National Research Council of the National Academies sponsors a number of awards for postdoctoral and senior researchers at federal laboratories.
These awards provide generous stipends ($41,000 - $70,000 per year for recent Ph.D. recipients and higher for additional experience), and the opportunity to do independent research in some of the best-equipped and staffed laboratories in the country.
Detailed program information, including instructions on how to apply online, and a list of participating laboratories, is available on the NRC Research Associateship Programs Web site at:
www.national-academies.org/rap
Questions should be directed to the NRC at 202-334-2760 (phone) or rap@nas.edu.
There will be four review cycles annually. Upcoming deadline dates are:
May 1, 2008
August 1, 2008
November 1, 2008
February 1, 2009
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
Awards of National Research Council of the National Academies
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
Military funding opportunities - no combat experience required
Tharin previously referred to an article in The Scientist entitled, Surviving in Academia. In the article, author Steve Wiley highlights the Department of Defense (DoD) as a legitimate source of funding for certain types of research.
Just as an FYI, here is a list of the main DoD institutes supporting extramural research projects relevant to biophysics:
Note that in many cases, the programs change annually. So if the current programs are not compatible with your research interests, it's still worth taking a second look at a later date. Also note that non-US citizens can apply for funding in some of these programs.
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Linkblogging: it's all I've got...
Well, I'm still working on writing up my reports for the various Early Careers activities that went on during this year's Biophysical Society meeting over a month ago. You just can't rush these things out, you see. They require careful analysis, due consideration, and no small amount of prevarication.
In the meantime, take a coffee-break glance at this blog authored by The Drug Monkey. There's a couple of good posts on the plight of young investigators* here and here. The Drug Monkey is certainly worth a read, if only to avail oneself of knowledgeable tidbits regarding the NIH stance towards slavery in the laboratory.
HHMI funds for early faculty
HHMI has announced a new program to fund researchers who have run their own labs for two to six years. “In choosing the early career scientists, HHMI will be guided by the principle of “people, not projects,” which it has used in selecting HHMI investigators. HHMI support will provide the early career scientists with the freedom to explore and, if necessary, to change direction in their research, Dixon said. Full criteria are listed on the page linked above (http://www.hhmi.org/news/earlycareer20080310.html). Good luck to all of you that are eligible!
Some excerpts from their news item:
"Through a national competition that opens today, HHMI plans to select as many as 70 early career scientists from a wide range of scientific disciplines relevant to biological and medical inquiry. These scientists, most of whom will be assistant professors at the time of the award, will receive six-year, non-renewable appointments to HHMI and receive the substantial research support necessary to move their research in creative, new directions. HHMI will invest more than $300 million in this first group of scientists and plans a second competition in 2011."
HHMI is seeking scientists from a wide variety of fields, including all areas of basic biological and biomedical research, and areas of chemistry, physics, computer science and engineering that are directly related to biology or medicine. Candidates are being asked to apply directly to HHMI, an approach the Institute has used successfully in previous competitions in 2006 and 2007. In the past, faculty members had to be nominated by their institutions for HHMI research positions."
Friday, October 19, 2007
Writing and submitting research proposals
The following sites give useful advice for new scientists beginning the grant writing process:
- National Cancer Institute - Quick Guide For Grant Applications
- National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases - All About Grants Tutorials
- Science Magazine - Grant and Grant Writing ; GrantsNet
Thursday, September 27, 2007
"Funding for Your Research: Alternatives to NIH"
The joint Early Careers/Public Affairs session, "Finding Funding for Your Research: Alternatives to NIH", was held at the 2007 Biophysical Society Annual Meeting, Baltimore.
Slides for two of the four presentations are available at the Biophysical Society website.
- Alternative (non-governmental) Funding for Biomedical Research: Burroughs Wellcome Fund.
Presented by Nancy S. Sung, Burroughs Wellcome Fund. (.pdf)
- Finding Funding for your Research: National Science Foundation.
Presented by Kamal Shukla, National Science Foundation.
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
All the career articles you could wish for...
The American Society for Cell Biology has an archive of their Career Strategy Columns. It's 9 years worth of great short articles, about all kinds of career issues that you may never even have thought about. I know I'll be reading them very carefully over the next little while, as my time allows...
Tuesday, April 3, 2007
Early Careers Funding Opportunities - NIH
National Institute of Health
1) K99/ROO
- Five years of funding split into two parts; probationary two year mentored part followed by three years of independent funding.
- Available to non-American citizens, but the applicant requires a guarantee from the relevant academic institution that visitor status will be approved.
- With rare exceptions, only applicants with a maximum of 5 yrs postdoctoral experience are eligible
- For more information, visit this FAQ
2) Loan repayment program
- Successful applicants will have the remaining balance on their college loans repaid
- Check out your eligibility here
Early Careers Funding Opportunities - AHA
American Heart Association
1. Beginning grant in aid
- A transition to independence grant
- Regional limitations; Heartland and Pacific affiliates
- A staff/faculty position must be assured and due to start by the time the grant becomes activated
- Available to resident and non-resident aliens on condition of holding a valid visa for the duration of research
2. Scientist Development Grant
- Available to resident and non-resident aliens on condition of holding a valid visa for the duration of research
- 24% success rate.
- No regional limitations
3. Fellow to faculty transition
- For physicians seeking to move into research
4. Postdoctoral Fellowship
- Available to resident and non-resident aliens on condition of holding a valid visa for the duration of research
- Regional limitations; Heartland, Greater Midwest and PacificMountain affiliates