EMBL Fellows' Career Service Workshop: Group leader application materials

These resources are openly available. Our materials are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International license except where further licensing details are provided. The EMBL logo is protected under the Paris Convention, which protects names and logos of intergovernmental organisations. (more info). This document and other resources are available on our webpage. The DOI for this document (v1.0.1) is: 10.5281/zenodo.17989501 The most recent version is available at https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17964815 If you are a career advisor and would like to use / adapt these materials for your own institutional career service, please contact [email protected] for original slides, exercise sheets, and (subject to capacity) advice on using them. We would also appreciate it if you let us know if use our materials in any way, so we can collate usage statistics. The EMBL Fellows' Career Service incorporates the EMBL Interdisciplinary Postdoc (EIPOD) career development programme. EI3POD and EIPOD4 have received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under Marie Skłodowska-Curie grant agreements 664726 (2015-2020) and 847543 (2019-2025), respectively. Acknowledgements: Group leader application materials EMBL Fellows’ Career Service Agenda: in today’s workshop, you will… •Understand the typical application materials for faculty positions •Discuss examples, and propose dos and don’ts •Consider tools that can support your writing •Small scale survey of 20 group leaders involved in search committees •Career talks / panels on academic careers –incl. EMBL Careers Webinars and at EMBL events •Academic job market workshops & individual guidance •Books / e-books / publications including •The Chicago Guide to Landing a Job in Academic Biology –CR Chandler, LM Wolfe, DEK Promislow – •Strategies for Obtaining a Faculty Position in the Biomedical Sciences: Views from Both Sides of the Job Search Process | Erik Snapp | E-book •Other publications listed in the handouts •Resources from other career services and shared by group leaders (links in the slides / handouts) Input/inspiration from: •A collection of job application materials collected by Ross Ibarra (UC Davis): https://github.com/RILAB/statements/tree/master/job_applications Typical job application materials •Cover letter •Research proposal •Curriculum vitae •A list of publications •Recommendation letters •Teaching statement^ •Diversity statement* Tips and further info in our handout ^For roles / institutions with a significant teaching focus *In the past, often required in US applications Download it from ZENODO: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17964946 Who is assessing the materials? •A “search committee” –typically 3-7 people (sometimes more), including: •existing faculty from the department, •one or more faculty members from other departments and (optionally) external experts, •potentially HR or fellow representatives. The chair may be the Head of Department, or someone else. •The committee make recommendations, but usually do not make the final decision. “The Chair of the panel… will make sure to bring together diverse expertise and competences and an adequate gender balance …. and, where appropriate and feasible, include members from different disciplines, including from other countries and with relevant experience to assess the candidate .” Group Leader Recruitment pages, CRG . Recommendations In some cases, a little teaching experience •a good potential colleague Track record: Publications / other research outputs Well-written, compelling and coherent research proposal •‘Independence’ What are they looking for? Read more: appendix I of group leader application materials handout Looking ahead: the job application process What is the purpose of the cover letter? Cover letter 10 Typical cover letter structure Formal header & salutation Intro Why you: Research vision & track record Why them Closing + signature YOUR NETWORK: a key resource WHAT WHY WHO Insider info Info on the places you are considering (fit): • Future direction of the department • What gap are they trying to fill? • Who are key players in the department? • Typical composition of their selection committees? MENTORS* PEERS WIDER NETWORK^ Feedback+ info • Feedback on job application materials • Info on potential opportunities: •teaching/career development •upcoming openings MENTORS* PEERS Sponsorship • Recommendation letters • Making you visible in the field MENTORS* Supporter • Internal support for your application PEOPLE WHO KNOW YOUR WORK * NB. This includes both current + future mentors; and both formal + informal mentorship ^ incl. EMBL alumni, friends of friends, fleeting connections, even people you cold-email Informational interview workshop / handout •Find out what an informational interview is •Learn how to approach someone to request an informational interview •Discuss and identify potential questions you can ask •Learn how to build a productive conversation and tips to follow-up •Gain familiarity with platforms and resources to find and be found https://www.embl.org/about/info/embl-fellows-career-service/info-resources/making-connections/ Looking ahead: the job application process The research proposal The research proposal a critical part of your application 21 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% Research proposal Transition fellowship to become PI Previous postdoctoral fellowships or awards Graduate fellowships and awards Mentorship reputation of former supervisors CNS papers Teaching experience Journal impact factor How heavily do the search committee weigh n=15 5 = heavilty 4 3 2 1 = not at all Fernandes JD, Sarabipour S, Smith CT, Niemi NM, Jadavji NM, Kozik AJ, et al. A survey-based analysis of the academic job market. eLife. 2020;9:e54097. https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.54097 What are you looking for in the application materials` Our survey (n=20) Approach Specific questions you will try to answer Broad vision for your lab Why you are a good person to lead this work Typically, 2-5 pages to outline 23 Coughlan Evolutionary drivers and genetic basis of genetic barriers Topp Phenomics reproductive to uncovering molecular basis of root traits Min molecular developmental mechanisms of floral meristem regulation that underline Bauplan evolution and variation •From a collection of job application materials collected by Ross Ibarra (UC Davis): https://github.com/RILAB/statements/tree/master/job_applications In small groups, discuss your general thoughts on the proposal you each picked. Please comment on: •What you thought they did particularly well •What you think could have been better. As a reminder here are some aspects that we suggested to think about when reading them •Anything that specifically grabbed your interest on the first page and made you want to keep reading? •After reading this once, would you have been able to summarise: •the research question they will tackle & how tackling this will advance in the field? •the candidate's expertise/track record, and why they are the ideal person for this work? •What level of detail did they go into –what was the balance between background information, establishing the importance of the work, and technical details of the planned project? After discussing your thoughts, we will together collate what makes a good proposal. 24 Exercise 2: Discuss the examples 15-20 minutes 25 A good proposal…. Looking ahead: the job application process Five tips based on observations on the early drafts we see The research proposal 28 200 applications, each minimum of seven core pages (CV, research statement and cover letter) >1400 pages approx. 40 hours to read it all… Tip 1: Get the main points across early Photo by Mike from Pexels Understanding cellular dynamics requires imaging techniques that capture molecular processes with high spatial and temporal resolution, and recent advances in super-resolution microscopy and live-cell imaging have provided unprecedented insights. But key processes such as organelle interactions and cytoskeletal remodelling, which are critical for cellular organisation and signalling, occur on rapid timescales and at length scales that challenge existing imaging methods, which often struggle with the trade-off between resolution, speed, and phototoxicity. 35 And … but …. therefore… The ‘but’ is the gap in the field that your research question addresses –clearly defining this: ….pinpoints the limitation, contradiction, or unresolved issue that your research aims to solve ….makes the proposal more engaging. Acknowledgements: written with support of ChatGPT Understanding cellular dynamics requires imaging techniques that capture molecular processes with high spatial and temporal resolution, and recent advances in super-resolution microscopy and live-cell imaging have provided unprecedented insights. But key processes such as organelle interactions and cytoskeletal remodelling, which are critical for cellular organisation and signalling, occur on rapid timescales and at length scales that challenge existing imaging methods, which often struggle with the trade-off between resolution, speed, and phototoxicity. Therefore, building on my postdoctoral work, my research programme will develop and apply next-generation lattice light-sheet microscopy (LLSM) to push the boundaries of spatiotemporal resolution, enabling realtime visualisation of organelle-cytoskeleton dynamics with minimal perturbation. By integrating novel optical engineering, computational reconstruction, and tailored labelling strategies, this approach will reveal how cytoskeletal forces regulate organelle positioning and interorganelle communication, providing new mechanistic insights. And … but …. therefore… Short 1-2 sentence summary of how you will fill that gap Acknowledgements: written with support of ChatGPT The next generation of crops must produce more food, fiber, and fuel despite escalating environmental pressures and an acute need to reduce farming inputs. My overarching interests are to understand the mechanisms plants use to sense and respond to their environment, and to translate this knowledge to crop improvement. While intense focus has been placed on aboveground traits, belowground growth processes have been relatively ignored despite their great potential to alleviate environmental stress and increase resource use efficiency. Christopher N Topp: Research Plans via RILAB (CC-BY) - https://github.com/RILAB/statements/blob/master/job_applications/research_university/Topp_Research_2013_Danforth.pdf Context –Content –Conclusion: Topp example Context : what you are working on and why – including the but The next generation of crops must produce more food, fiber, and fuel despite escalating environmental pressures and an acute need to reduce farming inputs. My overarching interests are to understand the mechanisms plants use to sense and respond to their environment, and to translate this knowledge to crop improvement. While intense focus has been placed on aboveground traits,belowground growth processes have been relatively ignored despite their great potential to alleviate environmental stress and increase resource use efficiency (1). Thus, my research objectives focus on phenotyping the growth and development of root and rhizome systems, and characterizing the gene networks that direct them. Meeting these objectives requires the development of enabling technologies and infrastructure that can capture and analyze morphologically complex subterranean structures over time and at high-throughput (2). Christopher N Topp: Research Plans via RILAB (CC-BY) - https://github.com/RILAB/statements/blob/master/job_applications/research_university/Topp_Research_2013_Danforth.pdf Context –Content –Conclusion: Topp example Context : what you are working on and why – including the but Content : what you contribute to address this (with therefore) The next generation of crops must produce more food, fiber, and fuel despite escalating environmental pressures and an acute need to reduce farming inputs. My overarching interests are to understand the mechanisms plants use to sense and respond to their environment, and to translate this knowledge to crop improvement. While intense focus has been placed on aboveground traits,belowground growth processes have been relatively ignored despite their great potential to alleviate environmental stress and increase resource use efficiency (1). Thus, my research objectives focus on phenotyping the growth and development of root and rhizome systems, and characterizing the gene networks that direct them. Meeting these objectives requires the development of enabling technologies and infrastructure that can capture and analyze morphologically complex subterranean structures over time and at high-throughput (2). I will integrate these phenotyping efforts with natural variation and modern sequencing methods to facilitate our understanding of how genotype dictates phenotype for belowground traits of agricultural importance. Christopher N Topp: Research Plans via RILAB (CC-BY) - https://github.com/RILAB/statements/blob/master/job_applications/research_university/Topp_Research_2013_Danforth.pdf Context –Content –Conclusion: Topp example Context : what you are working on and why – including the but Content : what you contribute to address this (therefore) Conclusion : so what •The key thing you want to do: your overarching research question(s) and approach •My research aims to understand how physical forces in the nucleus impact cellular processes such as cell polarity and migration. •My research interests focus on the application of artificial intelligence to predict RNA-protein interactions. •Why it is important: what gap does this address in the field? How will addressing this gap move the field forward? •Why you have a good take on this: why has this not been solved yet and why you the right person to now tackle this •Unique combination of experience that enables you to tackle this from a differently to existing labs? •Leveraging a new technology or finding from your postdoc work? •Something else? 40 Step 1: define the ‘nucleus’ of your research proposal Step 2: create a compelling introduction with these points “we may have spent long nights wandering around for questions.” •Yanai, I., Lercher, M. What is the question?. Genome Biol 20, 289 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1186/s13059-019-1902-1 Resources for question choice: •Michael A. Fischbach, Problem choice and decision trees in science and engineering, Cell (2024) HIGHLY RECOMMENDED READING https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2024.03.012 •Itai Yanai & Martin Lercher’s Night science podcasts •Uri Alon: How to Choose a Good Scientific Problem | Molecular Cell (2009), doi:10.1016/j.molcel.2009.09.013 42 Tip 2: Feedback is essential WritingIdea Feedback Feedback 43 Both from people: in the field with the aim to refine your questions and approach: •timeliness; obvious limitations you will need to address; who might be your competition; potential impact on field. outside your field on clarity of the communication: •do they find it compelling and coherent? •are there parts of the proposal that are not easy to follow for someone unfamiliar with the work? Also seek peer feedback and support with writing, if needed. •Arjun Raj’s structured feedback form (share with those you ask to give feedback on?) [plus related writing checklist etc] •[Within EMBL] Scientific writing training from Complementary Skills. •Trees, maps and theorems / other books from the EMBL Library. Tip 2: Feedback is essential Image credit: Adobe Firefly •In pairs: Introduce what you plan to work on: •The key thing you want to do: your overarching research question and approach •Why it is important: what gap does this address in the field? How will addressing this gap move the field forward? •Why you have a good take on this: why has this not been solved yet and why are you the right person to solve it now? •Summarize in your own words your understanding of your partner’s research (key thing, why, their take). ABT | And → But → Therefore Cancer rates are rising, AND early detection improves survival. BUT current biomarkers lack specificity. THEREFORE, we are investigating a new biomarker. C-C-C | Context → Content → Conclusion Cancer rates are rising → We are investigating a new biomarker → This could lead to early detection strategies 44 Exercise 3 Image credit: Adobe Firefly 20 minutes Background + past & ongoing work Past research Ongoing research 0.2-1.5 pages (depending on page limit and what is asked for). •Short literature review + highlights of your (relevant) PhD and postdoc work. •Put your future research + past achievements in context of field, particularly key unanswered questions. Does not need to summarize your complete PhD and postdoc work or review entire field èFocus on literature that motivates your work (from you / others) èShow how you have already contributed to the field, and how your background has prepared you to tackle this question. Future research Aim/Question 1 Aim/Question 2 Aim/Question .. n Future research 1-3 pages (depending on page limit). Outline your approach, focusing on first ~5 years Should establish feasibility, but does not have to be as detailed as in a grant proposal èTypically 3 aims, one ’safe’, e.g. direct extension of postdoc and one longer-term / more risky èEach aim should link back to the central research question and include a clear approach and rationale. (you can incorporate C-C-C and ABT frameworks here too!). èNo full experimental plan / gannt chart needed, but for key experiments ensure that the perturbation, read-out and what you will infer is clear 53 Example: J.M.Coughlan The approach of postdoc in a few sentences… This project will result in… Together, these results will provide Proposed future work 1. Question 1 Context –I have …. Content: I will… (a) do this to determine that… This work can shed light on… (b) by… I will… Conclusion…This work will be the first to… 2. Question 2 Context + this has led to the hypothesis that… Yet… Content: a) I will use a combination of … approaches to assess… and quantify…. I can then leverage… to assess… and… This will allow me to quantify the extent to which… b) I will quantify. This will allow me to … and show.. Conclusion: Together, these experiments can provide a quantitative assessment and the consequence 3. Question 3 Context –X can play a role in . Content: I will test.. Using … approaches Conclusion: These projects can help us to… 2. Question 4 Context + this has led to the hypothesis that… Yet… Content: a) I will use a combination of … approaches to assess… and quantify…. I can then leverage… to assess… and… This will allow me to quantify the extent to which… b) I will quantify. This will allow me to … and show.. Conclusion: Together, these experiments can provide a quantitative assessment and the consequence Summary paragraph References Long Term Vision Title Introduction Current and previous work Question [context] Figure –prelim work Context , incl. short explanation of a few key findings Together, these results suggest… Question Few sentence intro. Context –approach of Perspectives èCan provide a positive, forward-looking conclusion –but is often missing Perspectives 0.2 pages –reiterate potential impact, discuss longer-term direction; optionally, why the institution is a good fit 55 Tip 5: use figures For preliminary results (n.b. these can be your postdoc findings) Christopher Topp via RILAB repository (CC-BY 4.0) Make sure •That figures are readable when printed •That you refer to the relevant figures in the text. 56 Tip 5: use figures And also consider a graphical abstract for your question or approach For Graphical Abstract tips see: Jambor HK, Bornhäuser M. Ten simple rules for designing graphical abstracts. PLoS Comput Biol. 2024 Feb 1;20(2):e1011789. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pcbi.1011789 https://helenajamborwrites.netlify.app/posts/graphicalabstract_1 I will use these different platforms to precisely characterise carbon and water flows in the selected maize lines (fig. 1). Guillaume Lobet Via RILAB 57 Tip 5: use figures And also consider a graphical abstract for your question or approach For Graphical Abstract tips see: Jambor HK, Bornhäuser M. Ten simple rules for designing graphical abstracts. PLoS Comput Biol. 2024 Feb 1;20(2):e1011789. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pcbi.1011789 https://helenajamborwrites.netlify.app/posts/graphicalabstract_1 Magdalena M. Julkowska Via RILAB Looking ahead: the job application process What do you think is important for the CV? The CV •3 pages common, 2-4 okay. •Simple, clean design •Clear headings and consistent structure •Optional profile paragraph 59 Choose an easy to navigate layout Research experience -Indicate what you worked on in each role -Who with: supervisor / lab -Can also use to highlight: -Independence e.g. establishing or coordinating collaborations -Track record: -main findings and their significance -funding / outputs / techniques Education -Keep simple 60 CV dos and don’ts –for each section Summary •Cover-letter •Not just a summary of your CV/proposal: consider the narrative + your research persona •Research statement 1. Quickly & clearly communicate: what you want to do, why it is important & why you have a good take 2. Iteratively refine with expert and non-expert feedback 3. Adjust the scope / ambition based on the institution you are applying to 4. Plan a cohesive narrative 5. Use figures •CV •Use a clean, easy to navigate structure. •The reader should quickly grasp your career path and productivity. •Check out our handouts as you prepare. •Latest versions linked on our website: Job applications –Group Leader Application tab + resources on informational interviews for your networking Thank you! Email us at [email protected]