NIMBioS Postdoctoral Fellowships in Mathematical Biology
At a Glance
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Overview
NIMBioS provides an opportunity for postdoctoral scholarship at the
interface between mathematics and biological science that builds upon
the experiences gained through the many successful postdoctoral fellows
who have been in residence at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville
over the past decades. Postdoctoral scholars propose synthetic projects
that require an amalgam of mathematical and biological approaches, and
are expected to include explicit opportunities to expand the scholars
previous education. Projects should not require the collection of
additional empirical data, but may involve many aspects (collating,
formulating data bases, developing models) of synthesizing existing
data. Applications are welcome from those with a range of both
biological and mathematical prior experience, with highest priority
given to those with explicit plans to develop their ability to
effectively carry on research across these fields.
Postdoctoral applications are reviewed two times per year and the
selected researchers are offered positions at NIMBioS where they conduct
research that is mostly self-directed.
While NIMBioS encourages its Postdoctoral Fellows to collaborate with
established faculty locally and globally, to participate in Working
Groups and Investigative Workshops and to interact with visiting
scholars, the NIMBioS Postdoctoral positions are expected to be
independent researchers. Given the breadth of backgrounds needed to be
successful interdisciplinary researchers, NIMBioS will assign two
mentors to each Postdoctoral Fellow, with one mentor having more
biological experience and the other having more
mathematical/computational experience. These mentors are expected to
assist the Fellow to broaden their experience, and provide research
suggestions, not to direct the Fellows research. Thus, applications
which do not have a clearly defined set of research objectives are
unlikely to be successful. While it is appropriate for applicants to
identify particular local researchers whom they suggest as appropriate
mentors, including those who may be most appropriate to assist in
broadening the applicants prior experience, this is not necessary.
Postdoctoral Fellowships are for two years (assuming satisfactory progress toward research
goals in year one). Under appropriate circumstances applicants may request periods shorter
than two years, and in special circumstances a Fellow may request an extension beyond two
years. NIMBioS Postdoctoral Fellows are encouraged to participate in grant proposal
development workshops offered through UT and Fellows are permitted to serve as a Principal
Investigator on grant proposals submitted through NIMBioS.
Outreach Opportunities
NIMBioS will have in place a variety of opportunities for Postdoctoral
Fellows to participate in outreach and education opportunities, or to
create new ones. These will include opportunities to collaborate with
graduate students based at NIMBioS, assist in mentoring participants in
the Research Experience for Undergraduates program, assist in developing
educational programs at Minority Serving Institutions, develop new
quantitative components for the Biology-in-the-Box program, and
participate in outreach programs in collaboration with interpreters at
Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Fellows who so wish may take on the
responsibility for teaching a formal undergraduate course, particularly
if this experience will assist them in meeting their career goals. All
Fellows are expected to participate in an outreach or education
activity of some kind during their tenure at NIMBioS.
Call for Postdoctoral Fellowship Applications
NIMBioS Postdoctoral Fellows are chosen based upon indications that the
applicant's research plans are consistent with the mission of NIMBioS,
the applicant has the demonstrated ability to carry out the proposed
research, and the opportunities provided through NIMBioS will enhance the
capacity for the research to be completed in an efficient and timely manner.
Fellows are also supported in order to enhance the diversity of the cadre of
researchers who are able to effectively address research at the interface
between math and biology, and thus a successful applicant will include
a plan that indicates how NIMBioS will expand their abilities in this regard.
The research questions to be addressed by a Fellow may be either fundamental,
applied or both, and may be focused around a particular biological topic, or
one from mathematics that is driven by biological insight. We are particularly
interested in requests to support research that integrates diverse fields, requires
synthesis at multiple scales, and/or makes use of or requires development of
new mathematical/computational approaches. In addition to the research
responsibilities associated with the proposed project, each Fellow will
be expected to collaborate in teams with other Fellows, faculty, staff
and graduate students, and to participate in an outreach activity.
Support for a Fellow includes an annual stipend of approximately $51,000,
full University of Tennessee employee fringe benefits including retirement
and health care plans, and an annual travel allowance of $3,000 for attendance
at professional meetings or to meet collaborators.
If you have a spouse/partner with
appropriate background to be associated with a university academic
department, NIMBioS will provide a limited cost-match to the
department to encourage an appointment in the unit for your
spouse/partner.
Development of new experimental or observational data is outside the
scope of activities for NIMBioS Fellows.
Application and Submission Process
The next deadline is December 11, 2014, for activities beginning summer/fall 2015.
NIMBioS applications for Fellowships are brief, not to exceed 5
single-spaced (12-pt type) pages (excluding cover sheet,
literature citations, names and contact information of referees, and
CV). The Problem Statement and Proposed Activities sections combined
must not exceed 5 pages, including any figures or tables.
The application process has two parts, an online summary form and a more detailed project description.
PART 1:
Complete the online application form, available
here.
PART 2:
Submit an application in PDF format, organized as follows:
- Cover sheet (~1 page)
- Descriptive Title
- Short Title (25 characters max)
- Name and contact information
- Project Summary (250 words max) - appropriate for public distribution on the NIMBioS web site
- Proposed start and end dates
- Potential conflicts of interest with the members of the Advisory Boards or the NIMBioS Leadership Team.
- Problem statement - Clear and concise statement of the research problem to be addressed, why it is important, and the approach to be used to address it. Include detail on mathematical and biological connections involved, and describe why your background is appropriate to address the problem. Include appropriate literature citations.
- Proposed activities that make use of NIMBioS opportunities to enhance the applicants abilities - include any particular outreach or educational activities planned. Applicants should try to identify (if possible) two appropriate local mentors (one more focused on biology and one more focused on mathematics) associated with NIMBioS, the University of Tennessee, Oak Ridge National Laboratory or Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
- Names and contact information for three references. Please arrange for each reference to provide a letter of recommendation regarding your background and ability to carry out the independent research as proposed, and your ability to engage in collaborative research as part of NIMBioS community. These letters should be submitted by email to postdoc_app@nimbios.org separately from your application. All letters of recommendation must be submitted before the request deadline.
- Full CV.
Applications will be accepted in digital format only, as a pdf file, submitted via email to: postdoc_app@nimbios.org.
Graphics should be embedded directly into the application document. Note
that applications should be submitted as a single pdf file including all of
the components listed above (items 1-5).
Note that information contained in applications for NIMBioS support are
governed by the NIMBioS Privacy Policy.
Tips for Postdoctoral Fellowship Applicants
Postdoctoral Fellowship applications are evaluated based upon a number
of criteria. Below are some suggestions on how to structure a successful
application.
1. The proposed research project should address an interesting and
important biological question. Your application will be read by Advisory
Board members who may not be experts in the biological area of the
proposal, so an application should clearly elucidate the questions to be
addressed and the relevance of these to major issues in biology. A
Background section in the request should make it clear that you are
aware of prior work on the questions being addressed, and an Objectives
section should point out the
main hypotheses for the project and how these relate to prior work.
2. The request should be explicit about the importance of mathematical
efforts that need to be carried out to address the objectives of the
project. A Methods section should identify previous mathematical work on
the topic and point out how this will either be elaborated or applied
in new contexts to address the project
objectives. Any associated computational challenges should be identified
along with a plan for meeting these. A description of the data needs of
the project should be included along with a description of how these
data will be obtained.
3. An Expected Results section should identify the projected products
from your proposed efforts, including a outline of possible journal
articles to be produced, software that will be developed, and any
educational materials that are expected to arise. If appropriate, you
should describe how the results will contribute to national needs in
either fundamental or applied biology.
4. If the project is related to your prior research, for example from
your dissertation, then the project description should elaborate how the
proposed effort differs from your previous work and requires the
facilities and expertise available through NIMBioS to be successful. If
the project differs significantly
from your previous research, the description should identify your
capacity for expanding your expertise to be successful in carrying out
the project.
5. Throughout you should emphasize why NIMBioS is the appropriate venue
to both carry out the proposed research project and to meet your career
objectives. Be explicit about any new skills or expertise you wish to
develop and how the opportunities available through NIMBioS will assist
you in meeting your goals.
6. Your recommenders should clarify in their letters why your experience
is appropriate to the project you propose, and your competence to carry
out independent research. Thus you should share your project request
with your reference writers so that they may address these issues in
their letters.
7. If there are mentors at the Univ. of Tennessee or Oak Ridge National
Laboratory who are well suited to
provide advice to you on the proposed project, please do identify them,
but it is not necessary to contact them in advance. Mentors are not
directing your research but assist as appropriate in the scientific
aspects of the project and in providing career guidance. If there are
particular researchers who are not based in the Knoxville area who you
would like to collaborate with during your fellowship and suggest as
potential additional mentors, do describe the proposed interactions with
these individuals. Keep in mind that some funds are provided for travel
for Fellows, but that these are limited, so that you should plan on
mostly at-distance interactions with potential mentors based elsewhere.
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