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Preparing for a Discovery Postdoc 22 August 2008 Dr Kirsty Gillespie CASS Research Office

Preparing for a Discovery Postdoc 22 August 2008 Dr Kirsty Gillespie CASS Research Office. Today’s focus questions: What’s a Discovery postdoc, and why would I want one? What’s an ECR, and why is this status important? How should I go about designing an application?

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Preparing for a Discovery Postdoc 22 August 2008 Dr Kirsty Gillespie CASS Research Office

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  1. Preparing for a Discovery Postdoc 22 August 2008Dr Kirsty Gillespie CASS Research Office

  2. Today’s focus questions: What’s a Discovery postdoc, and why would I want one? What’s an ECR, and why is this status important? How should I go about designing an application? How can I develop my track record? Are there alternatives to going it alone? Can I apply for a postdoc at the same institution where I completed my PhD? How can the CASS Research Office help me?

  3. What’s a Discovery postdoc, and why would I want one? • ARC postdocs can be won up to 3 years after the award of a PhD. • Discovery postdocs (APDs) allow the recipient of the award to concentrate on their own topic of ‘pure research’. • Discovery projects have budgets between $20 000-$500 000 p.a. • Postdocs held for a period of 3 years full-time, at $62 642 p.a. • For the next Discovery round, due in March 2009, you will have received your PhD no earlier than 6/3/06. • For those not yet finished: Offers are contingent on official confirmation that the thesis has been submitted, and a Fellowship will only be granted once the thesis acceptance letter is received, which has to occur by 30/6/2010.

  4. What’s an ECR, and why is this status important? • ECRs = early career researchers. ARC ECRs are scholars who have been awarded their PhD no more than five years before the due date of the funding scheme they are applying for. • ECR status helps determine an applicant’s track record relative to opportunity; also, the government insists on ensuring that a certain percentage of funding goes to ECRs.

  5. How should I go about designing an application? • Begin developing your ideas for a grant proposal during your PhD candidature. • Proposals should not be seen to be a direct continuation of your doctoral research, but may derive from it. • Talk over your ideas for a research project with your colleagues, and your supervisors and mentors. • Be able to demonstrate clearly the project’s: aims significance and innovation methodology budget • Consider how your research will be of ‘national benefit’. National Research Priorities: An Environmentally Sustainable Australia Promoting and Maintaining Good Health Frontier Technologies for Building and Transforming Aust. Industries Safeguarding Australia

  6. How ARC proposals are assessed Project 60% • Significance and innovation 30% • Approach and Methodology 20% • National Benefit 10% Track record 40%

  7. How can I develop my track record? • Publish in refereed publications • Emphasis on monographs, journal articles and book chapters • Forthcoming/in press publications can also be included in a postdoc application, but the date of acceptance must be given. • Non-refereed publications are not accepted by most universities and schemes in your publications list, but can be mentioned in other parts of the application. • Conference presentations • Applied work • Ability to disseminate findings widely • Membership of relevant professional organisations

  8. Are there alternatives to going it alone? • Advantages of team research projects: collaboration in research higher chance of success if proposal involves established academics • Other ARC Schemes eg. Linkage

  9. Can I apply for a postdoc at the same institution where I completed my PhD? Yes! But… • ‘Institutional mobility’ is highly valued in an ECR • You will have to justify why you wish to remain at ANU

  10. How can the CASS Research Office help me? • provide assistance from the initial design of your project through to the final submission stage of your application, including the valuable peer review process • help you get in touch with previously successful applicants • guide you through how to improve your application if it is unsuccessful • provide administrative support for the life of a grant • help staff and students locate other sources of funding

  11. Thank you! Please contact us to discuss your application ideas CASS Research Office Coombs Building, ground floor grants.cass@anu.edu.au www.cass.anu.edu.au/staff/research

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