BGS Career Development

Making It Count!

Career: Research (government)

ASCB: “Ways to engage with your members of Congress”

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In this ASCB article, the author describes her surprise at the simplicity of scheduling a meeting with one’s Congressional representatives. She states, “It turns out I didn’t need a lofty title. I already had all of the qualifications I needed to have a meeting on Capitol Hill—I am a constituent, I am persistent, and I care about scientific research.”

After a quick briefing on how the Congressional budget works, the author provides sample scripts to engage your members of Congress on Twitter, over the phone, or by email.

Read the full article here!
Students interested in a career in science policy or who are looking for ways to advocate for their research interests may also be interested in ASCB’s Advocacy Toolkit.

Request a sponsored Membership to the New York Academy of Sciences

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To support your professional and career development, the Perelman School of Medicine will sponsor interested students, postdocs, faculty and staff for complimentary 1-year Membership to one of the oldest and most prestigious scientific organizations in the United States, the New York Academy of Sciences.

TO REQUEST A SPONSORED MEMBERSHIP, SIGN UP HERE

As an Academy Member, you’ll benefit from free/discounted access to:

Cutting Edge Content: publications, eBriefings, and webinars featuring the latest research presented at the New York Academy of Sciences

Career Readiness Training: online courses, webinars and other career resources to help you acquire the skills needed to succeed in a STEM-related field

Networking & Resume Building: opportunities to present your research, apply for Travel Fellowships, qualify for intensive leadership training, or request a mentor

New NIA Pre-doctoral Funding Mechanism for 3rd and 4th Year Students

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The National Institute on Aging (NIA) has recently announced a new initiative to support transition of outstanding graduate students, from a wide range of research areas, into aging-related postdoctoral research.

Below are some highlights of the Transition to Aging Research Award for Postdoctoral Students (F99/K00) program: https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-AG-20-009.html

  • Predoctoral students at their 3rd and 4th year of PhD, regardless of their research focus, are eligible to apply.
  • Visa holders with proper institutional support letter are also eligible to apply for this opportunity; refer to the ‘eligibility’ section of the announcements for more details.
  • The program has two phases: Dissertation (F99, up to 2 years) and aging-related postdoctoral (K00, up to 4 years) phases.  

Application Due Date: October 22, 2019, by 5:00 PM

If you are interested to know more about this FOA or have any specific question, please contact Shahrooz Vahedi, Ph.D., Health Science Administrator (Training Officer) by email or by phone at 301-496-9322.

Webinar for Postdoctoral Research Associate Training (PRAT) Program Applicants

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Students interested in conducting postdoctoral training at the National Institutes of Health may wish to learn more about the Postdoctoral Research Associate Training (PRAT) program. NIH will host a webinar:

Wednesday, June 19, 2:00-3:00 p.m. ET
More information here.

PRAT is a competitive 3-year fellowship program that prepares trainees for leadership positions in biomedical careers. Training includes a mentored laboratory research experience and intensive career and leadership development activities. PRAT fellows conduct research in laboratories in the NIH Intramural Research Program (IRP) in basic biomedical research areas within the NIGMS mission. These areas include, but are not limited to, biological chemistry, biophysics, bioinformatics, cellular and molecular biology, computational biosciences, developmental biology, genetics, immunology, neuroscience, pharmacology, physiology, and technology development.

Graduate students considering postdoctoral research opportunities at NIH, or current NIH Intramural Research Training Award postdoctoral fellows who started no earlier than July 1, 2018, are eligible to apply. All applications require connecting with an investigator in the NIH IRP in advance of writing the application.

Via NIH

Dr. Shai Silberberg (NINDS), ‘Assuring a bright future for biomedical research’

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Dr. Shai Silberberg, Program Director and Director of Research Quality at the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) will be visiting Penn on Wednesday, June 5, 2019. Dr. Silberberg in his role with NINDS has an especially sophisticated understanding of what drives the emphasis by NIH on rigor and transparency. His institute, as well, has been particularly aggressive in experimenting with solutions through pre- and postdoctoral training venues. Dr. Silberberg’s talk, ‘Assuring a bright future for biomedical research’, will take place 10–11:30am in the Austrian Auditorium.

We have worked at Penn on issues of rigor and transparency for some time. Dr. Silberberg’s talk will reinforce much of what we do, but it will also provide specific insight into emerging thoughts and expectations of NIH. Those interested in familiarizing themselves with Dr. Silberberg’s work prior to the talk may read his important publication on reporting scientific outcomes (Landis et al., Nature 490 (2012) 187).

iBiology, “Let’s Experiment” is now available self-paced

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Let's Experiment: A Guide for Scientists Working at the Bench (Self-Paced)

“Let’s Experiment” is now available self-paced, anytime!

“Let’s Experiment: A Guide for Scientists Working at the Bench” is a free online course from iBiology that is now available self-paced, anytime. In the course,

  • Hear inspiring speakers share new perspectives about important, but sometimes lost, aspects of experimental design.
  • Learn how biological research really happens from real-world examples, and gain tips on how to navigate it.
  • Apply what you’re learning to your own research, and walk away with a solid plan for how to start and carry out your own experiments.

More info at: http://bit.ly/2PYqmBW

Read what students are saying about “Let’s Experiment:”


“I feel more secure in my ability to assess how much effort and time experiments need…I really appreciate a systematic way of preparing and thinking about experiments and their results.”

“I found the videos, where different extraordinary scientists tell their own story, truly inspiring and very encouraging.”

“I really like that this course took the lessons that people learn through experience and directly taught the concepts in a way that is easy to apply to everyday life in the lab.”

To find this and other iBiology courses, visit us at https://courses.ibiology.org

(Via iBiology)