Mid-Career FAQ

In FY 2025, the Career Pathways Office undertook a needs assessment, interviewing both Area leadership and mid-career scientists at Berkeley Lab, as well as several former Lab mid-career scientists now working elsewhere. 

The goal was to better understand the needs and goals of scientists and engineers at this stage, so that we could better support leadership development, community, and retention.

The Lab has no technical definition of “mid-career” for scientists and engineers. Our needs assessment indicated that “mid-career” often comprises the majority of a researcher’s career at the Lab, and can last 10-15+ years. Here are some of the characteristics or experiences that indicate a scientist or engineer is “mid-career” at the Lab according to our interviewees:

• A scientist or engineer who is >10 years post-PhD (the formal DOE definition); and/or

• A scientist or engineer who holds a research, staff, or senior scientist title; and/or

• A scientist or engineer who identifies as beyond “early-career” but not yet “advanced” in terms of their age, career, or life stage; and/or

• A scientist or engineer who has met a major career milestone such as securing early-career funding, or leading a multi-institutional collaboration; and/or

• A scientist or engineer who is establishing, or has recently established, a research program at the Lab; and/or 

• A scientist or engineer who is aiming for, or has recently assumed, a formal or informal leadership role at the Lab (such as a group lead, deputy division director, etc.)

Some of our events in this series are designed specifically for scientists and engineers who meet any of the definitions of “mid-career” listed above. These will be advertised via a dedicated listserv, which you can join by filling out this form. 

If you are not sure whether you meet the definition, but are interested in joining, please do fill out the form! Our intention is to include anyone and everyone who self-identifies with any of the criteria above. 

Many Career Pathways events (including some designed by the Mid-Career Advisory Board) are open to everyone at the Lab, at any career stage. These will be advertised via the Career Pathways listserv, which all are welcome to join.  

Our research found that mid-career scientists and engineers have career development needs and preferences that are distinct from those of their early-career counterparts. Some of these differences include:  

1. A need for more opportunities for community-building and networking with other mid-career S&Es outside of their own team, Division, and/or Area;

2. A need for more opportunities for visibility and recognition;

3. A preference for career development via discussions, convenings, opportunities, and networking, rather than formal workshops (though mid-careers did indicate that they would be interested in the latter, if highly relevant to their needs).  

The Career Pathways Office is convening a new Advisory Board in Fall 2025, comprised of mid-career scientists and engineers nominated by their Area leadership. The role of the Advisory Board is to identify and advise on new programs, resources, and events for mid-career researchers at the Lab.

CPO also partners with other offices and teams across the Lab who support mid-career scientists and engineers in different aspects of their roles and development, including divisions and Areas; offices within Operations and the Laboratory Directorate; and the Mentoring@LBNL initiative. One of the goals of our mid-career support project is to ensure that mid-career S&Es are well-connected with these other resources and events.

We welcome any feedback or new ideas about the programs and services we are developing! Please contact us at pathways@lbl.gov.

We warmly welcome any and all ideas and opportunities to partner! Please contact pathways@lbl.gov to share your feedback or schedule a time to chat.