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Met with postdoc keen on staying in academia & applying for faculty jobs
I asked: "Have you put together a Description of Research Activities?"
👇🏽mine from April 2007 as I was just finishing my research training & applying for research faculty positions
Some thoughts...thread.
I asked: "Have you put together a Description of Research Activities?"
👇🏽mine from April 2007 as I was just finishing my research training & applying for research faculty positions
Some thoughts...thread.
rest of document...
Start with:
1. what important question(s) do you want to address over first 5y of faculty position
2. what tools/approaches will you use to address question(s)
need to be able to articulate this clearly in one page - "a specific aims page for your research life"
1. what important question(s) do you want to address over first 5y of faculty position
2. what tools/approaches will you use to address question(s)
need to be able to articulate this clearly in one page - "a specific aims page for your research life"
Obtain a few sample documents...Most helpful for me was from one of my mentors - David Altshuler
Typical structure of document:
1. one-page summary
2. description of training and research accomplishments
3. description of research plans
Typical structure of document:
1. one-page summary
2. description of training and research accomplishments
3. description of research plans
One-page summary should clearly state the important problem you want to address.
Beauty of academia is that you can work on *ANYTHING* you want but this also puts a lot of responsibility on you.
Don't do things because they *can* be done but because they *need* to be done.
Beauty of academia is that you can work on *ANYTHING* you want but this also puts a lot of responsibility on you.
Don't do things because they *can* be done but because they *need* to be done.
Description of training and research accomplishments should be a narrative of your work to date.
What questions, what approaches did you learn/use, what answers, why do these answers matter
What questions, what approaches did you learn/use, what answers, why do these answers matter
Description of research plans
This should be a blueprint for ?s you want to tackle in first 3-5 years of faculty position & how you will tackle these ?s.
Try to focus on the problems & the scientific approaches (rather than grant mechanisms, career metrics, etc.)
This should be a blueprint for ?s you want to tackle in first 3-5 years of faculty position & how you will tackle these ?s.
Try to focus on the problems & the scientific approaches (rather than grant mechanisms, career metrics, etc.)
Spend a lot of time on this document!!!
My mentor quickly rejected my first version & told me take this more seriously. This scared me & made me focus.
My mentor quickly rejected my first version & told me take this more seriously. This scared me & made me focus.
Time spent on a "Description of Research Activities" will be worth it because:
narrative for job talks, countless interviews, & most importantly, your actual faculty work, can flow from this document
narrative for job talks, countless interviews, & most importantly, your actual faculty work, can flow from this document
To all postdocs in a similar phase as the one I spoke to yesterday: good luck!!
Finis.
Finis.
By the way,
little guy on (L) born the month I started my independent research lab
And today (R), 11!
Happy birthday Devan 🎂
little guy on (L) born the month I started my independent research lab
And today (R), 11!
Happy birthday Devan 🎂
Here's the full document as a .pdf
dropbox.com/s/3tkandawtfdu…
dropbox.com/s/3tkandawtfdu…
