ASPIRE Cafe for Postdoctoral Fellows
Explore topics in career development and professionalism.
Orientation to BRET Resources for Postdocs (offered once each semester) provides an overview of the Office of Career Development ASPIRE programs and helps postdoctoral fellows find out how to become involved in our activities. This session should only be attended once, as the content will be repeated each time.
All other sessions will feature specific career development or professionalism topics, such as converting your CV into a powerful résumé, networking strategies, writing a winning cover letter, informational interviewing, finding funding for your research, Leveraging LinkedIN, Preparing for a teaching demo, and grant resources at Vanderbilt. This will be an informal session where conversation and questions are encouraged. Since this topic will change each meeting, feel free to attend as often as you wish.
All past session handouts can be found via the special Vanderbilt Box ASPIRE Cafe folder
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Add these events to your calendar here!
All sessions will be held virtually via Zoom.Please register at the link in each post to receive the Zoom login information for the scheduled event.
Training Stage Key
Sessions are open to Postdoctoral Fellows at any stage of their training and all are welcome to attend. However, many topics are most relevant at specific stages. Each session is designated as such. Please use this key as a guide to determine which would be most beneficial to you
 |  |  |
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| Graduate students | Year 1/2 | Year 3+ | All years |
| Postdoctoral fellows | First half of training period | Second half of training period | All years |
Spring 2021
| Date | Title | Speaker | Training Stage |
|---|---|---|---|
| January 14, 2021 | Negotiating Your Faculty Compensation and Start-Up Package | Kathy Gould, Ph.D., Louise B. McGavock Professor Department of Cell and Developmental Biology Senior Associate Dean for Biomedical Research, Education and Career Development | |
| January 28, 2021 | Orientation to ASPIRE Resources for Postdocs | Ashley Brady, PhD Assistant Dean of Biomedical Career Engagement and Strategic Partnerships Assistant Professor of Medical Education and Administration | |
| February 11, 2021 | Nontenure Faculty Track | Faculty Panel | |
| February 25, 2021 | A Fair Look: How to Review A Paper | Kathy Gould, Ph.D., Louise B. McGavock Professor Department of Cell and Developmental Biology Senior Associate Dean for Biomedical Research, Education and Career Development | |
| March 11, 2021 | Developing Your Mentoring Style | Kathy Gould, Ph.D., Louise B. McGavock Professor Department of Cell and Developmental Biology Senior Associate Dean for Biomedical Research, Education and Career Development | |
| March 25, 2021 | Fellowships and F32 NRSAs | Kim Petrie, PhD Assistant Dean for Biomedical Career Development, Assistant Professor of Medical Education and Administration | |
| April 15, 2021 | Exploring and Preparing for Faculty Careers | Kathy Gould, Ph.D., Louise B. McGavock Professor Department of Cell and Developmental Biology Senior Associate Dean for Biomedical Research, Education and Career Development | |
| April 29, 2021 | TBD | TBD | |
| May 13, 2021 | Setting up and Running a New Lab | Faculty Panel | |
Fall 2020
| Date | Title | Speaker | Training Stage |
|---|---|---|---|
| August 27, 2020 | Orientation to ASPIRE Resources for Postdocs | Ashley Brady, PhD Assistant Dean of Biomedical Career Engagement and Strategic Partnerships Assistant Professor of Medical Education and Administration | |
| September 10, 2020 | Preparing a Faculty Position Application Package | Rafael Arrojo e Drigo, PhD, Assistant Professor, Molecular Physiology and Biophysics Nancy Carrasco, MD, Professor and Chair, Molecular Physiology and Biophysics Kathleen DelGiorno, PhD, Assistant Professor, Cell and Developmental Biology | |
| SPECIAL SESSION September 22, 2020 10:00AM-2:30 PM | Difficult conversations and interactions in the research workplace: Fundamentals of negotiation | Carl M. Cohen, PhD President of Science Management Associates, author of "Lab Dynamics: Management and Leadership Skills for Scientists" | *admittance to event is limited and determined by application |
| SPECIAL SESSION October 1, 2020 10:00AM-2:30 PM | “Leading scientific team and project meetings” | Carl M. Cohen, PhD President of Science Management Associates, author of "Lab Dynamics: Management and Leadership Skills for Scientists" | *admittance to event is limited and determined by application |
| October 15, 2020 | What to Expect from a Faculty Interview | Nancy Carasco, MD, Professor and Chair, Molecular Physiology and Biophysics Walter Chazin, PhD, Chancellor’s Chair in Medicine, Professor of Biochemistry and Chemistry Dr. Kathy Friedman, PhD, Vice Chair and Associate Professor of Biological Sciences | |
| October 29, 2020 | Grant Resources at Vanderbilt | Abby Brown, Ph.D., BRET, Director, Outcomes Research | |
| November 12, 2020 | How to Give a Chalk Talk | Borden Lacy, PhD Edward and Nancy Fody Chair in Pathology Professor of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology Professor of Biochemistry Chris Wright, D Phil Louise B. McGavock Chair Professor of Cell and Developmental Biology Elma Zaganjor, PhD Assistant Professor of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics | |
| December 10, 2020 | K Awards: Which One is Right for You? | Abby Brown, Ph.D., BRET, Director, Outcomes Research | |
Questions or suggestions for other topics? Email Ashley Brady at ashley.brady@vanderbilt.edu