About Us

Continuing Education, Professional Development, and Cultural Events.

The Foundation for Advanced Education in the Sciences (FAES)  was created by the NIH for the NIH: FAES was established in 1959 by 11 NIH scientists to facilitate a collegial environment and provide educational activities and professional services to the scientific community. Over the last five decades, FAES has grown to be much more to the NIH community, serving not only the Bethesda Campus, but also Frederick, Rockledge, and Baltimore, Maryland as well as the NIH sites in Arizona, North Carolina, and Montana. In 1984, the organization expanded its services and started offering a series of short-term lecture and laboratory hands-on training workshops through its biotechnology training program. In addition to advanced education, training, and conference services, FAES provides support to the NIH to promote the productivity and attractiveness of professional life on the NIH campuses, including a health insurance plan for Fellows and Trainees, a wide variety of social and cultural events, and an academic bookstore located on the first floor of Building 10, near the Masur Auditorium, which is the only bookstore on the NIH Bethesda campus.

Today, FAES offers approximately 150 academic credit-bearing courses a year and over 60 biotechnology training workshops. FAES also sponsors musical performances and runs management and leadership training classes for scientists who want to bridge the gap between the bench/bedside and business or other fields. FAES also provides full-service conference management services for members of the NIH community and affiliated organizations. Since our founding, FAES has educated over 100,000 scientists and continues to expand and customize educational opportunities for the community.

The staff of FAES is headed by Executive Director/CEO Christina Farias, and the organization’s headquarters are located at 10 Center Drive, Room 1N241 - MSC 1115 Bethesda, MD 20892 at the National Institutes of Health.

FAES Mission Statement: FAES is a non-profit foundation, located at the National Institutes of Health, which conducts advanced educational programs and supports activities to promote the productivity and attractiveness of professional life on the NIH campuses. FAES programs complement the work of NIH in accomplishing its mission of research and training in the biomedical sciences.