Fall Career Focus on Academia: How to apply for positions in academia
Details: 28 Sep 12:30-17:30 and 29 Sep 9:00-14:00 (there will be a break for lunch on Tue)
Target audience: late-stage postdocs
Registration
Max 16 participants. Open to late-stage postdocs from GMI, IMBA, IMP and Max Perutz Labs
Discuss the time commitment with your supervisor. Register here with your u:rise account by 8 Sep.
Postdocs from IMP/IMBA/GMI should create a guest account on u:rise (you will be able to book Vienna BioCenter trainings but not other departments)
Overview
For many researchers in academia, the transition from postdoc to junior group leader is their first opportunity to face a competitive, professional job-hunting process. This workshop explores the transition process, from identifying a suitable future workplace, to writing a cover letter, to preparing for an interview for a group leader position or one of the major grants that facilitate the transition. During this workshop, participants will engage in exercises drawn from real-world competitive job and funding calls. The trainers will also discuss applying to non-PI positions in academia and related fields.
Content
(1) Finding the right role. Factors to consider when looking for a future position: personal and professional aspects, networking and collaboration opportunities. How to explore a future workplace. Understanding the application and evaluation process.
(2) Writing your cover letter. Tailoring a cover letter to a specific call. How to stand out in a competitive application process.
(3) Interview training. Preparing for a faculty position interview. Group workshop on the interview process.
(4) Applying to non-PI positions. Applying for non-PI positions in academia such as support/core facility roles.
Post-course: Participants will prepare an application cover letter, choosing from a set of calls representing different professional opportunities
Instructors
Thiago Carvalho received his Ph.D. at the Gulbenkian Institute of Science (Lisbon, Portugal) in 2003 and postdoctoral training at the University of Alabama, Birmingham, both in immunology. Dr. Carvalho was Head of Graduate Programs for the Gulbenkian Institute of Science, Graduate Studies Coordinator for the Champalimaud Foundation, and senior scientific editor of the Journal of Experimental Medicine. Thiago wrote a regular column on drug development for Nature Medicine and produced the EMBO Podcast. He is currently a visiting professor at the Center for Cancer Immunotherapy and Immunobiology (Kyoto University).
David del Álamo received his PhD in developmental biology at the Severo Ochoa Center for Molecular Biology in Madrid and postdoctoral training at the Mount Sinai Hospital in New York and the Pasteur Institute in Paris. Dr. del Alamo was scientific editor for The EMBO Journal and EMBO reports, managing/reviewing editor of Review Commons, and the head of the EMBO Fellowship Programme. He has collaborated as a freelance editor with Life Science Alliance and still collaborates with the Journal of Cell Biology and the Journal of Experimental Medicine. David obtained a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree in 2017.