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Starting New Research Projects and Building Collaborations

This guide provides tips and strategies for researchers starting new projects after completing their PhD. It covers developing existing research, exploring local environments, building collaborations, expanding reach, and taking advantage of special solicitations geared towards early career scientists.

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Starting New Research Projects and Building Collaborations

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  1. Richard Yuretich University of Massachusetts, Amherst Starting New Research Projects and Building Collaborations

  2. I’ve finished my Ph.D. • Now what? • Continue developing your Ph.D. research • RY: 2 subsequent funded projects; publications spanned 26 years

  3. Explore your local environment • Adapt methods and topics to local issues and opportunities • RY: African lakes → New York lakes • RY: Watersheds, groundwater issues, NJ → Mass. • Capitalize on student interest where practicable • RY: Acid rain and Environmental concerns

  4. Develop New Collaborations • Identify helpful colleagues in department • Those with complementary interests • More senior-level • Connections to funding agencies and sources • Current Graduate Students • Connections to research areas • Interdisciplinary connections

  5. Develop New Collaborations • Talk to campus people outside department • RY: Water Resources Research Center: State support for Boston water research • RY: Physics, Astronomy, Science Education: major funding for research on science teaching and learning • RY: Environmental Engineering, Microbiology: large grant for remediation of acid-mine drainage

  6. Expand Your Reach • Make time for reading • Keep tabs on people doing related research • Develop ideas for possible collaboration • Approach them with a proposal • Identify “researchable moments” • From your teaching • From your field experiences • From Departmental “Archives”

  7. Expand Your Reach • Build upon professional meetings • RY: Baikal Drilling Project • Don’t forget the “cold calls” • RY: Rogers & Rosamond Lakes

  8. Requests for Proposals (RFPs) • Pros • An RFP indicates that money has been earmarked by a funding agency for research in this area • Don’t need to rely on enthusiasm of program officer • Excellent opportunity if you are already have some research in the area of interest, • Cons • They are often (usually?) over-competitive, attracting many proposals • Odds of funding can therefore be smaller. • May ask for things that you don’t really want to do

  9. Special Solicitations Geared Toward Early Career Scientists • NSF Faculty Early Career Development Grants (“CAREER” Award) • “Prestigious” • Not competing against established senior scientists • 5-year duration (the “treadmill slows down”) • BUT odds of success may actually be much worse than unsolicited proposal route • funding per year actually tends to be a bit less, on average, than standard 3-yr NSF awards; • strong education/outreach component required • NASA NIP (New Investigator Program) • must have strong NASA connections developed before you’ll be considered seriously

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