1. Why apply for a postdoctoral fellowship? Securing your own funding opens doors for postdoctoral positions Good experience at proposal writing Opportunity to demonstrate independent thinking Resume building

2. When should you apply for postdoc fellowships? Before you defend your thesis Too late?? As Soon As Possible! -- The clock is ticking on your eligibility -- The longer you are in a postdoc position, the higher the bar is for preliminary results

3. What fellowships should I apply for? NIH “Societies” -- ACS, AHA, Leukemia Private Foundations: JCC, DR, HHW Foreign postdocs -- home country sources NATO-EMBO, etc. HOW MANY? -- 4-6 maximum

4. How do I decide upon a project? In consultation with your advisor… …the more you contribute the better Your ideas Your writing Three Key Elements: Sure thing Significant Goal Home Run

5. Format for proposals: You need 2-page, 5-page, 10 page versions: Specific Aims (Goals) Background Significance Preliminary Studies Experimental Plan -- Have many people read your proposal… …reviewer panel is very general -- It takes many rounds to clarify the writing