Post-doctoral Fellowship Grants and Funding in North America

1. Post-doctoral Fellowship Grants and Fundingin North America Jordan Karubian UCLA

2. The Post-doc Paradox • “Purgatory” or “the best year(s) of my life”? • Purgatory: • Uncertain future, status and respect issues. • Best Year(s) of My Life: • Little responsibility • Focus on research • Lots of freedom in your lifestyle

3. How to Fund It? • Apply for an advertised position • Obtain your own funding • Co-PI on a grant with a professor • PI on your own grant

4. Advertised positions • An established scientist has already obtained funding for an established project. • Pros: • Don’t have to worry about funding the position • You step into an already established project with successful and established scientists • This should increase quality of research and number of publications • Cons: • You have a boss • Potential for conflicts of interest, micro-managing, etc. • Suggestion: elaborate a written agreement with post-doc advisor, speak to former advisees, etc.

5. Advertised Positions, contd. • Teaching post-docs • Offered by departments and/or professors • Explicitly include teaching at least one class • Pros: • Gain valuable teaching experience while continuing research • Cons: • Teaching will detract from research • A good option if you plan to focus on teaching in the future

6. Funding Your Own Post-doc • Write a grant with an established scientist • Identify appropriate collaborator and secure approval and involvement • Write the grant (NSF, NASA, NIH, large foundation or NGO) • Pros: • Design your own project • Greater leverage in relationship with advisor • Cons: • These proposals take a long time to write, have a long turn-around time, and are extremely competitive. • You need to start this early and have full support and active involvement of potential advisor

7. Funding Your Own Post-docGet your own money • International Research Fellowship • NSF, must work outside USA • 2 years salary plus funding • You are the PI on this grant • Fulbright Fellowship • Must work outside USA • Shorter term funding ( 1 yr max) • You are PI

8. Funding Your Own Post-docGet your own money • Smith Fellowship • Society for Cons Biology (formerly TNC) • 2 years salary plus funding • Work must have conservation focus and take place within USA but applicants need not be from USA • Work closely with a mentor from a conservation-oriented NGO. • University-specific opportunities with varying degrees of autonomy. • National Association for University Women (NAUW)

9. Latin American Post-docs • Most Latin Americans conduct post-docs abroad or with funding from abroad but there are also some good sources in Mexico. • GOVERNMENT • Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología (CONACYT) • 1-3 yr, repatriation program for students who conducted their PhD abroad. • INSTITUTIONS • Instituto de Ecología AC • 1-2 yr, usually for people they are thinking of hiring • UNIVERSITIES • UNAM, must identify faculty sponsor.

10. European post-docs • Most are restricted to EU members, but there are • some options for foreigners • NATO Fellowships • Marie Curie Fellowships However, the best option for research in Europe Is probably to get an NSF or other funding within your own country.

11. Research Funds: NGO’s National Geographic Society Research only, $15-25,000 per year. Wildlife Conservation Society Research Fellowship • Research Only - $20,000 max

12. Research Funds:Foundations • Disney Wildlife Conservation Fund • $20,000 / yr., conservation oriented project • Conservation, Food and Health • $25,000 / yr., conservation oriented project • Moore, MacArthur, Packard • Large projects, several years, multiple collaborators, conservation focus.

13. Research Funds: Zoos and Museums • Usually smaller ($1 - 5,000) awards • Lincoln Park Zoo • Chicago Zoological Society • Cleveland Metroparks Zoo • American Museum of Natural History

14. Take Home Messages • Plan your post-doc in the context of your future professional goals • Do you want to end up at a teaching college or an R-1? • Start looking early • Identify suitable post-doc advisors and projects • Write them or introduce yourself early on • Salary can be tough to find on your own but there are some sources: • NSF Intl. Research Fellowship • Smith Fellowship (Soc. For Cons. Biol.) • Fulbright Fellowship • University-specific opportunities

15. Acknowledgements • Coro Arizmendi, Elena Berg (european specialist), Regina Macedo, Borja Mila, Katherine Renton, Oscar Rios Cardenas, Melissa Rowe, Ernesto Ruelas Inzunza,