Strategies for Starting Your Career as a Researcher: SocialBehavioral Sciences

1
Strategies for Starting Your Career as a
ResearcherSocial/Behavioral Sciences Education

• Robyn Pearson
• Office of Proposal Development
• Division of Research and Graduate Studies
• November 7, 2007

2
The Continuum
Graduate School
Generic Fellowships
Dissertation Grants
Fellowships for Early Grad Students
Finish classes
Senior Year Undergrad
1st Year
Post-Doc
Dissertation Work
3
Where do you start?

• Having a fundable project is the first step
• Know whats being funded in your field
• Become a web detective review abstracts, sign
  up for auto email alerts
• Network go to conferences, consult colleagues,
  keep up with current research
• Finding funding will take time plan accordingly
• Apply to as many programs as possible

4
Grant Application is Mini-Research Proposal

• You are selling yourself and your ideas
• Identify research opportunities for which you are
  eligible
• Analyze what they are looking for (review
  criteria)
• Write best possible application
• Gather all required materials (reference letters,
  biosketch, etc.)

5
Analyzing the application

• What are eligibility requirements?
• When is the application due?
• How many are awarded each year?
• What are the required components of the
  application and what is application process?
• What criteria are used to evaluate applications?
• Contact awarding organization if you have
  questions ask early, ask often

6
Writing Strategies

• Start early
• Ask for feedback from your peers and professors
  or mentors
• Write in a scholarly style
• Make it clear you understand your subject
• Make it clear that you understand the research
  process
• Clear hypothesis, goals, objectives
• Discussion of your planned approach with
  sufficient detail to show your understanding of
  the topic

7
This breakout session

• Overview of federal agency missions and
  resources, where to look for funding, and
  specific programs for young investigators
• Compare and contrast the review process at each
  agency
• Discuss private funding agency opportunities and
  review process
• Demonstrate funding links

8
Federal Agencies The Big 3

• US Department of Education
• http//www.ed.gov/index.jhtml
• National Institutes of Health
• http//www.nih.gov/
• National Science Foundation
• http//www.nsf.gov

9
US Department of Education (ED)

• ED's mission is to promote student achievement
  and preparation for global competitiveness by
  fostering educational excellence and ensuring
  equal access.
• ED's 4,500 employees and 71.5 billion budget are
  dedicated to
• Establishing policies on federal financial aid
  for education, and distributing as well as
  monitoring those funds.
• Collecting data on America's schools and
  disseminating research.
• Focusing national attention on key educational
  issues.
• Prohibiting discrimination and ensuring equal
  access to education.

10
ED Initiatives and Priorities

• Initiatives and priorities of the President and
  the Secretary include...
• No Child Left Behind
• American Competitiveness Initiative
• Secretary's Plan to Improve Higher Education
• Reading
• Early Childhood
• Faith-Based and Community Initiatives
• National Mathematics Advisory Panel
• Management
• Rural Education
• Teacher Initiative

11
ED Resources

• Grantmaking at ED
• http//www.ed.gov/fund/grant/about/grantmaking/ind
  ex.html
• Answers to your Questions about the Discretionary
  Grants Process (August 2005)
• Includes
• What is a discretionary grant?
• How do I apply?
• What is an application package?
• Who do I contact if I have questions?
• How are funding decisions made?

12
ED Resources

• Forecast of Funding Opportunities
• http//www.ed.gov/fund/grant/find/edlite-forecast.
  html
• Forecasts when grant competitions are expected to
  open. These are the dates to begin watching for
  application materials. Contact information for
  each grant is also provided.
• Frequently Asked Questions
• http//answers.ed.gov/

13
To find all federal funding opportunities

• Grants.gov
• http//www.grants.gov/search/agency.do
• Search by keyword
• Search by funding opportunity number
• Search by CFDA number
• Search by category
• Search by agency
• Automatic funding alerts

14
How to Find ED Funding

• Federal Register
• http//www.ed.gov/news/fedregister/announce/index.
  html
• FY 2006-07 Discretionary Grant Application
  Packages
• http//www.ed.gov/fund/grant/apply/grantapps/index
  .html
• Programs by Title, Subject, Eligibility
• http//www.ed.gov/programs/find/title/index.html?s
  rcov

15
ED Review Process

• Most reviewers are recruited and have expertise
  in the subject area(s)
• Each reviewer reads and scores a group of
  applications using selection criteria stated in
  the application package
• ED averages scores and rank orders all
  applications
• Sometimes scores will be standardized to
  compensate for extremely high/low scores

16
ED Review Process

• A high score does not guarantee funding
• A large number of high quality proposals may be
  received for a competition with limited funds
• High-scoring applications may not be funded due
  to programmatic geographic distribution
  requirements that limit the number of awards in
  specific regions of the country
• Some may not be funded due to applicants poor
  performance on previous federal projects

17
ED Postdoctoral Programs

• IES Postdoctoral Research Training Fellowship
• http//ies.ed.gov/funding/pdf/2008305_training.pdf
  
• Supports training of postdoctoral fellows
  conducting applied education research
• Funds methodologically rigorous and educationally
  relevant scientific research
• Includes economics, education, human development,
  political science, psychology, sociology, and
  statistics
• Two to three years of support up to 200,000/year
• Last cycle was July 2007

18
ED Postdoctoral Programs

• IES Postdoctoral Special Education Research
  Training Program
• http//ies.ed.gov/funding/pdf/2008324_training.pdf
  
• Supports training and field research experience
  of postdoctoral fellows who are interested in
  conducting applied research in special education
• (a) conducting rigorous research and evaluation
  studies, (b) developing new research-based
  products and approaches that are grounded in the
  science of learning and responsive to the needs
  and conditions of students with disabilities, and
  (c) designing valid and reliable assessments for
  students with disabilities
• Up to 60,500/year 3 years maximum
• Last cycle was November 1, 2007

19
Fullbright-Hays Group Projects Abroad

• http//www.ed.gov/programs/iegpsgpa/index.html
• Supports overseas projects in training, research,
  and curriculum development in modern foreign
  languages and area studies
• Countries Africa, East South Asia, Southeast
  Asia the Pacific, Central South America,
  Mexico, the Caribbean, East Central Europe
  Eurasia, and the Near East
• Short-term seminars to integrate international
  studies into a general curriculum 5-6 weeks
  focus on aspect of area studies (e.g., culture)
• Curriculum development several
  faculty/teachers/administrators spend 4-6 weeks
  in foreign country acquiring curriculum
  development materials
• Group research faculty, graduate and
  undergraduate students undertake research in a
  foreign country for 3-12 months
• Funds may be used for a maintenance stipend,
  international travel, local travel, rent for
  instructional facilities, administrative and
  professional services, purchase of artifacts,
  books, teaching materials
• Last cycle was October 2007

20
ED Grant Award Database

• ED Discretionary and Formula Grant Award Database
• http//www.ed.gov/fund/data/award/grntawd.html
• Search by year, ED program office, CFDA numbers,
  grantee name, state, etc.
• Sometimes includes an abstract of the funded
  project

21
National Institutes of Health

• Mission To uncover new knowledge that will lead
  to better health for everyone
• Basic scientific research in pursuit of
  fundamental knowledge about the nature and
  behavior of living systems
• Applied scientific research to extend healthy
  life and reduce the burdens of illness and
  disability
• Consists of the Office of the Director, 20
  Institutes, and 7 Centers
• 88.8 billion budgeted for 2008

22
NIH Structure

• Each Institute has its own mission
• Each Institute has its own budget
• Each Institute has its own activities
• Each Institute has its own ways of doing things
• When youre planning to submit a grant, check
  with program directors from different institutes
  to determine their specific policies and interest
  in your science.

23
NIH Resources

• NIH grant tutorials
• http//www.niaid.nih.gov/ncn/grants/default.htm
• Grant Application Basics
• How to Plan a Grant Application
• How to Write a Grant Application
• How to Manage Your Grant Award
• Advice on Research Training and Career Awards
• Annotated R01 Grant Application

24
NIH Resources

• NIH Funding Mechanisms page
• http//grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/funding_progr
  am.htm
• Describes the types of funding mechanisms
  available
• Center for Scientific Review
• http//cms.csr.nih.gov/
• Describes the peer review process offers a video
  of a mock review session provides a list of
  study section rosters

25
NIH Resources

• NIH submission dates/deadlines page
• http//grants.nih.gov/grants/dates.htm
• Three grant cycles per calendar year deadlines
  vary according to funding mechanism
• New R01s Feb 5, Jun 5, Oct 5
• New R03s and R21s Feb 16, Jun 16, Oct 16
• New K awards Feb 12, June 12, Oct 12
• NB Deadlines for renewals, resubmissions,
  revisions, and AIDS/AIDS-related submissions
  differ from the above

26
How to find NIH Funding

• NIH Office of Extramural Research
• http//grants1.nih.gov/grants/oer.htm
• http//grants1.nih.gov/grants/guide/index.html
• Search by keyword
• Browse by Requests for Applications (RFAs)
• Browse by Program Announcements (PAs)
• Automatic funding alerts
• Institutes and Centers (IC) homepages
• Listed at http//www.nih.gov/icd
• Go to IC homepage
• Browse or search their Research Funding or
  "Extramural Funding section

27
NIH Review Criteria

• Investigator
• Environment
• Significance
• Approach
• Innovation

28
NIH Review Process

• Review process is merit-based
• Individual reviews of all applications
• Panel reviews the top 50 of applications
• (i.e., applications that have not been
  streamlined)
• Priority score and percentile ranking are sent to
  PI
• Summary statement is sent to PI

29
NIH Career Development Awards

• K Kiosk
• http//grants1.nih.gov/training/careerdevelopmenta
  wards.htm
• Some directed at retraining, professional career
  development, and recognition of career success
• K01 Mentored Research Scientist Award
• Provide mentored career development in a new
  research area
• K08 Mentored Clinical Scientist Award
• Development of independent clinical research
  scientist
• K02 Independent Scientist Award
• Develop career of newly independent, funded
  scientist 5 yr, 75 effort
• K05 Senior Scientist Award
• Recognize outstanding scientist with sustained
  level of high productivity 5 yr, 75 effort
• K99/R00 NIH Pathway to Independence (PI) Award
• 2 years mentored postdoctoral research 3 years
  independent research in tenure track position (or
  equivalent)

30
Identify Projects Funded by NIH

• CRISP online database http//crisp.cit.nih.gov/
• Includes abstracts of all projects that have
  already been funded by all Public Health Service
  agencies
• National Institutes of Health
• Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• Food and Drug Administration
• Health Resources and Services Administration
• Office of the Assistant Secretary of Health
• Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services
  Administration

31
National Science Foundation
NSF is the only federal agency whose mission
includes support for all fields of fundamental
science and engineering, except for medical
sciences. Funding is divided into broad program
areas

• Biology
• Computer Information Sciences
• Crosscutting Programs
• Education
• Engineering
• Geosciences

• International
• Math, Physical Sciences
• Polar Research
• Science Statistics
• Social, Behavioral Sciences

32
NSF Resources

• Grant Proposal Guide, October 2007
• http//www.nsf.gov/pubs/policydocs/pappguide/nsf08
  _1/gpg_index.jsp
• Guide to Programs by Program Area
• http//www.nsf.gov/funding/browse_all_funding.jsp
• Award Search
• http//www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/

33
NSF Directorate for Education and Human Resources
(EHR)

• Includes four organizations
• Graduate Education (DGE)
• Research on Learning (DRL)
• Undergraduate Education (DUE)
• Human Resource Development (HRD)
• http//www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_list.jsp?orgEHRor
  ddate

34
NSF Directorate for Social, Behavioral Economic
Sciences (SBE)

• Includes three organizations
• Behavioral Cognitive Sciences (BCS)
• Social Economic Sciences (SES)
• Science Resources Statistics (SRS)
• http//www.nsf.gov/dir/index.jsp?orgSBE

35
NSF Programs

• CAREER awards
• http//www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id52
  62
• Agency-wide program recognizing and supporting
  the early development of academic faculty as both
  educators and researchers
• Due in mid July annually 300-400 awards each
  year
• 400,000 for 5 years

36
NSF CAREER Tips

• NSF CAREER PROPOSAL WRITING TIPS edited by ZJ
  Pei, Kansas State University, January 2007
• http//www.clarku.edu/offices/research/pdfs/NSFPro
  posalWritingTips.pdf
• Chapter 1 Honing Your Proposal Writing Skills,
  by George A. Hazelrigg, National Science
  Foundation, and chapters by 15 other CAREER
  contributors.

37
NSF Minority Postdoctoral Research Fellowships
Supporting Activities

• http//www.nsf.gov/pubs/2006/nsf06586/nsf06586.htm
  
• Relevant directorate SBE includes Divisions of
  Behavioral Cognitive Sciences and Social
  Economic Sciences
• Supports Fellowships (25 awards), Research
  Starter Grants (6 awards), and Travel (5 awards)
• Programs include Archaeology, Cognitive
  Neuroscience, Cultural Anthropology,
  Developmental and Learning Sciences, Geography
  and Regional Science, Linguistics, Perception,
  Action and Cognition, Physical Anthropology, and
  Social Psychology
• Limited to minority applicants
• Variable due dates and award amounts

38
NSF Programs

• Unsolicited Proposals
• See specific program webpages (e.g. Social
  Psychology, Cultural Anthropology, etc.)
• Usually accepted twice a year
• Use guidelines in Grant Proposal Guide
• Due dates and funding amounts vary from division
  to division typically 2 years at 200,000

39
NSF Review

• May be ad hoc or panel review (at least three
  reviewers)
• Proposal rated
• Excellent, Very good, Good, Fair, Poor
• Comments included as feedback
• NSF tries to return reviews within 6 months of
  due date

40
NSF Review Criteria

• Intellectual Merit
• How important is the proposed activity to
  advancing knowledge and understanding within its
  own field or across different fields?
• How well qualified is the proposer (individual or
  team) to conduct the project?
• To what extent does the proposed activity suggest
  and explore creative and original concepts?
• How well conceived and organized is the proposed
  activity?
• Is there sufficient access to resources?

41
NSF Review Criteria

• Broader Impacts
• Advance discovery while promoting teaching,
  training and learning
• Broaden participation of under-rep. groups
• Dissemination
• Societal benefits
• Improve infrastructure for research
• Discuss throughout proposal AND in separate
  section in both Project Summary and Description

42
Change to the Intellectual Merit Review Criterion
effective Jan 2008

• Sept. 26, 2007 The National Science Board
  approved a motion to enhance support of
  transformative research at the NSF
• The Board report defined transformative research
  as research that has the capacity to
  revolutionize existing fields, create new
  subfields, cause paradigm shifts, support
  discovery, and lead to radically new
  technologies and recommended that the NSF
  create an environment that is more open to and
  encourages transformative research proposals from
  the research community.

43
Other non-Federal Postdoctoral Opportunities

• May include travel or residence to conduct
  research at a library, university, or abroad
• Offered through institutions and private funding
  agencies
• Some targeted to specific disciplines, to
  minorities, to women only, or to international
  scholars

44
Private Foundation Funding

• Where to look
• The Foundation Center
• http//foundationcenter.org/
• Community of Science
• http//www.cos.com/
• Google
• http//www.google.com/
• OPD Webpage, Funding Opportunities
• http//opd.tamu.edu/funding-opportunities

45
Spencer Foundation

• Committed to supporting high-quality
  investigation of education through its research
  programs and to strengthening and renewing the
  educational research community through its
  fellowship and training programs and related
  activities.
• http//www.spencer.org/
• Four areas of inquiry
• The Relation between Education and Social
  Opportunity
• Organizational Learning in Schools, School
  Systems, and Higher Education Institutions
• Teaching, Learning, and Instructional Resources
  and,
• Purposes and Values of Education

46
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

• http//www.rwjf.org/ four goal areas
• To assure that all Americans have access to
  quality health care at reasonable cost.
• Nearly 45 million Americans, over 8 million of
  them children, go without health insurance. This
  is the single greatest barrier to obtaining
  timely, appropriate health care services.
• To improve the quality of care and support for
  people with chronic health conditions.
• One hundred million Americans suffer from chronic
  health conditions, and that number is almost
  certain to increase as the population ages.
• To promote healthy communities and lifestyles.
• Our health behaviors, level of social
  interaction, and other factors outside medical
  care are important influences on overall health.
• To reduce the personal, social and economic harm
  caused by substance abusetobacco, alcohol and
  illicit drugs.
• Tobacco, alcohol and illicit drugs inflict an
  enormous toll on Americans, especially among our
  youth.

47
American Heart Association

• Our mission is to build healthier lives, free of
  cardiovascular diseases and stroke. That single
  purpose drives all we do.
• The AHA is second only to the National Heart,
  Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) in
  funding heart research.
• About 75 percent of the AHA's award dollars
  support research career development -- helping
  the scientists of tomorrow get started.
• Research grants awarded by the AHA in pediatric
  research include cardiovascular development,
  congenital heart disease, Kawasaki disease,
  endocarditis, stroke, cardiovascular health and
  risk factors in children, gene therapy, surgical
  therapy, tissue engineering

48
American Heart Association

• Beginning Grant-in-Aid
• http//www.americanheart.org/downloadable/heart/11
  90656656554South_Central_Final.pdf
• To promote the independent status of promising
  beginning scientists by supporting high-quality,
  well-defined research projects in the
  cardiovascular or stroke areas.

49
American Sociological Association

• The American Sociological Association (ASA),
  founded in 1905, is a non-profit membership
  association dedicated to advancing sociology as a
  scientific discipline and profession serving the
  public good.

50
American Sociological Association

• Fund for the Advancement of the Discipline
• Co-sponsored by the American Sociological
  Association through a matching grant from the
  National Science Foundation (NSF), these small
  grants provide seed money for innovative research
  and small conferences to explore new topics in
  sociology
• Community Action Research Initiative
• Sponsored by the ASA Sydney S. Spivack Program in
  Applied Social Research and Social Policy, these
  small grants encourage sociologists to undertake
  community action projects that bring social
  science knowledge, methods, and expertise to bear
  in addressing community-identified issues and
  concerns

51
American Sociological Association

• ASA Teaching Enhancement Fund
• ASA Small Grants Program. These grants, given to
  an individual, a department, a program, or a
  committee of a state/regional association support
  projects to enhance the teaching of sociology
  that will have systemic and enduring impact on
  the teaching and learning of sociology.

52
American Psychological Foundation

• APF is committed to funding cutting-edge research
  and programs that can create paradigm shifts in
  the way we think and live our lives in areas such
  as
• Understanding and treating serious mental illness
  
• Comprehending and eliminating prejudice such as
  racism and homophobia
• Preventing violence
• Uncovering the connections between mental and
  physical health

53
American Psychological Foundation

• American Psychological FoundationF. J. McGuigan
  Young Investigator Prize
• APF Visionary Funds
• Gold Medal Awards for Life Achievement

54
For Education

• National Academy of Education Spencer
  Postdoctoral Fellowships
• http//www.naeducation.org/NAEd_Spencer_Postdoctor
  al_Fellowship.htmlTopOfPage
• Designed to promote scholarship in the United
  States and abroad on matters relevant to the
  improvement of education in all its forms.
• Eligible scholars have completed doctorates
  within the last five years includes
  international students
• 1-2 years maximum 55,000
• Last cycle November 9, 2007

55
For Education Soc Sciences

• Foundation for Child Development Young Scholars
  Program
• http//www.fcd-us.org/programs/programs_show.htm?d
  oc_id447982
• Supports young investigators with research in
  identifying and understanding the challenges
  faced by immigrant children and their families
• Support young investigators from the behavioral
  and social sciences or in an allied professional
  field to attain tenure or who have received
  tenure in the last four years from a college or
  university in the United States
• US citizens or permanent residents
• 150,000 for 3 years last cycle November 1, 2007

56
For Education (HLKN)

• Foundation for Physical Therapy New Investigator
  Fellowships Training Initiative (NIFTI)
• http//www.apta.org/AM/Template.cfm?SectionAwards
  _and_ScholarshipsTEMPLATE/CM/ContentDisplay.cfm
  CONTENTID34318
• To fund doctorally prepared physical therapists
  as developing researchers
• Due mid-January every year
• 78,000 for two years

57
For Education Soc Sciences

• Ford Foundation Diversity Fellowships
• http//www7.nationalacademies.org/fordfellowships/
  fordpost.html
• Fellowship applicants are encouraged to choose a
  host institution other than the institution with
  which they are affiliated at the time of
  application.
• Fellowships are awarded for full-time research at
  appropriate nonprofit institutions of higher
  education or research, normally in the United
  States, including universities, museums,
  libraries, government or national laboratories,
  privately sponsored nonprofit institutes,
  government chartered nonprofit research
  organizations, and centers for advanced study.
• Limited to minorities and US citizens
• 40,000 for 1 year due November 29, 2007

58
For Education Soc Sciences

• Kellogg Heath Scholars Program
• http//www.cfah.org/programs/healthscholars/index.
  cfm
• Consists of two tracks and offers two-year
  postdoctoral fellowships at 8 training sites
• Multidisciplinary Track or Community Track
• Both for 2 years, stipend of 61k in first year
  and 62k in second year, plus moving expenses and
  research fund
• Disciplines include economics, epidemiology,
  political science, public health, public policy,
  medicine, psychology, sociology, nutrition,
  anthropology, law, and more
• 55,000-128,000 for two years due Jan 2007

59
For Social Sciences

• Gladys Krieble Delmas Foundation Humanities
  Program
• http//www.delmas.org/programs/humanities_d.html
• Includes history archaeology literature
  languages, both classical and modern philosophy
  ethics comparative religion the history,
  criticism, and theory of the arts and those
  aspects of the social sciences which share the
  content and methods of humanistic disciplines.
• The Foundation welcomes projects that cross the
  boundaries between humanistic disciplines and
  explore the connection between the humanities and
  other areas of scholarship.
• Variable amounts proposals accepted anytime

60
For Social Sciences

• NEH Fellowships and Faculty Research Awards
• http//www.neh.gov/grants/guidelines/fellowships.h
  tml
• Covers a variety of activities -- contribute to
  scholarly knowledge, to the advancement of
  teaching, or to the understanding of the
  humanities. Such work might eventually produce
  scholarly articles, a monograph on a specialized
  subject, a book-length treatment of a broad
  topic, an archaeological site report, a
  translation, an edition, or other scholarly tool
  in either traditional or electronic formats.
• Maximum of 50,400 for up to 1 year
• Last cycle May 2007

61
Helpful web sites

• Community of Science
• http//www.cos.com/
• National Scholarships Office
• http//scholarships.fatomei.com/
• Duke University website
• http//www.ors.duke.edu/find/student/grad/index.ht
  ml
• Cornell University
• http//www.gradschool.cornell.edu/?p132
• IEEPassport Study Abroad Funding
• http//www.studyabroadfunding.org/
• Institute of International Education
• http//www.fundingusstudy.org/wbs/cont_edit.asp

62
Finally

• Start early
• Do your homework
• Ask for help
• Professors, peers, program officers
• Office of Proposal Development