Researcher's Guide

For NSF proposals, this section is a supplementary document of no more than one page. It should be clearly titled “Postdoctoral Scholar Mentoring.” The sections below should be edited to meet the specific needs of the postdocs and PI.  Areas in bold need to be customized for each proposal.

Postdoctoral Scholar Mentoring

My/Our current research will include __ postdoctoral scholar(s) who will be working in the areas of __, ___, and ____ over the next __ years of the project. While these scholars will contribute significantly to the science, I/we also recognize our responsibilities to them as apprentices as they continue their training and professional development. To meet this responsibility, UT Dallas and the PI will be offering postdoctoral training that is outside the core research activities divided into three categories: mentoring, training, and career support.

At the start of the mentoring relationship, the PI or co-investigators will meet with the postdoctoral scholar to formulate an Individual Development Plan containing specific long-term career goals and short-term goals they wish to accomplish during the research time period. The Plan will also include areas of training or professional development that each party believes needs to be covered. These will be outside of the specific research objectives. The PI or co-investigators and postdoctoral scholar will hold regular monthly meetings to discuss issues related to professional development, career growth, and scientific developments. This will also serve as time to assess progress towards individual goals and update or modify the Plan.

Training will include both professional scientific growth and more general professional development in the areas of grant writing, ethics, and teaching. Each postdoctoral scholar will attend a SPIN Plus database training session for grant searching techniques. A course in Research Ethics and Scientific Integrity is provided to cover critical issues related to human subjects, animal welfare, research design, accountability of scientific actions and fraud. This course was designed for individuals intending research careers in academia or industry and is a strong supplement to the in-lab training postdoctoral scholars receive. Postdoctoral scholars may also meet individually or in small groups with the Director of Research Compliance for an overview of human/animal subjects procedures, federal export controls, and general compliance related to research in their field. While they may not need these services while at UT Dallas, these basic protocols are used throughout higher education research institutions and the basic knowledge is transferrable.  If teaching or working in higher education is a career goal, the scholar will be offered teaching techniques programming through the UT Dallas Office of Education Enhancement. This includes programs in teaching large classes, instructional design, using instructional technology, and assessment procedures. The topics will be dictated by the postdoctoral scholar’s individual Plan.

I/We recognize that many postdoctoral scholars have spent the majority of their careers as students with limited professional job seeking experience. Career support will vary depending upon the goals of the scholar and their individual needs. Some examples include meeting with Associate Dean/Dean regarding non-scientific skill sets they look for in hiring new tenure-track professors and meeting with a corporate partner regarding skill sets they look for in new scientific hires. All postdoctoral scholars will be encouraged to participate in pertinent professional organizations for professional development and networking.  Resume writing and interview skills training will be provided by the UT Dallas Career Center with special sessions targeting higher education and science careers.