Creating Compelling Research Narrative Workshop

This five-hour hands-on writing workshop covers several approaches to create compelling research narratives and is led by expert instructors with more than two decades of experience providing research writing, editing, and training for researchers worldwide. This intensive workshop will lead you through detailed examples, revise writing in guided group settings with instructors, and then put those lessons into practice on your own writing. Thus, we encourage you to bring a draft in progress (e.g., grant proposal, research manuscript), so this workshop can directly impact an active writing project. Participants also will come away with an SOP for writing logically and will learn some additional narrative tricks and tips to entice and engage readers on their science.

By the end of this writing intensive workshop, participants will have:

• A clear and organized approach for writing manuscripts and grants
• Several easy grammar concepts for clear communication
• Examples to share/work with their trainees
• An improved portion of your own grant or manuscript (if you bring it with you to the workshop)

Summer 2026: The Creating Compelling Research Narrative Workshop will be a livestream, remote training that takes place over live, online video on September 24, 2026 from 10am EDT - ~3pm EDT. Please note this training is not a self-paced, pre-recorded online training.

Please note: this training was originally scheduled for June 25, but has been postponed to September 24.

Investigators at all career stages are welcome to attend, and we particularly encourage research trainees and early-stage investigators to participate. To register for this training, you must have:

1. Written at least one thesis chapter, manuscript, or grant
2. A grant or manuscript that is in progress is strongly encouraged, but not required to attend this training.

Jessica K. Lerch, PhD, Co-Founder, CareerVolt; Founder, Significance, Innovation, Impact. Dr. Lerch earned her PhD in Neuroscience at Case Western. She then completed postdoctoral training at the Miami Project to Cure Paralysis at the University of Miami and went to a Research Assistant and then a tenure-track Assistant Professor appointment in the Department of Neuroscience at The Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio. In late 2017, Jessica moved to a science consulting role with Eva Garland Consulting, helping small biotechnology companies and researchers across the world strategize their science to achieve non-dilutive funding for their R&D and early-phase clinical trial projects. Jessica started her first company, Significance, Innovation, Impact, in 2019 as a grant-writing consultant. In 2019, Jessica joined with long-time friend and colleague Dr. Sheila Cherry to launch CareerVolt, born of their shared desire to help scientists succeed in their career paths by filling skills gaps and supporting attainment of professional goals. Since moving into consulting in 2018, Jessica has helped individuals and small and large biotech raise over $70 million in grant funding.

Sheila M. Cherry, PhD, Co-Founder, CareerVolt. Sheila earned her PhD in Genetics at Case Western. After a postdoctoral fellowship at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, in 2009 she founded Fresh Eyes Editing to provide editing and writing support for scientists around the globe. During its 13 years in operation, Fresh Eyes helped investigators worldwide to secure hundreds of millions in research funding--tallying more than $275 million just in US federal funding. Recognizing some common skills gaps, particularly with respect to writing grant proposals and applying for funding, Sheila began offering workshops, online training, and individual career development programs in 2016. Sheila is a Certified Editor in the Life Sciences as well as a Certified Executive Coach. She is passionate about helping researchers achieve their career goals.

Sarah Bronson, PhD, Research Leadership and Success Consultant, CareerVolt. Dr. Bronson received her PhD in Biomedical Sciences from Washington University in Saint Louis, Missouri, and was a postdoctoral trainee with Oliver Smithies, DPhil at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. Sarah spent her entire faculty career at the Penn State College of Medicine where she was a researcher, educator, and administrator. She is now an Emeritus Associate Professor and Associate Dean. She was the Co-Director (2010-2020) of the nationally recognized Junior Faculty Development Program where she developed a holistic program that teased out the steps to scholarly project development as well as the path toward a sustainable and rewarding career. She was also a Co-Director for the Grants Academy, with a more specific focus on grant proposal development. As Director of Research Development (2014-2023) she implemented the internal awards program and the limited submission process.

Lyn Jakeman, PhD, Research Leadership and Success Consultant, CareerVolt. Lyn received her PhD in Neuroscience from the University of Florida, did postdoctoral training at Genetech, Inc, and worked at Syntex Research in Palo Alto, California as a Staff Researcher in the Pharmacology Division. She then went on to pursue an academic career in the Department of Physiology and Cell Biology at The Ohio State University in Columbus, OH, gaining experience as a Research Scientist followed by 13 years as tenure track faculty where she secured sustained NIH R01 and private funding for a research lab studying axonal regeneration in spinal cord injury models. In 2013, Lyn joined the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke at the NIH as a Program Director. She went on to become the inaugural Director of the Division of Neuroscience at NINDS, where she oversaw the NINDS’ extramural basic research programs. Lyn enjoys helping individuals and teams succeed in pursuit of scientific discovery and personal growth. In 2024, Lyn completed training as a workplace and career coach. She received Accreditation as an Associate Certified Coach (ACC) with the International Coaching Federation in May of 2025.

Josh Trapani, PhD, Research Leadership and Success Consultant, CareerVolt. Josh earned his PhD in earth and environmental sciences from the University of Michigan, where he was an NSF Graduate Research Fellow. After postdoctoral research in ecology and evolutionary biology at the University of Colorado Boulder, Josh received science policy fellowships from the American Geophysical Union and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Following these fellowships, he spent six years at the Association of American Universities as Associate Vice President for Research and Policy Analysis. He also served as senior editor for Issues in Science and Technology, guiding authors to make their ideas broadly understandable and compelling. At the National Science Foundation, Josh was lead author for congressionally mandated Science & Engineering Indicators reports on higher education and academic research and development. He served as the program officer for NSF's Science of Science program before transitioning to the Directorate for Geoscience as data and analytics officer, promoting evidence-based decision making for program officers and leadership. Josh believes deeply in the importance of academic science and education, and is committed to helping researchers navigate their careers and communicate their work to funding agencies and beyond.

Training scholarships are available for the Creating Compelling Research Narrative Workshop.

"The instructors were very knowledgeable and provided concrete examples and time to work on improving our own writing." - Postdoc at University of California, Los Angeles, 2025

"The Creating Compelling Research Narrative Workshop was an engaging and practical session that provided valuable strategies for crafting clear, persuasive research stories tailored to diverse audiences." - Faculty Member at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 2025

"The instructing team was very helpful and encouraging of collaboration and discussion. They also presented things in an easy-to-understand way and answered any questions." - Research Scientist at New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, 2025

"I've seen good research narrative in papers and I've heard the story is important, but translating that to my own work has been a challenge. The Creating Compelling Research Narrative Workshop has demystified key components of this process - pinpointing the skills needed to write compelling papers. I now feel much more confident that, with practice, I can write successful papers and grants more efficiently - and I feel excited to put in that practice." - Postdoc at University of Minnesota, 2024

"The Creating Compelling Research Narrative Workshop was highly effective, providing participants with clear, practical techniques for enhancing their research narratives, and was well-received for its engaging delivery and interactive components." - Postdoc at New York University, 2024

"The workshop and activities involved were very useful to considering what is required to write a compelling narrative and how to employ simple strategies that will greatly improve the flow of your writing." - Student at Northeastern University, 2023

"I can't wait to apply these strategies to my academic writing! Thank you so much, Jessica and team!" - Faculty member at Stanford University, 2023

"Very helpful workshop. Helped me identify some shortcomings in my writing that I had not realized before." - Postdoc at University of Southern California, 2023

Registration Fee is based on your category and includes course material, which will be made available to all participants both during and after the conclusion of the workshop. 

2026 Registration Category Rates: 

• Student/Postdoc/Trainee: 
  • Early-bird rate: $595 
  • Regular rate: $695
• Faculty/Academic Staff/Non-Profit Organizations/Government Agencies: 
  • Early-bird rate: $695
  • Regular rate: $795
• Corporate/For-Profit Organizations: 
  • Early-bird rate: $895
  • Regular rate: $995

$100 early-bird discount is automatically applied if you register before the August 13 deadline.  

• $100 Early-bird Discount: This is automatically applied if you register before the August 13 early-bird deadline.  

• 10% Columbia Discount: This is valid for any active student, postdoc, staff, or faculty at Columbia University. If paying by credit card, use your Columbia email address during the registration process to automatically have the discount applied. If paying by internal transfer within Columbia, see below.  

• 10% Mailman Alumni Discount: This is valid for any individual who graduated from the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health. To access the Mailman Alumni discount and receive a registration code, please email sharp_program@cumc.columbia.edu your graduation year and degree.  

• Group discounts are available for organizations sending 5+ participants. Please contact us directly at sharp_program@cumc.columbia.edu for more information.

If paying by internal transfer within Columbia, submit this Columbia Internal Transfer Request form (link to form coming soon)  to receive further instructions. Please note: filling out this form is not the same as registering for a training and does not guarantee a training seat.

If you would prefer to pay by invoice/check, please submit this Invoice Request form (link to form coming soon)  to receive further instructions. Please note: filling out this form is not the same as registering for a training and does not guarantee a training seat.

Cancellation notices must be received via email at least 30 days prior to the training start date in order to receive a full refund, minus a $75 administrative fee. Cancellation notices received via email 14-29 days prior to the training will receive a 75% refund, minus a $75 administrative fee. Please email your cancellation notice to Columbia.Narrative@gmail.com. Due to workshop capacity and preparation, we regret that we are unable to refund registration fees for cancellations less than 14 days prior to the training.

If you are unable to attend the training, we encourage you to send a substitute within the same registration category. Please inform us of the substitute via email at least one week prior to the training so we can include them on attendee communications, gather registration details, and provide materials.Should the substitute fall within a different registration category (e.g., you are a faculty member and they are a postdoc), the credit card on file will be credited/charged respectively. Please email substitute inquiries to Columbia.Narrative@gmail.com. In the event Columbia must cancel the event, your registration fee will be fully refunded.