I would like to organize a peer support group for writing postdoctoral
fellowship applications. I envision this group to implement the ideas
behind what current ASBMB President Suzanne Pfeffer calls the
"Yamamoto plan" (for more details please refer to her recent article
at:
http://www.asbmb.org/asbmbtoday/asbmbtoday_article.aspx?id=11326).
The idea is for the peer group to meet about two months before major
fellowship deadline(s). Each postdoc who is planning to submit in a
couple of months drafts a single Specific Aims page "highlighting the
question to be addressed, why it is important and three to five sets
of experiments that will advance our understanding." (i am stealing
from Pfeffer). We all then read these one-pagers and are ready to
discuss their strengths and weaknesses during the peer support group
meeting. Most of us will happily read a one-pager rather than a
lengthy research proposal and i hope that most of us will be willing
to give honest "feed-forward" when the deadline is two months into the
future rather than "less-than-honest feedback" if we are to comment on
a 6 page proposal when it is due in a week.
To spark more ideas and suggestions from you i encourage you to read
Suzanne Pfeffer's full editorial.
So if you are planning to submit an NRSA or private foundation
fellowships and are interested in such a support group please send me
an email.
Lazar Dimitrov
Randy Schekman Lab