How to write a winning F31-style fellowship...
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How to write a winning F31-style fellowship proposal Adrienne D. Cox, UNC-CH Janet V. Cross, UVA [These slides were presented in a highly interacDve session at CABTRAC 2019 (annual meeDng of the Cancer Biology Training ConsorDum) that followed and complemented a presentaDon from Mark Damico, NCI. Whereas Dr Damico focused mainly on describing and clarifying the formal NCI instrucDons, we focused on providing some informal, pracDcal advice that was not necessarily obvious from the official instrucDons. This is not a complete guide, but it’s a start. QuesDons/comments? [email protected]]
Transcript of How to write a winning F31-style fellowship...
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!
