a U.S.-based non-profit organization aimed at increasing the accessibility of world-class graduate degree prog...

03/07/2026

Today, STEM for Development hosted a webinar on informational interviewing as part of our ongoing effort to help students and early-career researchers navigate STEM careers more intentionally. We were pleased to see 450 students register from 53 countries, a strong reflection of the global demand for practical career guidance in STEM.

One message stood out clearly: many STEM students are trained deeply in their disciplines, but not always taught how to explore the wide range of careers their skills can open up. Informational interviews can help bridge that gap.

A few key lessons from the discussion:
• Informational interviews are not job interviews and should not be approached as transactional conversations. Their purpose is to learn, listen, and better understand a field, career path, or organization.
• The best people to approach are often those who are a few years ahead of you, close enough to remember your stage of career, but experienced enough to offer perspective grounded in real-world experience.
• Strong outreach matters. A good message should be brief, thoughtful, and personalized, showing that you have done your homework and are reaching out with genuine curiosity.
• Preparation is essential. Participants discussed the importance of asking open-ended questions about day-to-day work, career transitions, required skills, and lessons learned, while also being respectful of people’s time and boundaries.
• Finally, follow-up matters. A thoughtful thank-you note, sent promptly and referencing specific insights from the conversation, can help turn a single exchange into a meaningful professional connection.

Thank you to everyone who joined us, and to the SFD team for helping make the session possible.

For those who could not attend live, the webinar recording is available here:
• Recording link: https://stemfordevelopment.webex.com/stemfordevelopment/ldr.php?RCID=5d03db6281db843ca72a5be613597376
• Password: gU9sper*

-----
Join STEM for Development and support our efforts:
• Become a member today: t.ly/E9r5
• Visit our website: t.ly/XfqVi
• Follow us on Instagram: t.ly/ee_v-
• Like our page on Facebook: t.ly/oKi4Q
• Connect with us on LinkedIn: https://lnkd.in/g4rd6jJF

02/28/2026

STEM for Development (SFD) is pleased to announce a new collaboration with the Indian National Young Academy of Sciences -INYAS to pilot a virtual undergraduate research program through SFD’s Academic Research Bridge model. This pilot will connect INYAS-affiliated researchers and labs with talented students for structured, mentored remote research experiences, helping students build research skills and strengthen pathways into graduate study.

Current and former INYAS affiliated professors can sign up using the link below by March 31. SFD will host an information session for interested faculty shortly after the signup deadline.

https://forms.gle/BZQ6jGDUepyHhZAZ8

---
Join STEM for Development and support our efforts:
• Become a member today: t.ly/E9r5
• Visit our website: t.ly/XfqVi
• Follow us on Instagram: t.ly/ee_v-
• Like our page on Facebook: t.ly/oKi4Q
• Connect with us on LinkedIn: https://lnkd.in/g4rd6jJF

02/23/2026

Most students do not lack talent -- they lack access to information and mentors.

Informational interviewing is one of the simplest, highest-return tools to understand a field, a lab, a degree path, or an industry role before you commit months (or years) of effort.

STEM for Development is hosting a short session on Exploring STEM Career Options: Informational Interviewing, focused on practical steps you can use immediately:
- identifying strong contacts
- writing outreach that feels professional (and gets responses)
- asking questions that uncover the real day-to-day work
- turning conversations into direction and opportunities

Date and Time: Saturday, March 7, 2026 | 1:00 PM GMT
Speakers: Dr. Daniel Schwab and Mr. Michael Adu
Register: t.ly/72fN

Join us and bring a friend who could use more clarity on their next step!

---
Join STEM for Development and support our efforts:
• Become a member today: t.ly/E9r5
• Visit our website: t.ly/XfqVi
• Follow us on Instagram: t.ly/ee_v-
• Like our page on Facebook: t.ly/oKi4Q
• Connect with us on LinkedIn: https://lnkd.in/g4rd6jJF

02/14/2026

STEM for Development is recruiting across 10 leadership and associate roles following a recent reorganization.

As we expand structured pathways to graduate education, research training, workforce readiness, science policy, and global partnerships across the Global South, we are strengthening our leadership and program teams.

Open roles span:

• Chief of Staff
• Mentorship Program Co-Lead
• Early-Career Researcher Skills Lead
• Workforce Skills Lead
• Science Policy & Strategic Analysis Lead
• Strategic Programs Lead
• Capacity Building & Localization Lead
• Communications & Social Media Associates
• Partnerships Associates

We are seeking BSc holders with significant experience, MSc and PhD holders, and leaders working in STEM, education, nonprofit leadership, policy, communications, or industry who are ready to build structured, measurable programs with long-term impact.

Commitment: 2–5 hours per week. Remote. Accountable. Six-month minimum.

If you want to contribute to something concrete — something that expands access to global science in real and structured ways — apply or share with someone who should.

📌 Apply here: https://forms.gle/FsXYqdMqENcdKyLRA
📅 Deadline: 11:59pm GMT on Saturday, February 28

Talent is everywhere. Opportunity should be too.

02/10/2026

STEM for Development (SFD) is pleased to highlight the career journey and contributions of Michael Adu, a volunteer mentor with SFD and a PhD candidate in Biological Sciences at Wayne State University in the United States.

Michael grew up in Ghana, where he earned a B.Sc. in Biochemistry from the University of Cape Coast. His early fascination with the human body as an integrated system, and with how subtle molecular disruptions can lead to disease, sparked a lasting interest in the molecular foundations of human health. This curiosity ultimately led him to pursue doctoral training in the United States. He is currently enrolled in the Biological Sciences PhD program at Wayne State University, where his research examines how dysregulation of inositol synthesis, a sugar-like molecule, affects cellular homeostasis, with broader implications for understanding the mechanisms of mood stabilizing drugs.

In addition to his academic work, Michael is actively engaged in campus leadership. He serves as Vice President of the Campus Bible Fellowship and as Secretary on the University Graduate Student Association Executive Board. He previously held the role of Development Officer within his department.

As a volunteer mentor with STEM for Development, Michael is deeply committed to supporting students from developing communities as they navigate graduate school applications and strengthen their ability to analyze and communicate scientific ideas. He views mentorship as an essential tool for achieving both academic and professional goals. Through his guidance, two SFD mentees have recently gained admission to graduate programs in the United States.

Michael encourages students to persevere in their chosen paths and to actively seek mentorship and community support. As he puts it, “Progress is always possible with the right support.”

----------
Learn more and support our work:
Become a member: t.ly/E9r5
Website: t.ly/XfqVi
Facebook: t.ly/oKi4Q
Instagram: t.ly/ee_v-
LinkedIn: https://lnkd.in/g4rd6jJF

02/07/2026

STEM for Development will be opening several volunteer leadership and supporting roles under one call within the next 1–2 weeks.

Following a major internal reorganization, we are moving from design to delivery and expanding programs that connect talented students from under-resourced regions to graduate education, research training, and international opportunities. We will be recruiting across education and mentorship, research and professional skills, strategic initiatives, communications, and operations.

If you are interested in building something concrete and impactful, or know someone who might be, please re-post this and follow STEM for Development!

More details soon.

02/02/2026

Do you have a strong mathematics background?

At STEM for Development, we are trying to better understand the range of advanced mathematics experience in our community, including Olympiad-style training and other high-level problem-solving pathways.

We have created a 2-minute, three-question survey to help us think more carefully about how to support and engage members with strong mathematical backgrounds as our programs grow.
- Responses are used only in aggregate
- This does not affect eligibility for any current or future programs
- We welcome responses whether or not you participated in math competitions

Respond Here: https://forms.gle/jJtCBGrNGkTPQqHZ9

If advanced mathematics has played a role in your academic or professional path, we would appreciate hearing from you.

---
Join STEM for Development and support our efforts:
• Become a member today: t.ly/E9r5
• Visit our website: t.ly/XfqVi
• Follow us on Instagram: t.ly/ee_v-
• Like our page on Facebook: t.ly/oKi4Q
• Connect with us on LinkedIn: https://lnkd.in/g4rd6jJF

02/01/2026

Progress is not always linear, and it is rarely loud. Sometimes it looks like someone pausing to articulate how their thinking has changed, how their goals have sharpened, or how they now see themselves as belonging in scientific spaces.

In this short video, Kusha Gurung shares a reflection on her journey with STEM for Development and what it has meant to have sustained guidance along the way. Her experience highlights something we see often: mentorship is most effective when it is consistent, patient, and responsive to where a student actually is, not where a program timeline says they should be.

This kind of growth is made possible by a community that believes in long-term investment in people, even when the outcomes are not immediate or easily quantified.

Thank you to Kusha for taking the time to share her perspective, and to the mentors, partners, and supporters who make this work possible.

Learn more or support our work:
• Donate: https://lnkd.in/e8P8nYKJ
• Become a member: t.ly/E9r5
• Website: t.ly/XfqVi

01/31/2026

🚨 LAST CHANCE TO APPLY: TUITION-FREE, FACULTY-MENTORED BIOINFORMATICS RESEARCH | SUMMER 2026

Are you (or do you mentor) a life science student from a low- or middle-income country seeking hands-on bioinformatics research experience with a leading U.S. research institute?

The RNA Institute, University at Albany, is partnering with STEM for Development (SFD) to accept international students into its Virtual Bioinformatics Research Program for Summer 2026.

Through this partnership, STEM for Development will identify and recommend up to 10 outstanding international students from Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs) to participate in this competitive, fully virtual research program hosted by the RNA Institute.

Program Overview
• Dates: June 15 – August 1, 2026 (7 weeks, virtual)
• Time commitment: 15–20 hours per week

Program structure:
• Live instruction in RNA sequencing data analysis
• Faculty-mentored computational research project
• Weekly research and professional development seminars

No prior bioinformatics experience is required.

What Participants Gain
• Training in R coding, command-line tools, and next-generation sequencing analysis
• Virtual access to UAlbany’s high-performance computing platform
• Hands-on research experience with RNA Institute faculty
• Final research projects will be presented virtually at the conclusion of the program
• RNA Institute Certificate of Completion and Introduction to Bioinformatics Skills digital badge

Eligibility (International Applicants via STEM for Development)
• Undergraduate or graduate academic level in a life science or related field
• National of an OECD-designated LMIC
• Not a U.S. citizen and not a U.S. F1/J1 visa holder
• Strong English proficiency and reliable internet access

Application Deadline (International Applicants)
• February 15, 2026 (11:59 PM GMT)

How to Apply
• Scan the QR code on the flyer or visit the survey link: https://lnkd.in/emn4zvdj
• International applicants must apply through STEM for Development.

If you mentor students from LMICs, please consider sharing this opportunity within your network.

---
Join STEM for Development and support our efforts:
• Become a member today: t.ly/E9r5
• Visit our website: t.ly/XfqVi
• Follow us on Instagram: t.ly/ee_v-
• Like our page on Facebook: t.ly/oKi4Q
• Connect with us on LinkedIn: https://lnkd.in/g4rd6jJF

01/30/2026

STEM for Development Office Hours will be held this Saturday, January 31 from 3-4pm GMT, featuring Michael Adu, Hauwa Adedo and Joe Adabouk Amooli. During Office Hours, STEM students are welcome to ask any questions on graduate school applications and STEM research/professional development.

All are invited to join us at the following link: https://t.ly/Dmfhw

You can also sign up to receive email reminders and calendar invitations for Office Hours at this link: https://t.ly/4AJKD

For those who are interested in learning more about our next event/program, please join SFD at https://t.ly/E9r5 or visit our website at stemfordevelopment.org!