Rutgers OPA
Weekly Newsletter | September 14, 2017
Things you should know...
Dear Rutgers Postdoc community,
This newsletter includes upcoming events, general announcements, and job opportunities. Scroll down for more information.
Check also our website for a collection of previous OPA weekly newsletter.
Rutgers OPA Workshops
HOW TO REGAIN CONTROL OF YOUR TIME AND BE MORE PRODUCTIVE | Registration Deadline Extended: Tomorrow, Friday, September 15
It’s the end of your workday, and you have not accomplished everything you meant to do. Your days go fast, and your to-do list keeps growing every day. Sounds familiar? Effective time management is an indispensable and highly valued skill in any job or career. This workshop will provide practical tips on how to better manage your time so that you can get the most done during your workday and focus on your most important goals. You will learn how to stay mentally on task and become more productive.
- Date: Monday, September 25, 2017
Two locations on the same day at different times.
- Location 1: Dean's Conference Room, Hill Hall Room 315, Newark Campus
- Time: 9:30 a.m–11:00 a.m.
- Location 2: Dean's Conference Room, RWJMS Research Tower, New Brunswick Campus
- Time: 2 - 3:30 p.m.
- Sponsor: Office of Postdoctoral Affairs
- Workshop presented by: Dr. Itzamarie Chevere-Torres, Associate Director of the Office of Postdoctoral Affairs.
Light refreshments will be served. Please register before this Friday, September 15. You can see the flyer here.
Monday, Sep 25, 2017, 09:30 AM
Newark (9:30 AM) & New Brunswick (2:00 PM)
Rutgers Postdoctoral Association Events
PDA Luncheon
We'll have our next Rutgers PDA meeting with the goal to finalize organizing the Postdoc Appreciation Lunch, and discuss other issues pertinent to postdocs on Friday, September 15 at NOON in the Dean’s Conference room at the RWJMS Research Tower.
I'd like to emphasize that all postdocs are welcome at the PDA meetings, not just PDA officers! Come if you'd like to learn more about what we do, have ideas what we as an organization should do, or would like to help out the postdoc community by volunteering to help organize PDA events.
Csanad, PDA President
Location: Dean's Conference Room (123), RWJMS-Research Tower
Light Lunch will be provided.
Friday, Sep 15, 2017, 12:00 PM
Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Hoes Lane West, Piscataway Township, NJ, United States
Rutgers Postdoc Appreciation Networking Lunch
The Rutgers Postdoctoral Association (PDA) is hosting this fall a Postdoc Appreciation Networking Lunch as part of the National Postdoc Appreciation Week (NPAW) events. This luncheon will introduce and welcome new postdocs to the community at Rutgers as well as help connect new and existing postdocs to the various resources they may need during their time here at Rutgers.
Date: Tuesday, September 19, 2017
Location: Busch Student Center, The Cove, New Brunswick Campus
Time: Noon–4 p.m.
Sponsor: Rutgers Postdoctoral Association & Office of Postdoctoral Affairs
Lunch will be provided.
For more information, please see the flyer or contact Rutgers PDA.
Tuesday, Sep 19, 2017, 12:00 PM
Busch Campus Center, Bartholomew Road, Piscataway Township, NJ, United States
Rutgers iJOBS Events
iJOBS Workshop: PhD Entrepreneurs and NSF I-Corps funding
Learn how to start your own company from recent Rutgers PhD alum Michael Johnson who launched company, Visikol, while in graduate school (!). Michael will share his path to successful entrepreneurship and how NSF I-Corps funding helped him get started. Judith Sheft, PhD Associate Vice President Technology Development NJIT and Lori Dars, Associate Director of Economic Development at Rutgers will explain how grad students and postdocs can take advantage of local I-Corps opportunities. Please register here.
Location:
Robert Wood Johnson Medical School
Research Tower
Room V10
Tuesday, Sep 19, 2017, 04:30 PM
675 Hoes Lane West, Piscataway Township, NJ, United States
Other Events
Enhancing Research Data Rigor and Reproducibility Webinar Wednesday, September 20, 2017
Register for the AAMC Innovations in Research Education Innovation Award Winners Webinar on Enhancing Research Data Rigor and Reproducibility. In this free webinar, the winners will present their projects focused on institutional biomedical research and research training initiatives that enhance research data rigor and reproducibility in innovative and more effective ways.
Date and time: Wednesday, September 20, 2017 2:00 pm
Eastern Daylight Time (New York, GMT-04:00)
Duration:1 hour
Description: The 2017 AAMC Innovations in Research and Research Education Award winners will present their work and be available for Q&A with webinar attendees.
The awarded projects focus on institutional biomedical research and research training initiatives that enhance research data rigor and reproducibility in innovative and more effective ways.
First Prize Winner
Gulf Coast Consortia Interinstitutional Rigor and Reproducibility Workshop
The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center – Carrie Cameron, PhD
Second Prize Winner
Design and Implementation of a Short Course on Best Practices for Rigor and Reproducibility in Research
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill – Robert Nicholas, PhD
Third Prize Winner
Writing Prose and Writing Code
University of Miami – Joanna Johnson, PhD
To learn more, visit www.aamc.org/researchprogramawards
Third Annual Professional Development Conference for Postdocs & Junior Faculty Passport to Success: From Teaching to Grantsmanship | Registration Deadline: September 22, 2017
*On behalf of Dr. Evelyn Erenrich, Associate Dean, School of Graduate Studies & NRMN-CAN Executive Committee:
National Research Mentoring Network (NRMN)
Big Ten Academic Alliance
Oct 29 - 31, 2017
BIG Ten Conference Center, Chicago, IL
Cost: Free. All expenses covered, including travel & lodging.
Overview: The 3rd Annual NRMN-CAN Professional Development and Grantwriting Conference is an initiative of the Big Ten Academic Alliance, sponsored by the NIH National Research Mentoring Network Supplement Program NRMN-CAN. NRMN is a nationwide consortium dedicated to providing all trainees across the biomedical, behavioral, clinical and social sciences with evidence-based mentorship and professional development programming. The goal of the NRMN to enhance the diversity of the NIH-funded research workforce.
How will the Conference benefit postdocs?
The conference will connect you with postdocs and junior faculty across the Big Ten network. It will provide professional development opportunities and will include the kickoff of intensive grantwriting groups led by assigned faculty coaches with whom you will continue to meet after the conference. Please consider applying if you are currently preparing or planning an NIH grant application and can bring a draft or outline of your Specific Aims to the conference. The conference will also include professional development workshops, focusing on teaching for academic careers.
Hear from a 2016 postdoc participant: “I had an incredibly positive experience--probably the best I've had since I arrived at Rutgers --and so appreciated the chance to meet new people, both from Rutgers and other institutions… I love the grantwriting group I'm in, and I love even more that we're going to continue to meet.”
Conference details, agenda, and eligibility: Visit the NRMN-CAN website.
To register: Complete the following steps by noon on 9/22/17: Space is limited and selection competitive. Apply early for priority consideration.
1. Register on NRMNet.
2. Complete the Grantwriting Groups Trainee Application. (This application may take up to an hour, and you will be asked to supply an NIH style Biosketch (or a draft) and an outline of your Specific Aims.
3. Your participation will be confirmed by 10/1/17. At that time travel instructions and details will be shared. Expenses will covered.
Individuals from groups underrepresented in biomedical, social, behavioral and health sciences are strongly encouraged to apply. Applications are encouraged from any individuals with a demonstrated commitment to increase the participation of underrepresented groups in these disciplines.
Questions? Contact either me or the NRMN-CAN Program Administrator, Dr. Laurie Risner at lrisner1@peds.bsd.uchicago.edu. We look forward to your application.
Evelyn Erenrich, PhD
Associate Dean, School of Graduate Studies
NRMN-CAN Executive Committee
12th ANNUAL FACULTY FORUM on RACE AND ETHNICITY |RSVP by September 22,2017
*On behalf of Mia Kissil, Senior Program Coordinator at Center for Race and Ethnicity:
On Friday, October 20, 2017, the Center for Race and Ethnicity will host its 12th annual one-day forum for Rutgers scholars doing research relating to race and ethnicity. We encourage faculty from all parts of the university – ranging across schools, disciplines and departments – to join an already-forming group who will be sharing work, meeting colleagues, and hearing about new research at Rutgers. The meeting is part of an ongoing initiative to promote interdisciplinary exchange and intellectual collaborations, and to shape the evolving agenda of the Center for Race and Ethnicity.
PLEASE RSVP by Friday, September 22: Faculty who wish to present 5 minute descriptions of their work and to participate in conversation about research trends and developments are asked to send a brief description of their work, a CV, and contact information to: raceethnicity@sas.rutgers.edu. Please feel free to contact Professor Mia Bay, Director, mbay@history.rutgers.edu, or Mia Kissil, Senior Program Coordinator: mkissil@odi.rutgers.edu with any questions. Recently-hired faculty members and post-doctoral associates are especially encouraged to attend and speak about their work.
THE MEETING begins at 10:00 a.m. and will end by 3:00pm. It will be held on the campus of Rutgers-New Brunswick, at a location that will be confirmed with participants as soon as possible. Refreshments will be provided. (Full program details will follow.) Graduate students are welcome to attend.
COME, PRESENT, PARTICIPATE. If you cannot attend the faculty forum, but are interested in the learning more about the Center, please contact us. Send a CV, a paragraph-long description of your research, and contact information, so we can keep you informed of future meetings and events.
_____________________________________________________________________
GENERAL INFORMATION about the Center for Race and Ethnicity, and its past and upcoming activities can be found on our website: http://raceethnicity.rutgers.edu
NATIONAL ACADEMIC CONFERENCE - Framing the Value of Diversity & Inclusion in Higher Education: Setting the Research Agenda
*On Behalf of Dr. Barbara Lee, Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs:
I am pleased to invite you to attend Rutgers' national academic conference, “Framing the Value of Diversity & Inclusion in Higher Education: Setting the Research Agenda,” which will take place on October, 5th, 6th and 7th. The conference will convene scholars from around the nation, together with Rutgers scholars and post-docs, to discuss new directions in current and emerging research, particularly intersectional, interdisciplinary and critical scholarship.
We are honored to have three distinguished keynote speakers, Nancy Cantor, Chancellor of RU-Newark, Phoebe Haddon, Chancellor of RU-Camden, and Rutgers alumnus Khalil Gibran Muhammad, Professor of History, Race and Public Policy, Harvard University and former director of the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture.
For more information on conference themes, please see the attached announcement. To view the conference program and to register please go to http://academicaffairs.rutgers.edu/Diversity2017
I look forward to seeing you at the welcome reception at the Zimmerli Art Museum on October 5th and at the conference panels on October 6th and 7th.
Barbara A. Lee
Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
83 Somerset Street
New Brunswick, NJ 08901
2000 Nobel Prize Winner visits Rutgers | October 5, 2017
On Thursday, October 5, the Molecular Biosciences Graduate Student Organization (MBGSO) and the School of Graduate Studies, will host 2000 Nobel Prize winner, Dr. Eric Kandel, as Keynote Speaker for their Distinguished Lecture series.
Dr. Kandel received the 2000 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his research on the physiological basis of memory storage in neurons. He shared the prize with Arvid Carlsson and Paul Greengard.
He is currently University Professor and Fred Kavli Professor, at the Department of Neuroscience in Columbia University; and Howard Hughes Medical Institute Senior Investigator. Dr. Kandel is also Director of the Kavli Institute for Brain Science and Co-Director of the Mortimer B. Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute.
Time: noon
Location: Main Auditorium
Robert Wood Johnson Medical School
675 Hoes Lane West Piscataway, New Jersey
For more information about this event, read here.
Regular OPA Events
Individual Career Advising Sessions
If you're a postdoc looking for perspective on how to navigate your career path or career transition, contact Itzamarie Chevere-Torres to schedule an appointment.
For Newark postdocs, contact Doreen Badheka to schedule an appointment. Individual career counseling sessions for Newark postdocs will be at the Medical Science Building, Room H645.
Welcome & Information Session
The Office of Postdoctoral Affairs offers Welcome and Information Sessions to help orient new and current postdocs. If you are a postdoc who is new to Rutgers, or just curious about the resources that are available to you, we strongly encourage you to register for an upcoming one-hour session.
Next session will be on September 29th. Please register as space is limited.
When: Last Friday of the month 9–10 a.m. or 11 a.m.–noon
Where: Office of Postdoctoral Affairs with Dr. Itzamarie Chevere-Torres located at Busch Campus, Nelson Biology Laboratories, Room D354. Registration is required.
For more information about sessions at Newark, contact Dr. Doreen Badheka badhekdk@gsbs.rutgers.edu on Newark Campus: Medical Science Building, Room H645.
Friday, Sep 29, 2017, 09:00 AM
604 Allison Road, Piscataway Township, NJ, United States
Drop-in Coffee Hour
If you are a postdoc interested in learning more about how to make the most of your time at Rutgers, prepare for life after Rutgers, or just want to share some coffee or tea in a safe space, come by and visit.
When: First Friday of the month, 3-5 p.m
Location:
Office of Postdoctoral Affairs, Nelson Biology Laboratories, Room D354.
Registration is not required.
Friday, Oct 6, 2017, 03:00 PM
604 Allison Road, Piscataway Township, NJ, United States
Would you like to be our featured postdoc of the month?
Rutgers is proud to be home to a vibrant and growing community of over 600 postdocs! Would you like to highlight your research or your career goals on our website?
Contact us opa@oq.rutgers.edu
Is your faculty mentor exceptional?
Do you have a faculty mentor who has made a real difference in your life? We'd love to hear from you. Contact us opa@oq.rutgers.edu
Technology Transfer Fellowship Program | NIAID
The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) offers a technology transfer fellowship program to provide opportunities to qualified candidates in the exciting and expanding career field known as technology transfer. The program enables individuals to complement their science, business, and/or legal background with experience in technology transfer.
The fellowship program is an advanced training program designed to help participants to 1) enhance their professional development, 2) become familiar with the technology transfer field, and 3) seek future employment in fields related to technology transfer and the NIH mission.
For more information, visit their website.
Open NRMN Grant Writing Coaching Groups
NRMN in collaboration with Research Centers in Minority Institutions (RCMI) will be hosting pre-conference sessions of our Grant Writing Coaching Groups & Shark Tank program.
The kickoff event for the 4th grant writing cohort in the Southeast region will take place October 28-29 at the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel in Washington, D.C.during the 2017 RCMI Translational Science Conference.
Application deadline: EXTENDED to September 15, 2017 at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time
For more information and to apply, visit the website.
National Postdoctoral Association (NPA)| Call for Applications for the 16th Annual Conference Travel Awards
The National Postdoctoral Association (NPA) is pleased to offer travel awards for postdoctoral scholars to attend our 16th Annual Conference, which will be held at the Renaissance Cleveland Hotel, Cleveland, Ohio, April 6 - 8, 2018. The awards will first cover registration and lodging, and then travel expenses up to the limit of the award. Travel award amounts will vary, but the maximum amount awarded will be $1,000. You may also apply for the childcare support award in addition to the travel award. If you receive both awards, the maximum amount awarded will be $1000 total.
Awards will be competitively allocated and limited to one per institution. The number of awards granted will depend on the estimated cost of each application, and the amount of funds raised by the NPA. Applicants are strongly encouraged to seek matching funds from their institutions and to include that information in their applications.
Deadline for submission: Monday, October 2, 2017
For more information and to apply, please visit the NPA website.
Franco-German Fellowship Programme on Climate, Energy and Earth | Closing date: October 13, 2017
*On behalf of Dr. Sofya Borinskaya, Julia Hillmann, and the German Academic Exchange service (DAAD, www.daad.de):
Under the French initiative "Make our planet great again" Germany and France are offering a funding programme to advance sustainability research. We are inviting researchers from all over the world to cooperate with German and French partners and undertake research in the fields of climate change, energy transition and the earth system.
The funding covers the establishment of research groups in Germany. Junior researchers will receive up to 1 million euros and senior researchers up to 1.5 million euros for 4 years (combined value of contributions from the DAAD and the German host institution).
The call is open to applications from both junior and senior researchers. The French call has been closed in the meantime but the German call will open just now and can be found here: https://www.daad.de/mopga-gri
In a first step, applicants will have to submit a Statement of Interest by filling in an online application form (Lime Survey). The closing date is 13 October 2017, 12.00 (noon) CET.
We would be most thankful if you could help us to spread this information via the PDA mailing list, social media channels, or the like. We hope it is of interest for its members, and your support would be extremely valuable to reach the right people.
Please do not hesitate to contact us should you have any additional questions concerning the call or if you need further information.
Thank you very much for your consideration in this matter.
Sincerely,
Julia Hillmann
**********************************************
Julia Hillmann
Referat Forschung und Studien – S15
Section Research and Studies
DAAD - Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst
German Academic Exchange Service
Kennedyallee 50
D- 53175 Bonn
Tel. + 49 228 882-439
Fax: + 49 228 882-9439
e-mail: hillmann@daad.de
NIH Loan Repayment Programs (LRP) Application Cycle Opens on Friday, September 1st
*On behalf of Dr. Martha Soto:
Have you thought about applying for an NIH LRP award? Do you know someone that should?
Awardees can receive up to $70,000 of qualified educational debt repayment with a two-year contract. Help us share this valuable information with your colleagues!
The LRP application cycle opens on September 1st. Go to www.lrp.nih.gov to learn more about eligibility requirements, application dates, and many benefits of the program!
Awardees can receive up to $70,000 of qualified educational debt repayment with a two-year contract.
Get Ready for the New Application Cycle!
- Obtain your NIH Commons ID and make sure your password is up to date
- Check out our revised LRP Application Guide to learn about application components
- Reach out to an NIH LRP Program Officer to discuss your research
- Contact your Institutional Business Official (IBO) at your institution
- Contact an LRP Ambassador
Same deadline for application and colleague/institutional documentation - November 15, 2017
Questions?
Call : (866) 849-4047 Email : lrp@nih.gov Website : lrp.nih.gov
Applications Due NOW for the NIH-funded INSPIRE Postdoctoral Training Program
*On Behalf of Dr. Martha Soto, Co-PI and Co-Director of INSPIRE Postdoctoral Training Program:
We would like to invite you to help us reach interested postdoctoral researchers to apply for the 2017-2018 INSPIRE Postdoctoral Fellowships in biomedical sciences, funded by a prestigious IRACDA grant from the NIH to Rutgers-RWJMS. INSPIRE Fellows can be supported for up to three years at the NIH stipend level. In addition, fellows receive health care, travel funds and supply funds. Fellows spend 70% of their time conducting research at a Rutgers lab, and 30% in educational and career development training.
The INSPIRE Program (IRACDA New Jersey/New York for Science Partnerships in Research and Education) has two main goals: to prepare recent Ph.D. recipients for careers as educators and biomedical scientists, and to increase the interest of undergraduates underrepresented in science in undergraduate research and careers in biomedical sciences.
Fellows are expected to be productive researchers, who spend most of their time conducting research that leads to high impact publications, in collaboration with a Rutgers Faculty Mentor. In addition, Fellows receive intensive training in Scientific Teaching methods, and gain experience in the classroom while teaching in collaboration with a Faculty Teaching Mentor at one of our three INSPIRE Partner Schools in New Jersey (New Jersey City University, NJCU, and William Patterson University, WPU) and in New York (Medgar Evers College – CUNY).
INSPIRE has a successful record in addressing its two goals -
Placement of Fellows in academic tenure-track positions: 69% (11/16) of Fellows who received training and exited INSPIRE obtained tenure-track academic positions, 22% at MSIs (institutions with a demonstrated commitment to educating students from backgrounds underrepresented in biomedical research).
Support of undergraduates at our partner schools: INSPIRE postdoctoral Fellows and associated faculty have expanded educational and biomedical research training opportunities for the undergraduates at our three partner Institutions with revised courses, development of new courses, summer research opportunities, and research collaborations and exchanges between Rutgers and these partner schools. Fellows also mentor undergraduates on how to apply for summer research programs and to graduate programs.
Application deadline for 2017-2018 INSPIRE Fellowship: We will begin reviewing applications on August 22, and will bring the top candidates to Rutgers in mid-September for full day interviews. Application forms and further information are available on our website at:
http://rwjms.umdnj.edu/research/postdoc/inspire/apply.html
Eligibility: U.S. Citizens and Permanent Residents are eligible for this NIH-funded program. Postdoctoral fellows with 0-1 years of postdoctoral training will receive preference.
Questions about the Program or the application process should be directed to our wonderful Program Support Coordinator, Dr. Jianping Xu at: jx120@rwjms.rutgers.edu.
We are happy to note that INSPIRE has helped recruit some of the strongest postdoctoral researchers in the country to Rutgers labs. We appreciate your help reaching senior graduate students and beginning postdoctoral fellows who combine excellence in research with a strong interest in education.
Sincerely,
Martha Soto, Ph.D.
Co-PI and Co-Director
Gary Brewer, Ph.D.
Co-PI and Co-Director
INSPIRE Program website: http://rwjms.umdnj.edu/research/postdoc/inspire/index.html
Dynamic Part-time Instructors Needed
*On behalf of Kate Meersschaert, Director of Instruction at Catalyst Prep:
Are you passionate about teaching and insanely gifted at motivating young people? Catalyst Prep, an innovative, outside-the-box test prep company, is looking for talented SAT, ACT and Subject Area teachers (no prior test prep experience necessary!) to work with students. Areas covered will include the East/West Coasts and nationally online.
Catalyst Prep strives to change the way learners prepare for standardized tests by pairing extensive test prep experience and research with a humorous, ground-breaking curriculum. Catalyst provides the perfect opportunity for students, pre-service and seasoned educators (& Actors/Musicians/Performers!) to utilize a talent for teaching while enjoying a flexible evening and weekend schedule.
Compensation starts at $25/hour for independent prep and $250/8-hours for our weekend Bootcamp workshops. Paid training included.
For more information and to apply to be considered for 2017 please contact Kate Meersschaert: kate.meersschaert@catalystprep.com
Or, apply directly: http://catalystprep.com/career/explore-teaching-opportunities/
Kate V. Meersschaert
Director of Instruction
Catalyst Prep, LLC
646-628-4840
@CatalystPrep
@CuriousBrooklyn
Good Reading Material
Science | Career Trends: Building Relationships Booklet
*Part of Science Magazine Career Resources
Relationships with colleagues will be important throughout your scientific career. Building and sustaining these relationships is the focus of the latest booklet from Science Careers. Learn more about relationships with your advisers, mentors, collaborators, and the rest of your network. This booklet can help you use communication skills, collaborating, informational interviews, and online social networking sites to guide you through your career. Line your career path with the tools to succeed.
To access the booklet, please visit the Science Magazine website.