HowtowriteawinningF31-stylefellowshipproposal
AdrienneD.Cox,UNC-CHJanetV.Cross,UVA
[TheseslideswerepresentedinahighlyinteracDvesessionatCABTRAC2019(annualmeeDngoftheCancerBiologyTrainingConsorDum)thatfollowedandcomplementedapresentaDonfromMarkDamico,NCI.WhereasDrDamicofocusedmainlyondescribingandclarifyingtheformalNCIinstrucDons,wefocusedonprovidingsomeinformal,pracDcaladvicethatwasnotnecessarilyobviousfromtheofficialinstrucDons.Thisisnotacompleteguide,butit’sastart.QuesDons/[email protected]]
FiveglobalpointsforwriDnganything
1. Write for the reader, rather than for yourself – whyshouldtheycare?Howwilltheyunderstandyourintent?
2. ItwilltakeyouWAAAYlongerthanyouthink
3. ReadtheinstrucDons!
4. Pickthebrainsofsuccessfulwriters(applicants/mentors)
5. Pay abenDon to detail: format, layout, spelling…wouldYOUwanttoreadit?
F31:whyyourresearchplanisNOTthekey
“Agoodresearchplanisgreat,butagoodtrainingplanisbeber”
-MarkW.Damico,NCI
FellowshipsareallabouttrainingYOU,thecandidate,toenhanceyourfuture
independentresearchcareer
Inorderofimportance
! Candidate(YOU)! Trainingplan! Mentor! Researchplan! Environment
Therefore,spendingeffortonallthe“otherstuff”,includinglebersofrecommendaDon-notjusttheresearchplan-iscrucial
Yourmentorwillbeblamedforaweaktrainingplan,ANDforaweakresearchplaneventhoughyouwroteit–communicate,andallowplentyofDmeforiteraDvefeedback
QuesDons,comments,suggesDons?
HelpreviewersseeyourpotenDal
" Brag,evenifitfeelsuncomfortable!" DescribeyourpreviousexperiencefromtheperspecDveof
scienceaswellastechnicalapproaches
" Describe your proposed experience from the perspecDveofscienceaswellastechnicalapproaches
" UseconvenDonal languageand layout; studyexamplesofsuccessfulproposals
Yourpersonalstatement:wherehaveyoubeenalreadyandwhywillyoubesuccessfulnow?
" Bragagain,evenifitfeelsuncomfortable
" Addressthespecificsofyourproposedstudies" Describe anything unusual in your background and/or current
environmentthatmakesyouespeciallysuitedtotheproposedwork
" Showenthusiasm!
" Besuretoaddressyourlong-termcareergoalsandhowthisproposalwillhelpyouachievethem(thesestudieswillprovidemewithstrongexper3se in XX to complement my experience in YY and therebyposi3onmewellforanindependentcareerin_____)
YourtrainingplanmustbecustomizedforYOU" Whatareyourcareergoals?
" How will the training plan build on your strengths (she already hasexperienceinX,andthistraininginYwillcomplementthatskill)?
" Howwill the training plan address your weaknesses (to improve hiswri3ng,hewilltake2wri3ngworkshopsstar3ngthisfall)?
" Must sound like it has been wriben by your mentor, even if youdraoed/wroteitforhim/her
" Make sure the training plan is consistent with other parts of yourproposal
" Makesure the trainingplandoesn’tmisidenDfyyou inanyway (cut/pastewrongname,wronggender,etc.)
Whentogetaco-mentor
" Yourmainsponsordoesn’thaveatrackrecordofgraduaDngPhDstudents–earlydays,mostlypostdoclab,etc.
" Yourmainsponsordoesn’thaveR01-equivalentfundingthatclearlyextendsthroughyourtrainingperiod
" YourresearchplanrequiresscienDficexperDsethatisnotastrengthofyourthesislab
" Make sure that the co-mentor actually contributes noDceably to theplanningandwriteupofthetrainingplanandevaluaDonofyourpotenDal
" Clarifyhowtheco-mentorwillinteractwithyourmentoraswellaswithyou
TheimportanceoflebersofrecommendaDon" Reviewers weigh these heavily in determining your
potenDal
" Lebers can and should be used both to emphasize yourstrengths AND miDgate any potenDal weaknesses (s/headmi@edly didn’t have the best undergrad grades due to[health/family difficul3es/late bloomer] but is now doingsplendidlyingrad-levelcoursework)
" Alukewarmleberisworsethannoleber!
Whoshouldyouaskforlebersofrec.?" Writers should have credibility in being able to evaluate you, i.e.,
knowledgeofyourscholarly/researcheffortsandpotenDal
" SomeDmes,someonewhocanspecificallyaddressapotenDalweakness(memberofadmissionscommibeethatevaluatedyourUGGPA)
" Thesis/advisory commibee members, DSGs, dept chairs, programdirectors,etc.aregood;notsomeonealreadycollaboraDngwithyou(okifcollaboraDngwithyourlabingeneral,butnotonyourspecificproject)
" FancystaDoneryisdesirablebutnotrequired
" Writers should have credibility in being able to evaluate you incomparisontoothers,sohelpstohaveexperiencementoringsuccessfulgradstudents,especiallyotherF31awardees
" Internalorexternal?Bothfine,aslongastheyknowANDTHINKHIGHLYofyouandyourwork/potenDal
Howshouldyouaskforlebersofrec.?" Askearly" Asknotjustforaleberbutforastrongleber
" Givethemagracefulwayout(ifyouwillnothave3me,Iwillunderstand,pleaseletmeknowsoIcanasksomeoneelse)
" Providethedeadline,andalltheinformaDontheywillneedtosubmittheleberonyourbehalf(youreRACommonsname,thePAnumber,yourlastnameastheCommonsknowsitifnotobvious,etc.)
" OfferatleasttheDtleofyourproposal,maybeaquicksummaryofyourtopic,andoffer any other components that the writermay want. Highly variable – somewantlots,otherswantnothing.
" Bepreparedforsometoaskyoutodraoaleberorbulletpoints.IfyoudothisformulDplepeople,besurethatthedraosarecompletelydisDnct!
" Sendpolite reminders aweek and2days aheadof theduedate (thank you somuch forwri3ng a le@er forme, just a reminder that the due date is XX at XXo’clock;here’show)
Specificaims,researchplan
" It’s a training fellowship, so sprinkle in somedescripDonsof how this new area of science and this new-to-youtechniquewillhelpyouachieveyourcareergoals
ReviewerexpectaDonsfortheresearchplan
" Your researchplanshouldbe feasible forYOU,not foranadvancedpostdoc inyour lab (“overlyambi3ous” isa commonreviewerkissofdeath)
" Alwaysproposetotestwhetheryourhypothesisistrueornot;neverproposetoprovethatahypothesisistrue
" Reviewers look for evidence of rigor (controls, stats),pitalls/alternaDves, and “why do we care?” (i.e., leadssomewhere,futuredirecDons)
Awordortwoaboutstrategy
" CanusethefuturedirecDonssecDontogetcredit forhavingthoughtofsomethingwithoutactuallyproposingtodoit(scope,feasibility,etc.)
" Remember that pitalls can be scienDfic or technical (previouslyunknowninfoturnsouttobe importantvscan’tgetsufficientknockdowntoachieveintendedeffect);youdon’talwaysneedtoincludeboth,butdoconsiderseparatelywhichmaybeimportantforyouraimsandprovidealternaDvedirecDons/technicalstrategiesaccordingly
" Never say “here are the challenges, but I don’t expect them tobe aproblem”–alwaysprovidealternaDves
Yourturn!
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