Dear Postdoctoral Fellow Community –

Welcome to our new newsletter format! We hope you find this content to be accessible and informative. Please feel free to share ideas for the newsletter at OPA@Vanderbilt.edu. Thanks to the many of you who were able to attend the Vanderbilt Postdoc Listening Session last week. We look forward to further collaboration in the days ahead. Please take some time to read through the opportunities and information listed below which includes webinars on funding opportunities and immigration updates as well as a recap of news about the latest return-to-campus plans.

Sincerely,

Sally Parker
Interim Director, Office of Postdoctoral Affairs

STEM Postdocs Invited to Webinar on Funding Opportunity from Burroughs Wellcome

Burroughs Wellcome Fund (BWF) Career Awards at the Scientific Interface (CASI)

Wednesday, August 5 | 9:00 AM

STEM postdocs who have been in a postdoc for a year by the application date can apply for this CASI Program funding with the Burroughs Wellcome Fund. Burroughs Wellcome is a private foundation that gives funding to STEM scholars, and with the risk of NIH funding being squeezed, we as an institution need to more heavily pursue private foundations for funding. There has been a big push by the BWF, with VU DAR Corporate and Foundation Relations, as well as VU Basic Sciences to have more from Vanderbilt apply for this funding. Their diversity of applicants is pretty low, and most only come from 1-3 institutions. BWF wants to fund more scholars from different schools, and the president of BWF is a former faculty member at BWF. Dean Larry Marnett will be introducing the speakers and asked BWF to give the webinar.

Burroughs Wellcome Fund (BWF) Career Awards at the Scientific Interface (CASI) provide $500,000 over five years to bridge advanced postdoctoral training and the first three years of faculty service. These awards are open to U.S. and Canadian citizens, permanent residents, and temporary residents.

Learn more and join us as we welcome Dr. Louis Muglia, MD PhD, President and CEO of Burroughs Wellcome Fund with Kelly Rose, CASI Program Officer, and Melanie Scott, Senior Program Associate, who will be on the webinar to talk to interested Vanderbilt applicants about the process. Register to attend and receive Zoom log-in instructions.

Sponsored by Vanderbilt University Corporate and Foundation Relations and the BRET Office of Career Development ASPIRE Program.

Immigration Update Session for Postdocs

Postdoctoral Fellows Immigration Update Session

Wednesday, August 12 | 3:30 PM

The Office of Postdoctoral Affairs, in collaboration with International Student & Scholar Services and the Office of Immigration Services, is hosting a session on recent immigration updates for Vanderbilt’s postdoctoral scholar community. Join Interim Director Sally Parker, Interim Program Manager Faith Bishop, Associate Director Annette Burris, and Program Manager Jennifer Rauch for a virtual information session. To ensure they are answered during the session, please submit any questions for the team to OPA@Vanderbilt.edu in advance of the webinar. Register to attend and receive Zoom log-in instructions.

Meet the new Vanderbilt Post Doc Association Exec Committee

Please join us in welcoming the following individuals to the VPA Executive Committee:

• Senior Co-Chair: James Sears, Biological Sciences
• Junior Co-Chair: Rei Ukita, Thoracic Surgery
• Secretary: Vacant
• Treasurer: Hiral Master, Orthopaedics
• Scholarly Learning Chair: Mariya Kovaleva, Nursing
• Social Chair: Katelyn Poole, Imaging Science
• Advocacy Chair: Fatemah Adelnia, Imaging Science
• Communications Chair: Anirban Sengupta, Imaging Science
• Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Chair: ReAnna S. Roby, Teaching and Learning
• Community Chair: Vacant

To learn more about the VPA, visit www.vanderbilt.edu/vpa.

Resources 

• Office of Postdoctoral Affairs
• Center for Teaching
• Faculty Affairs
• Inclusive Excellence
• Research Return to Campus
• Graduate School