preparing young scientists: more than just sciencereverse engineering success -meet with all...
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Preparing Young Scientists:
More than just Science
Erik Lee Snapp
Director of Student and Postdoctoral Programs
Janelia Research Campus, HHMI
Janelia Research CampusHoward Hughes Medical Institute
Where are we?
Operating Principles for Janelia Farm:(largely based on those of Bell Labs and
the Medical Research Council Laboratory of Molecular Biology)
• Small individual research groups
• Research internally funded
• Excellent support facilities
• Group leaders active in doing science
• Originality, creativity, collegiality and potential
highly valued
• No tenure (renewable 5 or 6-year appointments)
• Opportunities for visiting scientists
• Incentives for large collaborations: Project Teams
5
Janelia’s Research Objectives
• Identify general principles that govern
how information is processed by groups
of neurons
• Develop enabling imaging technologies
•48 independent groups of 2 – 8 individuals (~250 people)
•13 work on imaging technology/structural biology/chemistry
•15 are neurobiologists using fish, mice and rats
•13 are neurobiologists using flies
• 7 theorists/computer scientists (growing!!)
•Extensive shared scientific resources (~90 people)
•Project Teams (5 current projects; ~80 people)
Our Scientists
Erik Lee
Snapp
Erik Lee
Snapp
Zari
Zavala-Ruiz
Erik Lee
Snapp
Janelia Visitor Program
23 Countries
19 States in USA
45 Institutions
55 Projects (currently)
110 Visiting scientists (currently)
Australia Austria Belgium Brazil Canada Chile China France Germany
India Ireland Israel Italy Netherlands Norway
Portugal South Korea Spain Switzerland Taiwan
United
States
United
Kingdom
Wales
Figures/Art courtesy of Judy Murphy, Communications Officer at HHMI
Zari
Zavala-Ruiz
Mentoring Students and Postdocs at Janeliaa Work in Progress
Research
Presentations
Salesmanship
Careers
Writing Grants, Papers, Abstracts
Leadership
Management
Ethics
Pedagogy
Research
Presentations
Salesmanship
Careers
Writing Grants, Papers, Abstracts
Leadership
Management
Ethics
Pedagogy
Reverse Engineering Success
- Meet with all incoming trainees in first few weeks
- Review available resources (websites, video lectures,
counseling, etc.
- Discuss career goals, IDP
Discuss what is needed to achieve career goals
And then develop a backwards timeline.
i.e.
1. Need multiple papers for a faculty position.
2. Plan to apply for positions Summer of start of Year 5.
3. Papers need to be published by Summer start Year 5
1. Submit early, no later than middle Year 4
2. Begin writing start of Year 4 or sooner
3. Have research to a point to start writing manuscripts
late year 3
4. Apply for which fellowships and when
Research
Presentations
Salesmanship
Careers
Writing Grants, Papers, Abstracts
Leadership
Management
Ethics
Pedagogy
Presentations/Salesmanship/Networking/Careers
- Encourage trainee to attend conferences (and mentor to send trainee)
teach networking skills, have business cards, etc.
- Janelia journal clubs and joint lab meetings
- JSSS: Janelia-wide presentations, often job talkFollowed by 1 h feedback from other postdocs and faculty over wine and food
Organized by postdocs for postdocs (peer-to-peer mentoring)
Workshops on how to prepare high impact posters
Elevator talks
“Alternative” careers speakers, assist with networking
JARS: Janelia trainee (postdocs and students) group
monthly happy hours, annual retreat, invited speakers,
education outreach to undergrads
Research
Presentations
Salesmanship
Careers
Writing Grants,
Papers, Abstracts
Leadership
Management
Ethics
Pedagogy
Writing: Grants, papers, abstracts
Small grant writing workshops, personalized, peer-based learning
i.e. How to write a Specific Aims page, including peer and class feedback
Opportunities to serve on study section (see NSF postdoc fellowships)
On site expert to provide constructive feedback on grant proposals and
fellowship applications
On site expert(s) to teach paper and abstract writing, provide constructive
feedback
Research
Presentations
Salesmanship
Careers
Writing Grants, Papers, Abstracts
Leadership
Management
Ethics
Pedagogy
Pedagogy
- Provide teaching opportunities (local colleges)
- Lead journal clubs
- Develop courses for summer undergrads or all Janelians
- Pedagogy courses (online lecture and syllabus development)
- Janelia Teaching Fellowship- funds to teach offsite
i.e. Woods Hole or CSHL Summer course, teach in foreign country
Typically 1-2 weeks
Research
Presentations
Salesmanship
Careers
Writing Grants, Papers, Abstracts
Leadership
Management
Ethics
Pedagogy
Leadership and Management
Courses/workshops on
Hiring
Negotiating
Conflict Resolution
Meeting Management
Budget Management
Research
Presentations
Salesmanship
Careers
Writing Grants, Papers, Abstracts
Leadership
Management
Ethics- Updated ethics
- i.e. image processing
- Data reproducibility
Best practices
- Statistics
Pedagogy
Additional Resources
On site expertise (me)
11 years of faculty experience
grant writing, paper writing, study sections,
mentoring, search committees (and applied for faculty positions)
Extensive online resources
i.e. CV vs resume, guides to applying for faculty positions,
job sites, funded examples of fellowship applications,
archived video presentations, etc.
Applying for Faculty Positions: the view from both sides
by Erik Lee Snapp
HR resources for foreign trainees
On site counseling (because Science can be stressful…)
Research
Presentations
Salesmanship
Careers
Writing Grants, Papers, Abstracts
Leadership
Management
Ethics
Pedagogy