tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1923282658637824205.post6173835055030844742..comments2024-02-24T01:37:39.585-08:00Comments on InBabyAttachMode: On postdoc fundingInBabyAttachModehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07895094545069682233noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1923282658637824205.post-67344458294612559482012-12-18T08:16:12.171-08:002012-12-18T08:16:12.171-08:00But as a post-doc you can't be a co-investigat...But as a post-doc you can't be a co-investigator on an NIH grant for example (at least at my institution). So that would mean that you're part of writing a grant that your name cannot be on.... Not sure if I would want to do that as a post-doc.InBabyAttachModehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07895094545069682233noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1923282658637824205.post-31983071301064822792012-12-18T08:06:18.416-08:002012-12-18T08:06:18.416-08:00Yup, but that is the point. It's a zero sum ga...Yup, but that is the point. It's a zero sum game in terms of research funding and if funds for fellowships were put into grants, then grant $ would increase. The question is whether adjudication of fellowships is better than adjudication of grants (I'm generalizing, but I think the quality of fellowship reviewing is lower than for grants simply because of the volumes and the dependence on "metrics"). <br /><br />Good point on getting writing experience but ALL investigators should work with postdocs in prepping their grant apps as it should be part of their training. If they expect/trust you to write fellowships, why not involve you in grant writing. You both have a stake in the success!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02757123355653250677noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1923282658637824205.post-72099829222935805272012-12-17T04:56:20.629-08:002012-12-17T04:56:20.629-08:00I'm not sure eliminating postdoc fellowships t...I'm not sure eliminating postdoc fellowships this way is a good idea. Because all this experience writing grants has improved my grant-writing skills a lot I think (if only I could prove this by getting a grant funded....). And I think the current situation is already a situation in which many postdocs are supported by their PI's funding. I think that people already acknowledge that a funded R01 for example will probably pay for at least one postdoc's salary, right?InBabyAttachModehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07895094545069682233noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1923282658637824205.post-81698344928912074912012-12-16T20:29:03.783-08:002012-12-16T20:29:03.783-08:00I fully support your position! Thank you!
It is s...I fully support your position! Thank you!<br /><br />It is somewhat similar to the "justice vs happiness" scale I have just described in my blog. The more competitive you make the system at the beginning, the less fair it becomes to those who started low, or realized that they started in a wrong field, or made a mistake of some kind... Having this grace period around the beginning of postdochood is actually a blessing. The only real and useful part of this whole postdoc experience, in a way.khakhalinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08353054479656181009noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1923282658637824205.post-69006175221868353112012-12-14T13:42:45.549-08:002012-12-14T13:42:45.549-08:00Am increasingly wondering whether it would be best...Am increasingly wondering whether it would be best to most individual fellowship funding into operating grants (and earmarked as trainee support). My rationale being the following:<br /><br />1. As you mention, adjudication of applications is largely based on CV/papers published rather than on the project proposed. <br /><br />2. Success rates for fellowships is much lower in most cases than grants (!)<br /><br />3. There can be disconnects between fellowship funding and ability to do research if the host lab is under funded.<br /><br />4. It would strip out another layer of program overhead (administration and reviewing).<br /><br />I'd protect the envelope for training abroad - to encourage experience of other jurisdictions. There are obviously other caveats with this approach such as the loss of the prestige associated with a fellow winning a fellowship but I would bet there is a poor correlation between awardees and actual achievements.<br /><br />Fortunately perhaps, I don't have any authority over the granting agencies so these ideas have little chance of implementation but I wondered what postdocs would think.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02757123355653250677noreply@blogger.com