This Dean's Postdoc to Faculty Program is designed to provide support for emerging principal investigators among postdoctoral fellows presently employed in the UC Riverside School of Medicine.

The goal of this program is to develop independent researchers who will go on to careers in academic research, whether in a university or private research institute setting. Candidates from groups under-represented in biomedical, clinical, or population research are especially encouraged to apply.

• Proposals are due August 1 of each year.
• Awards will be announced no later than September 1 of each year.
• The start date for the award must be no later than Oct. 1 of that year.

The available support will assist with the candidate’s salary, and funds for attendance at an academic research meeting once a year, as well as support for the costs of membership in AAMC or other appropriate scientific society. The candidate will also assemble a guidance committee who will help formulate an individual development plan (IDP) and provide career guidance including developing an independent research program, as well as grant-writing assistance. The guidance committee will also include faculty who may serve as sponsors/mentors on T32 or K-type applications.

Explicit goals for awardees include submission of competitive fellowship applications, other mentored research grant applications, or career development awards. For more advanced postdoctoral fellows, goals may include appointment to research scientist, adjunct faculty, or similar positions, and submission of independent research proposals (e.g., NIH R21 and R01 applications, foundation grants). Participation in collaborative multiple-PI grant applications is also encouraged. Implicit in this award is strong progress toward developing an independent research program, including development of goal-oriented research projects, and building a strong research publication record.

Eligibility

Eligible candidates must have an MD and/or PhD, and have an appointment as a postdoctoral fellow or research scientist, under the direction of a School of Medicine faculty principal investigator (i.e., with a full time appointment in the Division of Biomedical Sciences, Department of Social Medicine, Population and Public Health, or Division of Clinical Sciences).

Submission of Applications

Candidate applications must be submitted by August 1 each calendar year. Applications will be reviewed by a committee of faculty drawn from the senior faculty in the School of Medicine. While there is no commitment to make an award each year, it is anticipated that up to one or two awards may be made in each year.

Applications for the Dean’s Postdoc-to-Faculty Award must include a six-page research statement (0.5 inch margins, 11 point font preferably in Arial, single-spaced, including figure legends), which should include a general statement of the candidate’s research background and research interests, and a plan for developing an independent research program (rather than a specific research project). A brief description of research results is permitted, but detailed data figures are discouraged, and text and figures must fit within the six-page limit. Literature citations should be provided, but are not counted in the page limit. In addition, the applicant must provide names of at least two faculty (letters preferred but not required) who have agreed to be part of the guidance committee. The sponsoring faculty member must provide a sponsoring letter of support. An NIH-format biographical sketch for the candidate must be included. Thus, a complete application will include the six-page statement, literature cited, two faculty guidance committee names/letters, the sponsor letter of support, and NIH biosketch.

Questions? Please contact the associate deans of research or director of clinical faculty research development and scholarly activities, care of Jacquelin Seybert.

Review of Applications

Applicants will be evaluated on the basis of research productivity and potential to have impact as an independent researcher, as well as clarity in the description of the proposed research program. The program is also eager to support qualified candidates from groups under-represented in biomedical, clinical, or population research. The review will take into account that the postdoctoral fellow will often mainly be working on research topics offered by the sponsor; thus, original insights and directions developed in the candidate’s application will be especially helpful. The training potential provided by the guidance committee may also be considered, although the review committee may also suggest additional members of the committee. Awards will be announced no later than September 1 of each year; the start date for the award must be no later than October 1 of that year.

Award Terms

The non-renewable award will cover two contiguous years of support for up to 50% of the candidate’s salary. Funds will also support attendance (registration, and reasonable travel and lodging expenses) at a domestic research conference once a year; candidate is required to submit an abstract and present either a poster or research talk. Funds also can cover the costs of membership in an appropriate scientific society. All remaining costs, including research support, will be borne by the sponsoring faculty PI. A two-page progress report is required at the end of each year of award.