May 12 | CSBS Assistant Professors Gathering - Center for Social & Behavioral Science

Calling All Assistant Professors!

Please join us for the CSBS Assistant Professor Gathering on May 12 at the I-Hotel. This biennial event features structured networking, skill-building sessions, and facilitated collaboration planning to help early-career faculty expand their research networks and advance collaborative projects.

Connect, Collaborate, & Build Momentum

CSBS Assistant Professors Gathering
Tuesday, May 12, 2026 / 9:30 am – 3:15 pm
I Hotel & Illinois Conference Center, Lincoln Room
1900 S 1st Street, Champaign

Lunch provided.

Professional Development Session Facilitators

Jingnan Liu

Assistant Professor, Department of Economics, LAS

Facilitating “Harnessing AI for Research Productivity”
AI agents go beyond chat: with plain-language instructions, they can read files, write code, run analyses, and produce results. This session introduces leading AI agent tools (including Claude Code, Codex CLI, Gemini CLI, and Copilot) and shares practical strategies and live demos for harnessing AI for research productivity.

Jingnan’s research spans macroeconomics, labor economics, economic growth, innovation, and firm dynamics. She is particularly interested in how technology shapes the economy, how we can accelerate technological progress, and how firm dynamics interact with labor market outcomes. She received her Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Wisconsin–Madison in 2024 and was previously a Postdoctoral Associate at MIT.

Kaylee Lukacena

Senior Research Development Manager, CSBS

Facilitating “Crafting Effective One-Pagers: Communicating Your Research Vision”
This interactive session introduces one-pagers as a strategic tool for organizing research ideas and aligning them with potential funders. Participants will learn the purpose of one-papers, key components to make them effective, and what to expect after sharing one with a program officer. We will also explore how one-pagers can support communication with other key audiences, including collaborators and institutional partners.

Kaylee holds a PhD in health communication and has supported CSBS efforts for over six years. Her work focuses on building strong relationships with faculty, designing programming that promotes interdisciplinary collaboration, and providing strategic grant development support. She is a team science–trained coach, and manages the CSBS Small Grant Program and NSF CAREER Club.

Kristin Tennant

Director of Research Communications, OVCRI

Facilitating “Translating SBS Research: Communicating for Public Impact”
Why is it important to share your research with audiences beyond academia? Which audiences should you consider reaching? And what are the benefits? In this hands-on session, we will discuss these topics and more, walking through some practical communication tips and then giving them a try with your research.

Kristin has 30 years of marketing and communications experience, specializing in combining strategy and creativity to reach key audiences with compelling stories and messages. Kristin has a demonstrated track record of bringing people together to generate ideas, connect dots, and chart a path forward. Her ability to blend strategy and creativity in collaboration with others is evident in the multi-channel Community Impact Campaign she led, which launched in September 2024.

Schedule & Session Info

Time	Session
9:30 – 10:00 am	Arrival, Registration, and Coffee
10:00 – 10:45 am	Welcome, CSBS Overview, Research Area Mapping
10:45 am – Noon	Research Speed Networking: Expanding Your Research Community
Noon – 1:00	Networking Lunch
1:00 – 2:00 pm	Concurrent Professional Development Sessions
	Crafting Effective One-Pagers: Communicating Your Research Vision
	Harnessing AI for Research Productivity
	Translating SBS Research: Communicating for Public Impact
2:00 – 2:15 pm	Transition Break
2:15 – 2:30 pm	Preview of CSBS Programming 26-27 and Wrap Up
2:30 – 3:15 pm	Collaboration Clinic: Turning Conversations into Teamwork