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Career Proposal Preparation. Gracious Ngaile, Assistant Professor Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering North Carolina State University. Caution!. The materials presented here are derived from personal observations.
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Career Proposal Preparation Gracious Ngaile, Assistant Professor Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering North Carolina State University
Caution! • The materials presented here are derived from personal observations. • Ignore anything that does not make sense… or does not apply to the topic you are intending to work on.
Career Proposal Vs Other NSF Proposals The items below play a significant role in Career proposal as well as other NSF proposals. Format Vision Theme Collaboration PI expertise Review panel composition Are these items addressed differently in Career proposals ? Broader impact Intellectual merits Education Etc
Format : General Proposal General proposals may take the following format I: Project summary II: Introduction and Rationale III: Objectives IV: State of the art … V: Research approach VI: Tasks VII: Closure This format appear to be close to that used for journal papers, thesis or dissertation.
Format : Career Proposal Unlike the general proposals, the format for career proposal may drastically change due to the fact that: • We are preparing a career development plan that will build a firm foundation for a life time contribution of integrated research and education. • The PI may need to propose a theme that requires multiple projects to be carried out. • The PI may need to include data she/he had already generated. • Education component takes a significant weight and need be integrated with research.
Suggested Format : Career Proposal • Project Summary • Objectives and significant of integrated research and education • 2.1 Objectives ( Should be elaborate to show your vision) • 2.2 Significance of proposed work (should show current and future impacts of your proposed work) • Career Development Plan • Evaluation of Research and Education • Research and Teaching accomplishment, Collaborators, Broader Impacts.
Suggested Format : Career Proposal 3. Career Development Plan State the major projects to be carried out in 5 year period and leave a clear indication that the proposed work will continue for along period time. ( it is not harmful to be a little bit ambitious ) 3.1 Project A: ……. 3.1.1 Introduction 3.1.2 State-of-the-art 3.1.3 PIs initial work on the subject 3.1.4 Approach/Tasks to be carried out.
Suggested Format : Career Proposal 3.2 Project B:…… 3.2.1 Introduction 3.2.2 State-of-the-art 3.2.3 PIs initial work on the subject 3.2.4 Approach/Tasks to be carried out. 3.3 Project C: Education 3.3.1 Introduction 3.3.2 State-of-the-art 3.3.3 PIs initial work on the subject 3.3.4 Approach/Tasks to be carried out. 4. Evaluation of Research and Education 5.Research and Teaching accomplishment, Collaborators, Broader Impacts.
Vision • The vision for a general proposal may not be that significant because the proposed work may last for a year, two years or at most three years. • With Career proposal, the reviewers will be looking for the vision right at the very first pages of the proposal. • Reflect your vision in the summary, objectives ( extended), and significant of your work sections.
Theme/Topic • Program directors are good source of information and may provide more inputs as to whether your topic fits their program. • Since the program directors will not directly say No to any topic you are planning to propose, it is advisable to suggest a couple of topics and see their response pattern.
Collaborators • Collaborators should be carefully chosen to reflect the scope of work: You are building a firm foundation for a life time contribution of integrated research and education! • If the trend in the global market economy is likely to affect/influence your career plan, it may be advisable to have both national and international collaborators.
PI Expertise • Explicitly showing your expertise in the proposed subject is advantageous. • If applies ensure to include all relevant initial research data that you have so far gathered.
Reviewer Composition • Due to the nature of the Career proposal the reviewer composition is expected to be different from general proposals. • The proposal should be written such that a diverse panel can understand. • Lumping mathematical equations without clear explanations may be detrimental.