BGS Career Development

Making It Count!

National Institutes of Health

NCI Graduate Student Recruiting Program

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Reminder: the deadline to apply to the 4th Annual Graduate Student Recruiting Program is January 31, 2019!  Graduate students who apply and are invited to visit NIH have a distinct advantage in obtaining postdoc positions. Visit the GSRP website for useful information on the application process. 

The GSRP is a competitive program that provides students the opportunity to explore postdoctoral fellowships at the NCI.  During the two-day program in May invited applicants will visit the NIH, learn about the various resources that NIH and NCI have to offer, and network with NCI investigators, staff, and current postdocs.  In addition, the poster sessions provide an excellent opportunity to network and foster collaborations with scientists here at the NIH. NCI investigators looking to fill open positions view GSRP as a source of qualified candidates.

Should you need any additional information, please do not hesitate to contact the GSRP coordinator.

OITE: “Core Competencies & Blog Resources”

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The NIH Office of Intramural Training and Education (OITE) Careers blog emphasizes four core competencies for trainees:

  1. Communication
  2. Career Readiness & Exploration
  3. Leadership & Management
  4. Teaching & Mentoring

They include useful descriptions of these skills sets, as well as a listing of blog posts relevant to each. These include topics such as difficult work conversations (communication), overcoming a fear of informational interviews (career readiness), good mentoring guidelines (leadership), and more.

See the full list of resources here.

“A Day in the Life of PUI Teaching Professor”

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NIH’s Broadening Experiences in Scientific Training (BEST) maintains a PhD/Postdoc Blog that discusses work-life balance, career options, and job application process. The most recent post was written by a doctorate student interested in teaching at a primarily undergraduate institution (PUI). She conducted informational interviews with three professors at PUIs and summarized their responses.

Read more here.

New NIH Peer Review Videos for Applicants

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The NIH Center for Scientific Review (CSR) has released two new peer review videos for applicants. The first, “What Happens to Your NIH Grant Application,” gives viewers insight into the review process. The second video, “Top 10 Peer Review Q&As for NIH Applicants,” features 10 experts from CSR as they address frequently asked questions.

Read more here.

International Careers

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The National Institutes of Health (NIH) Office of Intramural Training and Education (OITE) provides an informative blog post about the challenges and rewards of an international career. Though the challenges of a domestic job search – networking, negotiating, and more – can be multiplied when navigating the norms of an unfamiliar culture, the advantages of an expanded world-view are not to be discounted. The author provides links to helpful resources, such as questions to ask before accepting an international job offer and tips for negotiating across cultures.

Read more here.

NIH: Strategies for Enhancing Postdoctoral Career Transitions to Promote Faculty Diversity

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The National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) recently sought input from the scientific community about strategies to enhance successful postdoctoral career transitions, in order to promote faculty diversity. 89 responses were recorded, from stakeholders including postdoctoral scientists, faculty members, and professional societies.

Read about the most frequently mentioned barriers as well as potential solutions here.