Path to Career Resources
ASPIRE’s Curated Career Resources: Science Policy Resources
Dec. 4, 2025—ASPIRE Resources: Beyond the Lab podcast series: https://medschool.vanderbilt.edu/career-development/beyond-the-lab-see-listen/ This podcast series has several informational interviews from Vanderbilt alumni who have careers in Science Policy. ASPIRE Internships: https://medschool.vanderbilt.edu/career-development/aspire-internships/ Check out the ASPIRE internships page to see if there are any active policy-related internships. Federal STEM Policy & Advocacy ASPIRE on the Road trip: https://medschool.vanderbilt.edu/career-development/aspire-on-the-road/ Every other...
Flow Chart of NIH Fellowship Submission Process
Oct. 31, 2025—The flow chart below provides a high-level overview of the fellowship submission process for Vanderbilt and VUMC applications. You will need to work closely with your Grant Manager throughout this process. Click here to go back to the main Fellowship Project Management blog series.
NIH Fellowship Grant Pacing Project Management Trello Board
Oct. 24, 2025—How to use and customize the ASPIRE Grant Planner Trello Board Applying for an NIH fellowship can feel like you are juggling dozens of moving parts at once. The ASPIRE grant planning Trello board helps you manage these tasks in one visual, flexible workspace. Throughout this blog, we will walk through how the board is...
Effective Strategies for Working with your Sponsor
Oct. 24, 2025—Your fellowship sponsor (your PI) plays an important role in your fellowship application, especially for fellowship applications to the NIH. Beyond supporting you as a scientist, they are responsible for writing key sections of the application to demonstrate their commitment to your training and career development. Sections of an NIH NRSA application written by the...
Understanding the NIH Alphabet Soup
Oct. 24, 2025—Applying for NIH fellowships comes with a whole new set of acronyms. Here’s a quick guide to the ones you’re most likely to encounter: Funding Announcements FOA – Funding Opportunity Announcement The official notice that describes eligibility, objectives, requirements, and deadlines for a grant or fellowship. NOFO – Notice of Funding Opportunity The newer term...
Resubmission (if needed) and Next Steps
Oct. 24, 2025—Not all fellowship applications are funded on the first try, but many successful fellows are awarded after resubmission! If you plan to resubmit your application, consider the following: Read your summary statement carefully. The reviewer comments highlight strengths and weaknesses, so look for common themes across reviewers. These will be important to address in your...
Contacting your NIH Program Officer (PO)
Oct. 24, 2025—After you have figured out which FOA to apply to, verified your eligibility, and decided which institute to apply to, the next step is to contact your target institute to verify their institute is a good fit for your proposal. The “Program Officer” (PO) is your main NIH point of contact for questions about the...
Contacting your Vanderbilt Grant Manager
Oct. 24, 2025—A VU or VUMC Grant Manager is your primary institutional contact for submission requirements, internal deadlines, and routing. They manage the submission of your fellowship application to the NIH and will need to begin working with you weeks in advance of the NIH deadline to meet VU’s or VUMC’s internal deadlines. They will also assist...
Common pitfalls in NIH fellowship applications (and how to avoid them)
Oct. 24, 2025—Fellowship applications are complex. Not only do you have to have a strong scientific proposal and training plan, you also have to manage multiple documents and deadlines. Here are some strategies to help you avoid some common mistakes. Contact your Vanderbilt grant manager early in the process. Your Vanderbilt grant manager will “route” your grant...
Guide to NIH Fellowship Reference Letters
Oct. 24, 2025—Reference Letters are a required component of NIH fellowship applications (and they are different than Letters of Support!) Key points about Reference Letters: You must have at least 3 reference letters, but up to 5 can be submitted. You may want to request more than the minimum number in case one of your recommenders does...
Understanding the NIH Peer Review Process
Oct. 24, 2025—After you submit your application, the review process may seem mysterious. Here is a step-by-step guide to understand what is going on behind the scenes. Cycle Due Date (F Series) Scientific Review Council Round Earliest Start Date I April 8 June – July August or October September or December II August 8 October –...
Identifying the “right” NIH fellowship opportunity
Oct. 24, 2025—Before you start writing a fellowship application to the NIH, it is important to identify the right funding opportunity and connect with the institute staff who manage that funding opportunity to ensure your project aligns with the institute’s priorities. Understand the different types of NIH NRSA fellowships that support research training (a.k.a. “mechanisms”). F30: For...
Effective Strategies for Working with you Sponsor/Mentor
Oct. 21, 2025—Your fellowship sponsor (your PI) plays an important role in your fellowship application. Beyond supporting you as a scientist, they are responsible for writing key sections of the application to demonstrate their commitment to your training and career development. Sections of an NRSA application written by the Sponsor: Mentoring Approach and Candidate Mentoring Plan Prior...
ASPIRE’s Curated Career Resources: Teaching
Sep. 25, 2025—BRET ASPIRE Resources Path to Career blogs: Faculty Search: https://medschool.vanderbilt.edu/career-development/path-to-career/faculty-job-search/ Skill Development: Teaching: https://medschool.vanderbilt.edu/career-development/skill-development Office of Career Development Blog: https://medschool.vanderbilt.edu/career-development/blog Search tags: Career Options: K-12 Teaching/Outreach, Tenure Track Teaching, Academia, Academic Search, Volunteer Opportunity ASPIRE Workshop on Preparing for a Faculty Career and Job Search: https://medschool.vanderbilt.edu/career-development/aspire-workshop-on-preparing-for-a-faculty-career-and-job-search/ This ASPIRE workshop is hosted every year in August...
ASPIRE’s Curated Career Resources: Business and Entrepreneurship
Sep. 18, 2025—Campus Resources: Wond’ry: https://www.vanderbilt.edu/the-wondry/entrepreneurship/ Wond’ry Programming: Ideator, Builder, Founder programming From early-stage startups to fully-fledged technologies, the Entrepreneurship practice area at the Wond’ry offers resources for all faculty, students, staff, and alumni from Nashville-area colleges and universities who are interested in learning how to grow a venture from the ground up. ASPIRE to Innovate Postdoctoral...
ASPIRE’s Curated Career Resources: Patent Law or Tech Transfer
Sep. 9, 2025—Differences between Patent Agent and Patent Attorney Campus Resources Vanderbilt Center for Technology Transfer and Commercialization (CTTC) internship Each Spring, the CTTC offers a paid internship for graduate students interested in learning more about technology transfer. Check out the link for more information and eligibility: https://cttc.co/internship-program Beyond the Lab podcast series This podcast series has...
Navigating mentor-mentee dynamics: A Podcast and Short Course Series for Trainees
Sep. 3, 2025—Working with your advisor can shape your entire training experience. To help you make the most of this mentoring experience, check out this 7-episode podcast series from the Science Communication Lab covering everything from finding the right mentor to handling conflict and building a strong, productive partnership. Check out each podcast episode below: Episode 1:...
Where Can You Find Biomedical-sciences Focused Jobs?
May. 12, 2025—Updated April 2025 There are many websites that list job openings broadly, as well as others tailored to specific sectors such as academia, industry, non-profits, policy, or science communication. If you have a particular organization or company in mind, it’s always a good idea to visit their careers page directly to check for current opportunities....
Want to Stand Out? Upskill with AI
May. 7, 2025—In a world where research is moving faster than ever, having technical expertise is not enough. Fortunately, you can stay ahead by integrating generative AI into your toolkit. Understanding how to use AI tools effectively for writing, planning, and editing is becoming a must-have skill. While many think generative AI can easily write for you,...
Article: “A Timeline for Job Search Success” in Inside Higher Ed
Mar. 31, 2025—Job searching is a lot like house hunting—to be ready to jump on the right opportunity when it arises, you’ll need to start preparing early, Ashley Brady writes. Check out the article by ASPIRE’s Dr. Ashley Brady in Inside Higher Ed for the Carpe Careers column. A Timeline for Job Search Success