NIMH: First Steps to a Research Career

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NIMHFirst Steps toa Research Career

• Enid Light, Ph.D.
• Heather Ringeisen, Ph.D.
• Joel Sherrill, Ph.D

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Reminder

• A grant is not the same thing as a research
  career
• Your career involves multiple aspects such as
  your scientific line of research, scientific
  citizenship (community, other researchers),
  integration of work and home life, role within
  the university and field.

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But the first step is obtaining independent
funding
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• There is no grantsmanship that will turn a bad
  idea into a good one, but..There are many
  ways to disguise a good one.
• William Raub, Past Deputy Director, NIH

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Components of Career Grants

• Candidate
• Career Development Plan
• Research Plan
• Mentors Statement, Environment, Institutional
  Commitment
• Training in Responsible Conduct of Research
• Budget
• Gender/Minorities/Children

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All of these components are Individually Important

• But the most important aspect of grantsmanship
  is COHERENT INTEGRATION

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The Candidate

• This really is all about you !!

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Double check eligibility

• US citizen or holder of green card
• Qualified scientist at institution that can
  provide needed resources
• Not on hard
• Not in full time research position
• Applying for the appropriate K award

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Beginning the Process

• Assess where you want your career to take you
• Determine what problems you want to take on
• What does your T-Shirt say?

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Concrete Tasks

• Writing Your Scientific Biography
• Be candid-completely. Include and play to your
  strengths (), but describe your scientific
  weaknesses (----)
• Use this biography to convince the reader that
  you are passionate about a research career, this
  topic

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Demonstrating Research Productivity

• Authorship
• Competitive Awards
• Training Opportunities

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Authorship Hierarchy

• Maximize senior authorship
• Data-based, primary research in refereed journal
• Data-based secondary research

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Problem with Productivity?

• You must address/explain in the grant
• Do not try to pad with presentations, etc., the
  reviewers notice this
• Delay submission until productivity has improved

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Training/Career Development Plan

• Should provide you with the skills and knowledge
  you lack
• Can include coursework, meetings with mentors,
  visits to labs around specific methodologies,time
  in real world settings etc
• Choose mentors who are the best fit-not the
  closest geographically. However, strong mentors
  must be locally available
• You can consider training outside your area

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Research Plan

• Should be a logical extension of the training
  plan
• Should provide you an opportunity to try out new
  skills and knowledge learned in training
• Should provide you with the experience and data
  you need for your first research grant
• Should be another opportunity to learn from mentor

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General Advice

• Attend to title and abstract
• Use tables and charts to integrate components of
  grant
• Where ever possible do work yourself and minimize
  hired hands- you are learning to be a researcher
  not a manager
• Demonstrate an understanding of how the rubber
  meets the road

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General Advice 2

• Expose the logic of your choices
• Play from strength
• Ask a question and answer it
• Tell a story
• Emphasize Public Health Need (Relevance)
• Emphasize Scientific Opportunity (Traction)
• Emphasize how your unique development may
  contribute to breakthrough in field

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General Advice -3

• Do not compromise design to fit mechanism
• Solicit methodological and statistical advice
  early (You cant fix in analysis what you have
  broken in design)
• Think small, sequentially, developmentally
• Provide pilot data
• A distinction doesnt make a difference unless it
  makes a difference

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When Preparing an Application

• Read instructions
• Never assume that reviewers will know what you
  mean
• Refer to literature thoroughly
• State rationale of proposed investigation
• Include well-designed tables and figures
• Present an organized, lucid write-up
• Obtain pre-review from faculty at your
  institution

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Common Problems in Applications

• Lack of new or original ideas
• Absence of an acceptable scientific rationale
• Lack of experience in the essential methodology
• Questionable reasoning in experimental approach
• Uncritical approach
• Diffuse, superficial, or unfocused research plan
• Lack of sufficient experimental detail
• Lack of knowledge of published relevant work
• Unrealistically large amount of work
• Uncertainty concerning future directions