At ORDE, we've noticed when conducting fund searches for Postdoctoral Fellows that it can be difficult for them to pin down their own research. Oftentimes Postdocs will give us a synthesis of their PI's research and projects and what they're doing on those projects. Yet, usually Postdocs aren't looking for additional funding for their PIs lab, they're looking for their own independent funding that will allow them to take their next step toward being an independent researcher.
In service of this oft-seen conundrum, I wanted to offer this blog for Postdocs and other early career investigators on things to remember as you move toward independence in your research.
Build your skills
Key to becoming an independent researcher is to secure funding as a PI, yet you won't be able to do this if you haven't learned and demonstrated the skills you need to successfully carry out a project. So, use your postdoc experience to build your lab management skills. Ask your mentor if you can supervise graduate students in the lab, for example. Also, ask if you can help your mentor write grant proposals with them, to hone your skills for when it's time to write your own proposal.
Find your niche
As you conduct research with your PI, continue to develop your own ideas, trajectories, and plans. There is no point in trying to clone your mentor with yourself. Consider how you can build on the work you've done in your postdoctoral fellowship to create your own research agenda, ready to go when the time comes.
Work with your mentor
Be sure to have early and frequent conversations with your mentor/PI. While you don't want to walk into your postdoctoral fellowship saying your main goal is to develop your own work, you do want your mentor to understand your goals ultimately and to solicit their support. Continue to have these conversations, particularly as you prove yourself to your mentor. As you achieve things in your postdoc, ask your mentor for space or resources to start building your own projects, and ask for their support and advice in grooming you to be an independent investigator.
Build your brand
Although it's tempting to just put your head down and do great work in your postdoc, don't forget that now is the time to be networking and building a name for yourself. Present research at conferences and seek out Program Officers and other potential mentors. Collaborate with colleagues. As you discover your research niche, make sure you're doing all you can to let folks in your area know who you are and the kind of research you're doing/going to do.
These strategies can help you to build a bridge between your postdoc and the next leg of your career as an independent researcher.
Resources:
4 Steps to Independence as Postdocs
Postdocs' Guide to Gaining Independence - NIAID
Monday, January 7, 2019
Wednesday, January 2, 2019
Spring 2019 ORDE Seminars
Happy New Year! I'm happy to announce our 2019 spring seminars. Start your grant year off right by registering for the seminars that will help you take your grant proposal game to the next level. These seminars are open to all faculty on the Denver and Anschutz Medical Campus. Lunch and resources are provided at each seminar. Please register here.
Denver: Writing a Project Overview
Denver: National Science Foundation
Resources:
ORDE Spring Seminars
ORDE Seminar Video Library
AMC: NIH K Award Grant Planning Seminar
February 14, 2019
12:00 – 3:00 pm
Location: Strauss Health Sciences Library, Reading Room
Faculty Experts: William W. Hay, Jr., Professor, School of medicine; Karen Hampanda, Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Community and Behavioral Health Jean Mulcahy Levy, Assistant Professor, School of Medicine; Minghua Tang, Assistant Professor, School of Medicine; Uyen Truong, Associate Professor, School of Medicine
Description: During this working seminar, you will learn about the NIH’s K award grant programs, as well as strategies for approaching these unique grants. You will learn tactics and experiences from past K awardees and have an opportunity to get feedback on your K plan from your peers and awardees.
Denver: Career Programs
February 18, 2019
12:00 – 2:00 pm
Location: TBD
Faculty Experts: Amy Wachholtz, Assistant Professor of Psychology and Arunprakash Karunanithi, Associate Professor of Civil Engineering
Description: During this seminar, you will learn about the NSF CAREER program and the NIH mentored-K programs, as well as strategies for approaching these unique grants. You will learn tactics and experiences from a past K and CAREER awardee.
Denver: Writing a Project Overview
March 6, 2019
12:00 – 2:00 pm
Location: TBD
Faculty Expert: Chris Phiel, Associate Professor, Integrative Biology
Reviewers tend to make up their minds as to whether they like or don’t like a grant proposal upon reading the first page. This makes your project overview, whether it be Specific Aims or a Project Summary, essential in terms of hooking your reviewer and getting them excited about your work. Join us for this seminar where you will learn how to craft your project overview to be clear and compelling.
AMC: Writing Your Specific Aims
March 19, 2019
12:00 – 2:00
Location: TBD
Faculty Expert: Sonia Flores, Professor, School of Medicine
The Specific Aims is the most crucial component of your NIH grant proposal. It is the first thing the reviewers assigned to your proposal look at, and for those reviewers not assigned to your proposal, it is often the only thing they see of your proposal before scoring it. In this seminar, you will learn how to craft your Specific Aims and you will hear from a seasoned PI on their experience with Specific Aims from a PI and Reviewer perspective.
Denver: National Science Foundation
April 18, 2019
12:00 – 2:00 pm
Location: Student Commons, Rm. 2000
Faculty Experts: Martin Dunn, Dean, College of Engineering and Applied Science; Doris Kimbrough, Professor, Chemistry
The National Science Foundation (NSF) is the premier federal funding agency for the Sciences. Join us for this seminar to learn about the NSF and their grants program. Seasoned experts will discuss the mission and organization of the NSF, their overarching grants criteria, their proposal structure, and tips for applying to the NSF.
AMC: How to plan for a P01 or Center Grant
April 30, 2019
12:00 – 2:00 pm
Location: TBD
Faculty Experts: Cathy Bradley, Professor and Associate Dean of Research, Colorado School of Public Health; John Hokanson, Professor, Colorado School of Public Health; Jennifer Kemp, Director, Department of Medicine Research Office; Jon Samet, Dean, Colorado School of Public Health
P01 and Center grants are highly competitive and unique. It takes seasoned PIs, multiple great projects, integration, collaboration, and sustainability. This seminar is targeted for seasoned PIs who want to learn what it takes to submit a competitive P01 or center grant. You will hear from faculty experts on the demands of the P01/center grant proposal as well as from those who have successfully competed for such a grant.
Resources:
ORDE Spring Seminars
ORDE Seminar Video Library
Monday, December 17, 2018
Fall 2018 Seminar Videos
We're happy to announce that we have posted the edited videos from our fall 2018 seminars on our vimeo site. Below are the summaries from our seminars and you can find the video links here.
NIH K Awardees Panel
Faculty Experts: Sarah Borengasser, Assistant Professor, School of Medicine; Heather Coats, Assistant Professor, College of Nursing; & Danielle Soranno, Assistant Professor, School of Medicine
The mentored NIH Research Career Development Award or K Award is unique among NIH grants. Successful candidates not only have to propose an excellent research plan but also have to show that they need mentoring and that they have the potential to be independent investigators. Join us to better understand the NIH K Awards and hear from recent awardees of the K01, K99, and K08.
Academic v. Grant Writing
Faculty Expert: Bud Talbot, Associate Professor, Science Education and Laurel Hartley, Associate Professor, Biology
Research faculty need to write a lot, writing articles and grant proposals in particular. But, these are very different types of writing. The academic writing that goes into articles is often oriented toward other experts in the field. Proposal writing however requires the PI to pitch their idea and convince readers to invest in their project. In this seminar we will look at the difference between these types of writing, looking particularly at how you can switch gears from academic writing to grant writing. Additionally, we will learn from our faculty experts how to write in these different capacities collaboratively.
Scientific & Grant Writing Symposium
Faculty Guest Experts: Spero Manson, Associate Dean for Research, Colorado School of Public Health; Jennifer Kemp, Director, Research Office, Department of Medicine; Garth Sundem, Science Writer, Cancer Center; and Naomi Nishi, Associate Director of ORDE
Science writing and grant writing are not usually considered synonymous with clear and compelling writing. This is usually because science and grant writing require engaging complex, and highly technical subject matter. But, it can be done. Join us for this symposium and hear from several professional science/grant writers on how to improve your craft.
New Faculty Symposium
Faculty Expert: Bob Damrauer, Associate Vice Chancellor, Office of Research Services
Early Career Investigators often feel a bit isolated from the research community on a new campus. This new faculty symposium is an opportunity to familiarize yourself with the CU Denver research community and introduce yourself and your work. You also will learn more about all of the research processes and resources available to you.
Know Your Agency: Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
Faculty Expert: Shale Wong, Professor, School of Medicine
In the Know Your Agency Lunches, we feature a specific agency and ask either an investigator funded by the agency or an agency insider to give an overview of the agency and offer some of the nuances that might not be readily available on the website or program announcement. These lunches also offer an opportunity for investigators interested in applying to the agency the chance to ask questions of someone more experienced with the agency.
Resources:
Monday, December 3, 2018
Structuring your paragraph
Oftentimes, writers break to a new paragraph without a lot of thought. When you have a new idea, start a new paragraph is the guideline under which most of us operate. Yet, when we think about it from the reader's perspective, when a paragraph does not contain a complete thought or when a new paragraph makes a giant leap to a new subject without warning, our heads are left spinning!
So, as writers, there are a couple of things we can do to keep our readers from getting lost or frustrated. Using the mnemonic device MEAL, we can remember what should be in most paragraphs...
M - ain idea: This is your topic sentence; it sets up your reader to know what the paragraph is about
E - vidence: Of course, most main ideas need a little justification, so your evidence portion is a couple of sentences that back up your main idea.
A - nalysis: You're writing about this topic, because you have something to say about it, so what is your take on the main idea and the evidence you've cited?
L - ink or Last thought: This is a sentence or two where you conclude your thoughts and/or provide a linking sentence to the next paragraph.
Let's look at an example from an NIH award abstract:
Main Evidence Analysis Link/Last thought
Excessive anxiety and fear leads to anxiety disorders, which impact many aspects of life, from the interpersonal to professional spheres. Although each anxiety disorder has different symptoms, they all share a core feature: mal-adaptive expression of high levels of anxiety. In our study, we will study how the brain suppresses anxiety. Prior studies showed the amygdala is largely responsible for generating high anxiety and fear, while the ventral medial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) decreases these behaviors, possibly by inhibiting amygdala output. Indeed, in humans higher vmPFC activation correlates with lower amygdala activation and decreased anxiety. These data suggest the vmPFC-amygdala pathway may decrease anxiety and fear, but they rely on correlative measures, and can't directly test this hypothesis. We used optogenetics to directly test if the vmPFC-amygdala projection suppresses anxiety and fear.
Remarkably, optogenetic activation of the vmPFC-amygdala pathway robustly inhibits innate anxiety and learned fear, while inhibition of this pathway increases anxiety....
As with any writing rule, there are exceptions and easily-readable paragraphs that leave out one component or another. Yet, when you pull all of the paragraphs together in a section, they should include all of the MEAL components pretty regularly.
In terms of paragraph organization, Otto Yang, in his book, Guide to Effective Grant Writing: How to Write a Successful NIH Grant Application, offers a technique to better construct and organize your paragraphs. For one section, take the first line of every paragraph and put them together to see if those lead sentences alone give you an understanding of the piece. This is important especially for grant-writing where reviewers often skim the numerous proposals they review. Giving your reviewers clear sign posts at the start of a paragraph will be much appreciated.
Although these techniques are helpful when you're writing, often they're more useful to apply when you are re-reading and revising. You've already gotten your thoughts down and they seem to flow, but perhaps you'll realize in making revisions that your reader will have to read half-way through many of your paragraphs before they understand your main point. In this case, it may serve you and your reader well to apply some paragraph revisions.
Resources:
Paragraphing with the MEAL Plan - Capella University
Paragraphs - University of North Carolina Chapel Hill Writing Center
So, as writers, there are a couple of things we can do to keep our readers from getting lost or frustrated. Using the mnemonic device MEAL, we can remember what should be in most paragraphs...
M - ain idea: This is your topic sentence; it sets up your reader to know what the paragraph is about
E - vidence: Of course, most main ideas need a little justification, so your evidence portion is a couple of sentences that back up your main idea.
A - nalysis: You're writing about this topic, because you have something to say about it, so what is your take on the main idea and the evidence you've cited?
L - ink or Last thought: This is a sentence or two where you conclude your thoughts and/or provide a linking sentence to the next paragraph.
Let's look at an example from an NIH award abstract:
Main Evidence Analysis Link/Last thought
Excessive anxiety and fear leads to anxiety disorders, which impact many aspects of life, from the interpersonal to professional spheres. Although each anxiety disorder has different symptoms, they all share a core feature: mal-adaptive expression of high levels of anxiety. In our study, we will study how the brain suppresses anxiety. Prior studies showed the amygdala is largely responsible for generating high anxiety and fear, while the ventral medial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) decreases these behaviors, possibly by inhibiting amygdala output. Indeed, in humans higher vmPFC activation correlates with lower amygdala activation and decreased anxiety. These data suggest the vmPFC-amygdala pathway may decrease anxiety and fear, but they rely on correlative measures, and can't directly test this hypothesis. We used optogenetics to directly test if the vmPFC-amygdala projection suppresses anxiety and fear.
Remarkably, optogenetic activation of the vmPFC-amygdala pathway robustly inhibits innate anxiety and learned fear, while inhibition of this pathway increases anxiety....
As with any writing rule, there are exceptions and easily-readable paragraphs that leave out one component or another. Yet, when you pull all of the paragraphs together in a section, they should include all of the MEAL components pretty regularly.
In terms of paragraph organization, Otto Yang, in his book, Guide to Effective Grant Writing: How to Write a Successful NIH Grant Application, offers a technique to better construct and organize your paragraphs. For one section, take the first line of every paragraph and put them together to see if those lead sentences alone give you an understanding of the piece. This is important especially for grant-writing where reviewers often skim the numerous proposals they review. Giving your reviewers clear sign posts at the start of a paragraph will be much appreciated.
Although these techniques are helpful when you're writing, often they're more useful to apply when you are re-reading and revising. You've already gotten your thoughts down and they seem to flow, but perhaps you'll realize in making revisions that your reader will have to read half-way through many of your paragraphs before they understand your main point. In this case, it may serve you and your reader well to apply some paragraph revisions.
Resources:
Paragraphing with the MEAL Plan - Capella University
Paragraphs - University of North Carolina Chapel Hill Writing Center
Monday, November 26, 2018
Personalize your grant approach
As we are in the season of abundant greeting cards, I've been reminded of the power of a personalized approach in the grants world. At first glance, there are so many proposals and so many PIs competing for external funding that to put a personal touch on your grant approach may feel like trying to stick a flower in a waterfall. However, there are some opportunities for creating a personal touch that you may not have considered before...
Talking with a PO
If you follow this blog, you've surely seen many entries that focus on working with Program Officers. It's important to work with POs to get their feedback on your project and the direction of your research. Some POs even mentor early career investigators with whom they develop a relationship early on. But beyond that, having a PO know who you are and be rooting for you is invaluable. For instance, at some agencies when POs have money left in their budget at the end of the fiscal year, they call those researchers that they know and know do great work to submit a proposal for the funds. Having a PO support you and care about your career is a great asset!
Sending a thank you card
Although sending a thank you card in a professional setting may sound a little antiquated, it's another way to personalize your approach to grants. I argue that sending hand-written thank you cards should be done liberally. When you meet a PO or reviewers/potential reviewers at a conference, send them a follow-up note, thanking them or saying how much you enjoyed the conversation. The truth is few people send hand-written notes, so it can make you stand out and remind seasoned researchers who you are the next time they come across your proposal.
Drawing on reviewer's/PO's research
Before having a conversation with a PO or someone you think might review your proposal, do a bit of research on their research. If you're not sure if their work might overlap with yours, it's important to find out so that you don't insult them when talking about something where they are considered a preeminent scholar. Knowing someone's research is also an excellent way to make a positive impression. Many academics feel like their work isn't read widely enough, so when you have a conversation and talk about how you're drawing on their work, it's exciting for them! Not only is it a bit of an ego boost, but also it shows them that your work is building on their's and it's important for them to see it go further.
Holiday notes
Lastly, since we are in the season, why not get some professional season's greetings cards and send them out to POs and colleagues? Add a short note that says you've enjoyed working with them this year and wishing them a happy new year. Again, this can just be a simple way of getting your name in front of a PO and a reminder that not only are you a brilliant researcher, but you're a nice person who knows how to network!
Resources:
My Best Grant Writing Tip - GrantGopher.com
Can we talk? Contacting Grant Program Officers - Robert Porter
Talking with a PO
If you follow this blog, you've surely seen many entries that focus on working with Program Officers. It's important to work with POs to get their feedback on your project and the direction of your research. Some POs even mentor early career investigators with whom they develop a relationship early on. But beyond that, having a PO know who you are and be rooting for you is invaluable. For instance, at some agencies when POs have money left in their budget at the end of the fiscal year, they call those researchers that they know and know do great work to submit a proposal for the funds. Having a PO support you and care about your career is a great asset!
Sending a thank you card
Although sending a thank you card in a professional setting may sound a little antiquated, it's another way to personalize your approach to grants. I argue that sending hand-written thank you cards should be done liberally. When you meet a PO or reviewers/potential reviewers at a conference, send them a follow-up note, thanking them or saying how much you enjoyed the conversation. The truth is few people send hand-written notes, so it can make you stand out and remind seasoned researchers who you are the next time they come across your proposal.
Drawing on reviewer's/PO's research
Before having a conversation with a PO or someone you think might review your proposal, do a bit of research on their research. If you're not sure if their work might overlap with yours, it's important to find out so that you don't insult them when talking about something where they are considered a preeminent scholar. Knowing someone's research is also an excellent way to make a positive impression. Many academics feel like their work isn't read widely enough, so when you have a conversation and talk about how you're drawing on their work, it's exciting for them! Not only is it a bit of an ego boost, but also it shows them that your work is building on their's and it's important for them to see it go further.
Holiday notes
Lastly, since we are in the season, why not get some professional season's greetings cards and send them out to POs and colleagues? Add a short note that says you've enjoyed working with them this year and wishing them a happy new year. Again, this can just be a simple way of getting your name in front of a PO and a reminder that not only are you a brilliant researcher, but you're a nice person who knows how to network!
Resources:
My Best Grant Writing Tip - GrantGopher.com
Can we talk? Contacting Grant Program Officers - Robert Porter
Monday, November 12, 2018
Showing the cutting edge
One thing I tend to notice when reviewing grant proposals for faculty internally is that they are often lacking in describing the cutting edge research. In fact, it's not uncommon for a PI to not really talk about their project in the context of past research at all. This is a big oversight. If you haven't couched your project in what has been done already, you set up your reviewers to wonder 1. Do you understand the research landscape in this area? and 2. Has this project already been done? or 3. Is this the best project to do in this area right now?
Now, I can certainly understand how this gets left out. You are space limited in most grant proposals, so it's certainly enticing to just jump right into what you want to do and why it's important. But, remember, to show the importance of your study, you need to offer contextual research. More than that, you must show you're the right person for the job by showing the contributions you've made to research in this area in the past.
To do this, I give you a formula for describing and contextualizing your project in the research...
Describe the cutting edge of current research:
You don't want to give reviewers a full literature review in your grant proposal; most likely that's not an option with page constraints anyway. But you do want to give them an overview of the most cutting-edge research in the field. Remember, some reviewers may not be in your exact field, so they aren't up-to-date on the latest and greatest, so let them know. Use this description of the cutting edge to generate some excitement about the field and your work.
Show your contributions:
One thing PIs sometimes forget is that they not only have to make a case for their amazing research, but they also need to show that they are the best person to do this research. So, when you're describing the cutting edge research, be sure to position yourself in it as a thought leader and cutting-edge researcher yourself.
Identify the gaps:
Once you've clued your reviewers into what's happening that's so exciting in your field and what you've done thus far, segue into what is the next thing that needs to be done. Outline the gaps in the cutting-edge research and what needs to happen to keep the field moving forward.
Show why your gap should be filled:
Sometimes PIs outline the gaps in their grant proposal but don't take the extra step to explain why it's so important to fill these gaps. This can be a fatal flaw in a proposal. Don't assume that your reviewers will inherently understand why your project is important. Close the loop and explain the whole thing, even if you think it's unnecessary. Your reviewers will be thankful for the clarity.
Show how you will fill it and offer the ongoing vision
Once you've made the case for your project, show how your project will accomplish all the needs that you described in your case. And as the icing on the cake, bring them back to the vision of your research and what will be possible in the future as you progress.
If you use these items as a checklist, you'll be sure to incorporate all the items you need in your proposal to make a clear and compelling case for your project.
Resources:
The Heilmeier Catechism
Heilmeier Catechism: Nine Questions You Must Answer to Develop a Meaningful Data Science Project - Data Scientist Insights
Now, I can certainly understand how this gets left out. You are space limited in most grant proposals, so it's certainly enticing to just jump right into what you want to do and why it's important. But, remember, to show the importance of your study, you need to offer contextual research. More than that, you must show you're the right person for the job by showing the contributions you've made to research in this area in the past.
To do this, I give you a formula for describing and contextualizing your project in the research...
Describe the cutting edge of current research:
You don't want to give reviewers a full literature review in your grant proposal; most likely that's not an option with page constraints anyway. But you do want to give them an overview of the most cutting-edge research in the field. Remember, some reviewers may not be in your exact field, so they aren't up-to-date on the latest and greatest, so let them know. Use this description of the cutting edge to generate some excitement about the field and your work.
Show your contributions:
One thing PIs sometimes forget is that they not only have to make a case for their amazing research, but they also need to show that they are the best person to do this research. So, when you're describing the cutting edge research, be sure to position yourself in it as a thought leader and cutting-edge researcher yourself.
Identify the gaps:
Once you've clued your reviewers into what's happening that's so exciting in your field and what you've done thus far, segue into what is the next thing that needs to be done. Outline the gaps in the cutting-edge research and what needs to happen to keep the field moving forward.
Sometimes PIs outline the gaps in their grant proposal but don't take the extra step to explain why it's so important to fill these gaps. This can be a fatal flaw in a proposal. Don't assume that your reviewers will inherently understand why your project is important. Close the loop and explain the whole thing, even if you think it's unnecessary. Your reviewers will be thankful for the clarity.
Show how you will fill it and offer the ongoing vision
Once you've made the case for your project, show how your project will accomplish all the needs that you described in your case. And as the icing on the cake, bring them back to the vision of your research and what will be possible in the future as you progress.
If you use these items as a checklist, you'll be sure to incorporate all the items you need in your proposal to make a clear and compelling case for your project.
Resources:
The Heilmeier Catechism
Heilmeier Catechism: Nine Questions You Must Answer to Develop a Meaningful Data Science Project - Data Scientist Insights
Thursday, November 1, 2018
Taking control of your research
One of the things I love about the fall semester is welcoming our newest faculty members. It's exciting to watch these new assistant professors infuse the university with their unique research and ideas. Although most new faculty come in raring to go on their research, the first barrier they run into is teaching their first classes. Suddenly, all of the excitement to kick off their research agenda is replaced by stress in developing a syllabus and managing multiple classrooms.
This is understandable, teaching is intensive, and particularly when you're teaching a class you've never taught before. But, oftentimes after a successful fall of teaching, new faculty take a well-deserved break over the holidays, and come spring, there is a whole new crop of students sitting in class ready to learn. Next thing you know, it's fall of your second year, and you feel guilty for letting your research lag...
Don't let this happen to you! When it comes to kicking off your faculty research, here are some tips:
Outline your plan
If you're coming directly from getting your PhD or completing a Postdoc, you're certainly no stranger to research, but you may not have had total control of your research agenda until now. Even as a Postdoc, usually you were working on the projects of your mentor. Now, you have your very own gig, but with this freedom can come some dilemmas. To keep this empowerment from overwhelming you, take some time to review and develop your research agenda. What research can you start on to get your feet wet and get some preliminary data to begin applying for grants? And, what's your end game? What do you want to have a reputation for in 10 years? Make sure your research agenda and plan are steering you toward your ultimate goal.
Find mentors
As mentioned, as a new Assistant Professor, you have a lot of freedom about what you work on and how much and when, but sometimes you may feel like you're spinning your wheels while you figure that out. This is where mentors are so important. Find research mentors who can work with you to sort out what you want to do and give guidance on prioritizing your work. Mentors have been there and done that. They've made mistakes that they might be able to help you avoid, or at least help you work through if you make the same mistake. So, find a mentor, or a circle of mentors, to support and advise you.
Develop a schedule and good habits
Once you know where you're going in terms of your research and have a mentorship team to support you, time to get to it. Make sure you set yourself up for success by mapping out when you will conduct your research and write. Know when you are most effective during the day and capitalize on your most productive time by doing your most important work then. Perhaps create a writing group with other early career researchers to create some accountability and get feedback from your peers. You likely know your bad habits. So, combat them by planning against them. If you tend to procrastinate, try to build new habits that allow you to complete tasks early or by your own fake deadlines.
By putting your research first, you'll find that by next year, you will still be busy, but you will be and will feel productive!
Resources:
Do You REALLY Want to Be a Professor - Kerry Ann Rockquemore
30 Tips for Successful Academic Research and Writing - Deborah Lupton
This is understandable, teaching is intensive, and particularly when you're teaching a class you've never taught before. But, oftentimes after a successful fall of teaching, new faculty take a well-deserved break over the holidays, and come spring, there is a whole new crop of students sitting in class ready to learn. Next thing you know, it's fall of your second year, and you feel guilty for letting your research lag...
Don't let this happen to you! When it comes to kicking off your faculty research, here are some tips:
Outline your plan
If you're coming directly from getting your PhD or completing a Postdoc, you're certainly no stranger to research, but you may not have had total control of your research agenda until now. Even as a Postdoc, usually you were working on the projects of your mentor. Now, you have your very own gig, but with this freedom can come some dilemmas. To keep this empowerment from overwhelming you, take some time to review and develop your research agenda. What research can you start on to get your feet wet and get some preliminary data to begin applying for grants? And, what's your end game? What do you want to have a reputation for in 10 years? Make sure your research agenda and plan are steering you toward your ultimate goal.
Find mentors
As mentioned, as a new Assistant Professor, you have a lot of freedom about what you work on and how much and when, but sometimes you may feel like you're spinning your wheels while you figure that out. This is where mentors are so important. Find research mentors who can work with you to sort out what you want to do and give guidance on prioritizing your work. Mentors have been there and done that. They've made mistakes that they might be able to help you avoid, or at least help you work through if you make the same mistake. So, find a mentor, or a circle of mentors, to support and advise you.
Develop a schedule and good habits
Once you know where you're going in terms of your research and have a mentorship team to support you, time to get to it. Make sure you set yourself up for success by mapping out when you will conduct your research and write. Know when you are most effective during the day and capitalize on your most productive time by doing your most important work then. Perhaps create a writing group with other early career researchers to create some accountability and get feedback from your peers. You likely know your bad habits. So, combat them by planning against them. If you tend to procrastinate, try to build new habits that allow you to complete tasks early or by your own fake deadlines.
By putting your research first, you'll find that by next year, you will still be busy, but you will be and will feel productive!
Resources:
Do You REALLY Want to Be a Professor - Kerry Ann Rockquemore
30 Tips for Successful Academic Research and Writing - Deborah Lupton
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