History

The Career and Networking Committee (formerly the YPS (Young Protein Scientist) Committee) of the Protein Society was created in 2001 with the goal of enhancing communication and networking between researchers early in their career and more experienced researchers. In the past 5 years, the Committee has successfully sponsored or co-sponsored activities such as career panels, funding workshops and networking mixers at the annual society meetings. Importantly, the committee has promoted the selection of early career scientist speakers from submitted abstracts. At the annual meeting in San Diego in 2006, more than 20 speakers were selected from abstracts and gave presentations integrated in the main sessions. Recently, the name of the committee was changed to the Career and Networking Committee to better reflect the committee's activities.

The first chair of the committee who initiated many of the committee's current activities is Spencer Anthony-Cahill from Western Washington University. Judith Klein-Seetharaman from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine is the committee's chair since 2004.