- The Best of You
The other day, during a conversation, I was told that I was too cheerful to be a postdoc, and we all laughed about it. They said it was almost contradictory. I have a confession to make: It is true that I am a cheerful person. I am usually making fun of myself and lightening up t...
- Not that Kind of Network: Tales of Developing a National Reputation
I never really thought about networking and reputation as a graduate student or postdoctoral research fellow (postdoc), but rather was the beneficiary of respected mentors long established in the field and regular attendance at our society’s annual meeting. I always assumed the s...
- What to Wear to a Conference (to Look Like the Pro You Are)
The Ultimate Mix-and-Match Fashion Guide
Match your outer awesomeness to your inner awesomeness
Conference season equates to visibility. Who you are in person is a key part of your personal brand. We hear often that early career researchers find the transition from invi...
- Not that Kind of Advice: It Is Never Too Early to Be a Mentor
The further I get into running my own research program, the more I realize the significant impact good mentorship has had on my career. My mentors have trained me scientifically, provided career advice, and supported work-life balance. A large impetus for starting this blog has b...
- What I Wish I’d Known Before I Wrote My K
Three K awardees (K01, K08, K23) share the advice they wish they'd received before preparing career development awards. Writing your K? Listen up.
Training Plan and Mentors
Have an endgame, and goals to get there. In your training plan, you should be able to articulate your res...
- Which Study Section Should I Pick? Try the Assisted Referral Tool!
One important aspect of submitting grants to the NIH is selecting an appropriate study section. While the general descriptions on the CSR website can be helpful, they often require further investigation, which can (and should) include contacting SROs, talking to current or forme...
- Read This: Insights on Priorities Including Doing Less
We hosted Dr. Paul Harris, mastermind of REDCap and ResearchMatch and local guru of efficiency lifehacks, for a seminar on honing your professional edge. He shared these choices as an eclectic mix currently engaging his thoughts.
Habit 3 audiobook
by Steven Covey
“E.M. Gray ...
- Empowering Women through Mentoring
I still remember my first time in a lab. I was doing my last year of college and I got a fellowship to collaborate for a few hours a day in a research lab. It was an old and rusty lab, and my PI was in the first steps of her career, trying to get tenure, taking care of her kids a...
- Not that Kind of Committee Meeting: Tales of Faculty Mentoring
Now that you have assembled your faculty mentoring committee, it is time to prepare for your meeting. A week before the meeting, I send out an updated CV and any documents that I want reviewed, like grant pink sheets or a manuscript draft. I also include an extensive document det...
- Q&A: How to Give a Chalk Talk
You have a whiteboard, a marker, and an hour to convince a department to hire you. How will you handle it?
Three senior faculty who have been involved in multiple searches and seen numerous chalk talks came together to answer questions about this common interview component. ...
