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Current Postdocs

Postdoctoral Grant, Awards, and Development Opportunities

MU Postdoctoral Research Grant

The MU Office of Postdoctoral Education Research Grant Program is intended to support MU postdoctoral scholars in developing their independent research program. The grant awards help defray costs of conducting a clearly defined research project that is not financially supported by other grants, faculty members, or their department/division. The research project should be led by the postdoctoral scholar and represent a contribution to their independent research program.

Upcoming Deadline: Friday, October 1 2021, by 5:00 PM (Central)

To learn more about the grant application process, please read the MU Postdoctoral Research Grant Guidelines

Application cover sheet: MU-Postdoctoral-Research-Grant-COVER-SHEET

MU Postdoctoral Awards for Teaching and Research

The newly established Postdoctoral Awards recognize the contributions of postdoctoral scholars and their demonstration of excellence in the areas of teaching and research at the University of Missouri. The awards are open to postdoctoral scholars in all disciplines.

Nominees for these awards must currently be a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Missouri, Columbia campus and have held the position as a postdoc for at least one semester prior to the nomination. Self-nominations are encouraged.

Postdoctoral award winners will be recognized at the Awards Banquet hosted by the Graduate School in April. The awards will consist of an honorarium of $500 to $1,000 (depending on number of awardees). The awards will be administered by the MU Postdoctoral Association (MUPA) with support from the Office of Postdoctoral Education. Funding for the award is provided by the Graduate School.

Nomination requirements for both postdoctoral awards, including eligibility and criteria, can be found in the attached call. The fillable nomination form is also attached below.

Send nominations and materials as a single PDF to: 

Deadline: March 15, 2021, 5:00 PM (next deadline is TBD)

View the current award guidelines here: MU-Postdoctoral-Awards-Call-2020  

Download the nomination form here: Fillable Nomination Form Postdoctoral Awards

Postdoctoral Faculty Mentor Award

This award represents appreciation for an individual who has demonstrated either a profound, sustained, or leadership contribution to improving the postdoctoral experience.

The award recognizes an individual who has contributed to improving the postdoctoral experience through:

  • Pioneering efforts to improve postdoctoral policies, benefits, and programs.
  • Influencing sustained leadership in national systemic and/or local change for the improvement of the postdoctoral experience.
  • Advocating and raising awareness of significant and important issues that have significantly altered the postdoctoral scholar landscape.
  • Contributing to professional development, career development and resource development for postdoctoral scholars.
  • Creating agency and opportunity for postdoctoral research and advancement into academic and nonacademic careers.

Spring 2021 Nomination Deadline

Nomination Packets

The nomination must be made by a postdoctoral scholar (anyone who is currently a postdoc or within 5 years of completing their postdoctoral training). The nomination packet should be saved as a single pdf file labeled with the nominee’s name. It should include the following documents, saved in the following order:

    1. Brief description of the nominee. Please include the nominee’s full name, title, and academic credentials.
    2. Essay describing why you believe the nominee should receive the award (1200-word limit). Consider the following points:
      1. How the nominee provides “hands-on” professional development experiences for postdocs, such as writing papers or reviews and applying for grants and fellowships.
      2. How the nominee provides postdocs with guidance on networking and planning for their future careers.
      3. What are the philosophy, activities, characteristics, or traits of the nominee that makes them a truly outstanding mentor? Be sure to give specific examples.
      4. How the nominee’s mentoring has benefited you personally (if applicable).
      5. A summary of the nominee’s mentoring efforts, including, for example, the length of time that they have served as a mentor; the number of postdocs that the nominee has mentored; and examples of the success these postdocs have had under the mentor’s guidance, especially regarding increased proficiency in any of the six National Postdoc Association’s Core Competencies.
      6. How the nominee has influenced the qualify of the postdoctoral experience on a local, regional, or national level.
    3. Up to three (3) supporting documents (e.g., letters of support from former postdocs within 5 years from completing their postdoctoral training and/or current postdoctoral scholars, news or journal articles).

National Postdoctoral Association (NPA) Affiliate Membership

NPA provides a national united voice and advocates for positive work environments for postdoctoral fellows, researchers, instructors, and scholars. 

The MU Graduate School has paid for institutional membership with the National Postdoctoral Association (NPA).  This means all of Mizzou’s postdocs are entitled to free affiliate (individual-level) membership to NPA. In doing this, we join a long list of other prestigious universities who are also members of NPA. Here’s a list of their individual member benefits:

  • Subscription to NPA e-alerts, a periodic news announcement, and The POSTDOCket, the NPA’s official quarterly newsletter
  • Reduced registration fees to the NPA Annual Meeting & eligibility for the NPA travel award program
  • Access to members-only NPA Web content
  • Access to NPA Member Groups to connect & network with fellow NPA members
  • Discounts to services and products.
  • Opportunities to serve and contribute your expertise on a variety of NPA committees
  • Voting rights in all NPA elections and on NPA ballot issues
  • National representation on postdoctoral issues

To obtain your free membership, click the image below! Once on their webpage, select “Affiliate Individual Member, Postdoc” as your membership type. Create a username and enter your first and last name. Next, you will be prompted to confirm your membership type. Lastly, complete the demographic information, and enter the University of Missouri as your organization. It is as simple as that!

Professional Development for Postdoctoral Fellows

  • Visit the Postdoc Mentoring & Training page for a list of professional development resources!
  • If you are not receiving emails from the Graduate School and MU Postdoctoral Association (MUPA), then please send an email to Dena Lane-Bonds, dena.lane-bonds@mail.missouri.edu, to be added to the listserv.

 

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