Preparing Young Scientists: More than just ScienceReverse Engineering Success -Meet with all...

Preparing Young Scientists:

More than just Science

Erik Lee Snapp

snappe@janelia.hhmi.org

Director of Student and Postdoctoral Programs

Janelia Research Campus, HHMI

Janelia Research CampusHoward Hughes Medical Institute

Where are we?

Operating Principles for Janelia Farm:(largely based on those of Bell Labs and

the Medical Research Council Laboratory of Molecular Biology)

• Small individual research groups

• Research internally funded

• Excellent support facilities

• Group leaders active in doing science

• Originality, creativity, collegiality and potential

highly valued

• No tenure (renewable 5 or 6-year appointments)

• Opportunities for visiting scientists

• Incentives for large collaborations: Project Teams

5

Janelia’s Research Objectives

• Identify general principles that govern

how information is processed by groups

of neurons

• Develop enabling imaging technologies

•48 independent groups of 2 – 8 individuals (~250 people)

•13 work on imaging technology/structural biology/chemistry

•15 are neurobiologists using fish, mice and rats

•13 are neurobiologists using flies

• 7 theorists/computer scientists (growing!!)

•Extensive shared scientific resources (~90 people)

•Project Teams (5 current projects; ~80 people)

Our Scientists

Erik Lee

Snapp

Erik Lee

Snapp

Zari

Zavala-Ruiz

Erik Lee

Snapp

Janelia Visitor Program

23 Countries

19 States in USA

45 Institutions

55 Projects (currently)

110 Visiting scientists (currently)

Australia Austria Belgium Brazil Canada Chile China France Germany

India Ireland Israel Italy Netherlands Norway

Portugal South Korea Spain Switzerland Taiwan

United

States

United

Kingdom

Wales

Figures/Art courtesy of Judy Murphy, Communications Officer at HHMI

Zari

Zavala-Ruiz

Mentoring Students and Postdocs at Janeliaa Work in Progress

Research

Presentations

Salesmanship

Careers

Writing Grants, Papers, Abstracts

Leadership

Management

Ethics

Pedagogy

Research

Presentations

Salesmanship

Careers

Writing Grants, Papers, Abstracts

Leadership

Management

Ethics

Pedagogy

Reverse Engineering Success

- Meet with all incoming trainees in first few weeks

- Review available resources (websites, video lectures,

counseling, etc.

- Discuss career goals, IDP

Discuss what is needed to achieve career goals

And then develop a backwards timeline.

i.e.

1. Need multiple papers for a faculty position.

2. Plan to apply for positions Summer of start of Year 5.

3. Papers need to be published by Summer start Year 5

1. Submit early, no later than middle Year 4

2. Begin writing start of Year 4 or sooner

3. Have research to a point to start writing manuscripts

late year 3

4. Apply for which fellowships and when

Research

Presentations

Salesmanship

Careers

Writing Grants, Papers, Abstracts

Leadership

Management

Ethics

Pedagogy

Presentations/Salesmanship/Networking/Careers

- Encourage trainee to attend conferences (and mentor to send trainee)

teach networking skills, have business cards, etc.

- Janelia journal clubs and joint lab meetings

- JSSS: Janelia-wide presentations, often job talkFollowed by 1 h feedback from other postdocs and faculty over wine and food

Organized by postdocs for postdocs (peer-to-peer mentoring)

Workshops on how to prepare high impact posters

Elevator talks

“Alternative” careers speakers, assist with networking

JARS: Janelia trainee (postdocs and students) group

monthly happy hours, annual retreat, invited speakers,

education outreach to undergrads

Research

Presentations

Salesmanship

Careers

Writing Grants,

Papers, Abstracts

Leadership

Management

Ethics

Pedagogy

Writing: Grants, papers, abstracts

Small grant writing workshops, personalized, peer-based learning

i.e. How to write a Specific Aims page, including peer and class feedback

Opportunities to serve on study section (see NSF postdoc fellowships)

On site expert to provide constructive feedback on grant proposals and

fellowship applications

On site expert(s) to teach paper and abstract writing, provide constructive

feedback

Research

Presentations

Salesmanship

Careers

Writing Grants, Papers, Abstracts

Leadership

Management

Ethics

Pedagogy

Pedagogy

- Provide teaching opportunities (local colleges)

- Lead journal clubs

- Develop courses for summer undergrads or all Janelians

- Pedagogy courses (online lecture and syllabus development)

- Janelia Teaching Fellowship- funds to teach offsite

i.e. Woods Hole or CSHL Summer course, teach in foreign country

Typically 1-2 weeks

Research

Presentations

Salesmanship

Careers

Writing Grants, Papers, Abstracts

Leadership

Management

Ethics

Pedagogy

Leadership and Management

Courses/workshops on

Hiring

Negotiating

Conflict Resolution

Meeting Management

Budget Management

Research

Presentations

Salesmanship

Careers

Writing Grants, Papers, Abstracts

Leadership

Management

Ethics- Updated ethics

- i.e. image processing

- Data reproducibility

Best practices

- Statistics

Pedagogy

Additional Resources

On site expertise (me)

11 years of faculty experience

grant writing, paper writing, study sections,

mentoring, search committees (and applied for faculty positions)

Extensive online resources

i.e. CV vs resume, guides to applying for faculty positions,

job sites, funded examples of fellowship applications,

archived video presentations, etc.

Applying for Faculty Positions: the view from both sides

by Erik Lee Snapp

HR resources for foreign trainees

On site counseling (because Science can be stressful…)

Thank you

Learn more at janelia.org

Contact snappe@janelia.hhmi.org

Research

Presentations

Salesmanship

Careers

Writing Grants, Papers, Abstracts

Leadership

Management

Ethics

Pedagogy