The Career Development committee oversees the Cobb Professional Development Grant competition and organizes the Professional Development Workshop/Panel held during the annual meeting of the American Association of Biological Anthropologists. The AABA recognizes that the professional development of talented scientists in the early stages of their careers is critical to the continued health and vitality of the discipline. The committee offers three opportunities for professional development:

• Cobb Professional Development Grants are awarded annually to qualified recipients, each in the amount of $7,500. 
• An Early Career Liaison is nominated to serve an annual term on the Executive Committee. The purpose of this position is to increase the participation of early career professionals in AABA governance, and thereby expand the vision of the association and ensure a solid future of effective and dedicated officers.   
• A  Career Development Panel is held at the annual meetings and is organized around topics of particular concern to our members who are in the beginning stages of their careers.
  

Each year a group of qualified professionals with diverse research interests are asked to serve on the committee that reviews proposals for the Professional Development Grants and the Early Career Liaison to the Executive Committee.