UCLA's new IRACDA for teaching postdocs – deadline Sept 1, 2016

UCLA has been awarded an NIH-sponsored IRACDA for a “teaching postdoc” training program, in partnership with CSULA.

UCLA has been awarded an Institutional Research and Academic Career Development Award (IRACDA) with Mike Carey and Tracy Johnson (MCDB) serving as its co-PIs. IRACDA is a training grant for postdocs from all backgrounds; however underrepresented communities are particularly encouraged to apply. The application required a partner institution which, in this case, is CSULA (California State University, Los Angeles). Selected fellows are expected to dedicate 25% of their time to teaching, including training at UCLA and a mentored teaching experience at CSULA.

The application deadline for this cycle is September 1st.

Here is a link to an FAQs document

Here is a link to the call for applications (also pasted below)

Description:
The UPLIFT program provides up to 3 years of postdoctoral salary support and adds training and experience in college-level instruction to the typical mentored research training. UPLIFT is funded through an NIH IRACDA award. Participating postdocs will continue to dedicate most of their time to biomedical research, but additionally receive advanced training and a practicum in college level instruction. The purpose is to train a diverse group of postdocs to prepare them for teaching and research careers in the biomedical sciences. The program involves research, career and teacher training at UCLA with a mentored teaching experience at Cal State, LA, which has a long-standing commitment to teaching students from groups that are underrepresented in biomedical research.

Funding:
Will be the standard UCLA Postdoctoral salaries for up to three years of support. Typically, the mentor will pay the first year and UPLIFT will pay years 2-4.

Eligibility:
All scholars who have a career objective of combining biomedical research with college or university level teaching and who are applying to UCLA bioscience labs for their initial postdoctoral appointment are eligible to apply. Postdocs who have been in UCLA labs for less than 1.5 years are also eligible. Must be US citizen or permanent resident.

Prospective UCLA Postdocs: You should apply to the laboratory of your chosen mentor(s), while simultaneously applying to UPLIFT for funding. New postdocs will be required to attend training at UCLA this Fall and Spring and will begin the first of two stages of mentored teaching at Cal State, LA in the 2017-18 academic year. Current UCLA postdocs with less than 9 months into the initial postdoctoral should apply in this category.
Current UCLA Postdocs: Postdocs with greater than 9 months but less than 1.5 years of postdoctoral experience as of Sept. 1, 2016 will be required to take training at UCLA in Fall of 2016 and enter the first of two stages of the mentored teaching experience at Cal State-LA in the Spring Semester 2017.

Process:
If the applicant is a current postdoc or has already applied to and been accepted at a UCLA lab, then simply follow the instructions below. If the applicant is currently applying to labs, but has not been accepted yet, then include that information in your initial email.

To Apply:
Application: (due Sept. 1, 2016 5PM Pacific for current postdocs for the Fall 2016 cohort and the Fall 2017 cohort):

  1. A CV
  2. A 1-page (1.5 space, 12 pt Arial) statement of interest outlining your purpose for applying to UPLIFT.
  3. A 1-2 page summary of your graduate research and your proposed postdoctoral research (or current research for existing postdocs).
  4. A nomination letter from the postdoctoral mentor. The statement should indicate that the mentor understands the terms of the program as described above.
  5. Two letters of recommendation, ideally from the PhD mentor and an additional referee at the professional level.

The CV, statement of interest, and research summary in PDF form will be emailed by the applicant directly to the UPLIFT office with the subject line IRACDA Application (uplift@ceils.ucla.edu). Letters of nomination and recommendation should be sent by the mentor and referees to the same email address. Referees should include the name of the applicant in the subject line. Finalists will be notified in early September and undergo a short interview at UCLA and possibly Cal State, LA.

Members of underrepresented groups in the biomedical sciences are encouraged to apply.

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