Research Leadership in Uncertain Times:
Practical Strategies for Guiding Your Team (and Yourself) Through Turbulence
Labs today are facing unprecedented disruption—sudden funding changes, unclear priorities, and daily uncertainty. This session pairs proven productivity know-how with the realities research leaders are living right now.
Upcoming Webinar
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Monday, June 23rd @ 1pm ET
For research leaders, PIs, and early-career scientists eager to guide their teams through chaos, protect their own well-being, and find clear footing in an unstable landscape.
We know this year is different.
Join us for honest, practical ideas—designed for the realities of now.
You’ll get research-backed, actionable tools that work—especially when the usual playbook isn’t enough. Robert & Stefanie bring direct, real-world leadership experience to help you move forward even when resources and clarity are scarce.
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Concrete ways to keep your team focused—even when everything is changing.
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Leadership strategies for guiding your lab through funding cutbacks, shifting priorities, and daily uncertainty.
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Practical, evidence-based approaches you can use when resources (and answers) are in short supply.
Learn – Implement – Transform
Stefanie is an amazing coach who has profoundly and positively impacted the way I work, think, and care for myself and others.
In just 6 months of working with her, I feel confident in my abilities—not because I know exactly how to handle every challenge, but because I know I’m capable of overcoming them thanks to all the ideas/tools she has shared with me. For the first time in my career, I feel confident, independent, and the leader that I always wanted to be.
I truly can’t thank Stefanie enough for all she has done for me. She honestly deserves awards for her brilliant coaching!
Tanya Garcia
Associate Professor of Biostatistics, UNC Chapel Hill
Stefanie Robel
Stefanie is a tenured neuroscience professor, team builder, and leadership educator. Originally from Berlin, she earned her Ph.D. in Munich before moving to the U.S., where she launched a research program that has secured over $10 million in funding and built a high-performing team.
She has successfully led her lab through major disruptions—including the COVID shutdown and an institutional move—by combining clear communication with grounded leadership. Several of her former team members now lead research programs of their own.
During her postdoc, Stefanie turned to leadership and personal development—first to gain a competitive edge, then to build a life and lab that felt both successful and sustainable. She’s trained as a certified life coach multiple times and brings that depth into everything she teaches.
In 2019, she founded what is now GLIA-Leadership, blending coaching and academic experience to help researchers lead with clarity, build stronger teams, and reclaim joy in their work.
Her mission: to bring optimism, structure, and sustainability into academia—so success doesn’t come at a personal cost.
Robert Roßbach
Robert is a leadership strategist and transformation expert with deep roots in both corporate performance and people development. He earned his master’s degree in mathematics in Berlin and Barcelona, then began his career in Human Resources at PWC, advising global and mid-sized companies on how leadership and organizational design drive success.
His insights into what sets thriving companies apart—spoiler: it’s skillful leadership—led him to a senior executive role at RWE, Germany’s largest energy provider. There, he spearheaded a large-scale transformation initiative, New Way of Working, focused on leadership development, operational excellence, and empowering teams to self-organize and perform at scale.
To complement his hands-on expertise, Robert trained as a certified Six Sigma Master Black Belt, Agile Coach, Scrum Master, Product Owner, and PRINCE2 Project Manager.
His leadership philosophy is simple: high-performing, self-directed teams are built by leaders who serve, not control. Today, he helps research and business leaders design the conditions where people—and results—can thrive.
Robert and Stefanie have each led teams and organizations through complex change. Together, they offer a practical, experience-driven approach to leadership that works—especially when certainty and resources are in short supply.