The IASLC Academy is a global professional development program for early-career physicians pursuing academic careers in thoracic oncology. The program combines personalized and group mentorship with faculty-led education. The program focuses on professional and career development, networking and scholarship, through the development, execution, and presentation of a personal research project by each participant. The program will be conducted through a series of virtual mentorship meetings throughout the year (about once a month/month-and-a-half), culminating in a live, in-person workshop during WCLC 2026 in Seoul, Republic of Korea.

Participant's Requirements:

2026 IASLC Academy mentees are required to:

• Participate in at least 80% of the mentorship meetings
• Carry out a research project
• Attend the 2026 World Conference on Lung Cancer (September 12-15, 2026), in Seoul, Republic of Korea. IASLC will cover the following expenses for each participant:
  • Round-trip economy class airfair to WCLC 2026
  • 5 nights of hotel accommodation
  • Complimentary registration for WCLC 2026
  • Ground transportation (to and from the airport)
• Deliver a summary presentation at the 2026 Academy Workshop at WCLC 2026
• Create a patient case for the 2026 Amazing Case Race simulation activity at the WCLC meeting
• Complete annual post-program career progress surveys for up to five years

* If at any time a mentee is unable to or fails to fulfill these requirements, IASLC has the right to discontinute his/her participation in the Academy program. 

Participant's Institution Requirements:

The partipipant's institution is expected to commit to assisting the participant in the development and execution of the research project, including the designation of an institutional local mentor for this goal. Additionally, the institution should commit to supporting the participant's attendance and participation in all program-related activities. 

Local Mentor Requirements:

The local mentor should be an expert in the relevant field of research, with a proven ability to mentor a young researcher. The expected mentorship time commitment would be in the range of 1-2 hours per month throughout the duration of the Academy program. Local mentors are not required to attend the program's virtual sessions. Local mentors will be invited and encouraged to attend their mentee's final presentation at the WCLC meeting. 

For more information review the 2025-2026 IASLC Academy RFA. 

IASLC encourages application submissions from candidates worldwide. At the time of submission, applicants must meet all these criteria:

1. The applicant must hold a medical degree from an accredited institution or equivalent.
2. The applicant must be an early-career professional within 1-6 years from their initial faculty appointment or at an equivalent post-training phase, in the field of thoracic oncology.
3. The applicant must have clinical or professional experience in one of the following roles: medical oncologist, radiation oncologist, pulmonologist/pneumonologist, thoracic surgeon, pathologist, or radiologist.
4. The applicant must be a member of the IASLC and if selected must maintain an active IASLC membership for the duration of the program. If you are not a member please click here to join. 

All applications are required to be submitted through the IASLC’s online Application Portal.  

Applicant Information:

Please include the following information in your application:

• General Information
  • Applicant's Name
  • Institution's Name
  • Job Title
  • Primary Specialty
  • Country of Residence
  • Primary email address
  • Residency/Training Program Information
• CV (PDF preferred)
• Personal statement (max 300 words): Please briefly describe your professional goals by addressing the following questions:
  • Why are you interested in the Academy program?
  • What are your long-term career goals over the next 5-10 years?
  • How will this program help you further your career as a lung/thoracic oncology specialist?
• Narrative Bio (max 150 words)
• Professional Headshot

Research Project Information:

Please provide information about the project your propose to undertake as part of this program. Your project should be relevant to the prevention, diagnosis, treatment, or other aspects of lung cancer and thoracic malignancies and be feasible for completion within roughly 1-year. 

When developing your proposal, please consider the following guidelines:

1. Project Types: Examples of projects include retrospective chart review studies, database queries, focused translational research, or prospective studies (if the required infra-structure is in place). Note: Proposing clinical trials is discouraged given the Academy timeline, though applicants may propose a project which relates to an ongoing or completed clinical tireal if the researc can be completed within the required timelines. 
2. Project Stage: Proposals may focus on project in the early stages of development or additions of a new component to an existing or in-progress study.
3. Time Feasibility: Projects must be appropriate in scope to allow for completion within the one-year duration of the program.
4. Funding: The IASLC does not provide direct financial support for research projects as part of this program. Therefore, applicants are advised to propose studies that have secured the necessary funding, have partial funding in place, or can be conducted without external funding. 

Research Project Proposal: 

Please include the following information in your research proposal. Your proposal should be of a maximum of 3-pages in lenght (not including references), A4 size, margins of 2.5cm from all sides, one line spacing, font of 11 or larger

• Research Project Title
• Project Description or Abstract 
• Project Background
• Project Goals/Hypotheses
• Project Aims
• Study Plan (in accordance with the aims defined above) 
• Preliminary Data (if available)
• **Resources or Support Needed: Please describe any resources, facilities, collaborators, or support you are currently receiving from your institutions or from any other source for this project. Additionally, specify what further resources, expertise, or partnerships you anticipate needing from your institutions or external sources to successfully carry out your project. 
• References (if relevant)

**Please note: IASLC does not provide project funding to participants, only mentoring as described above. 

If you have any questions regarding the eligibility of your project, please contact science@iaslc.org. An open virtual meeting with the program directores will be offered during September 2026 to allow for eligibility questions and discussion of potential projects. 

Support Letters:

Please include the following documents in your application:

• A letter of commitment from the institution regarding the applicant's participation in the program.
• A letter of commitment and recommendation from the applicant's local institutional mentor confirming his/her support for the applicant in the development of the research project. The mentor should confirm that he/she will provide support throughout the duration of the program. The letter should also outline the mentor's relevant backgroun and experience in mentorship. 

All applications are required to be submitted through the IASLC’s online Application Portal

• When prompted to log in, use your IASLC Member Portal credentials.
  • If you do not know your credentials, click on the "Reset your Password" link to recover your user name and/or reset your password. If you are still unable to login, please email membership@iaslc.org. 
• Once you have successfully logged in, you will be able to begin work on your application. You may save your application at any time and return to the system at a later date to continue your work. 
• Applications must be submitted by November 1, 2025 at 12:00pm (noon) Denver time [18:00 UTC]. 

Applications will be reviewed by members of the IASLC Academy Faculty, the Education Committee, and the Career Development Committee, based on stated eligibility criteria and to reflect a diverse participant pool. 

Applications will be reviewed based on:

• Strenght and Potential of the applicant as a future thoracic oncology researcher
• Strenght of Institutional Support
  • Does the candidate have the appropriate institutional/mentors support to conduct their research project?
• Strenght of Research Project Proposal
  • Is the proposed project feasible to be completed in the specified 1-year timeframe?
  • Is the proposed project relevant and impactful to the study of lung cancer (within the candidate's local environement)?