A Comprehensive Researcher Development Framework for Undergraduate, Graduate, and Postdoctoral Trainees

The objective of this study is to create a comprehensive researcher development framework for research trainees from undergraduate through postdoctoral career stages to articulate transparent areas of trainee development and learning objectives that can support inclusive research training programs. A common framework will reveal the hidden curriculum of research training to nascent trainees, provide them and their mentors with learning objectives to use in planning and tracking progress in research learning experiences, and guide research training program directors to design and evaluate their programs. We hypothesized that a common set of research trainee learning objectives could be identified from published frameworks. A systematic literature review (Cooper, 1998) yielded 123 framework articles published since 2000. Review using inclusion criteria that required identification of specific attributes or skills for trainees in the undergraduate, graduate and/or postdoctoral career stages, as well as at least one source of validity evidence (AERA et.al., 2014) resulted in 56 articles that identified 1,435 researcher training elements or competencies. Three independent researchers reviewed and grouped the elements and competencies, then compared and discussed them to create 43 common themes to which 1,343 relevant elements and competencies were coded. The elements and competencies coded under each theme were analyzed by one researcher who drafted 79 distinct learning objectives. Research training program directors, research mentors, and research mentees across the nation were invited to provide feedback on the 79 draft learning objectives in an online survey that received 169 responses. Over 90% of the learning objectives were rated as extremely or moderately important, and respondents indicated that approximately 55% of the learning objectives were addressed during graduate training, 25% during undergraduate training, and 12% during postdoctoral training. Less than 10% of the learning objectives were reported as not addressed, though several of these were still identified as important, suggesting a gap in research training curricula. Based on survey feedback, revisions were made, and a revised set of 78 learning objectives were finalized. Focus groups are being conducted with research training program directors, research mentors, and postdoctoral scholars to categorize the learning objectives. Common categories will be identified as areas of trainee development with learning objectives as the final framework. Recommendations and resources for using the framework in designing and evaluating research training programs as well as tools for research mentors and mentees to track mentee development in the areas will be published based on the final framework. This work is funded by the Wisconsin Institute for Science Education & Community Engagement (WISCIENCE) and revenue generated from CIMER research mentor and mentee trainings. This abstract was presented at the American Physiology Summit 2025 and is only available in HTML format. There is no downloadable file or PDF version. The Physiology editorial board was not involved in the peer review process.