Career Development and Planning
The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Individual Development Plan (myIDP) is an online career-planning tool for Ph.D. students and postdoctoral scholars in the sciences.
Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI): Making the Right Moves: A Practical Guide to Scientific Management for Postdocs and New Faculty, second edition
- Addendum: How to be a member of an R01 NIH [National Institutes of Health] Study Section
- Addendum: Writing a Letter of Recommendation
Imagine PhD is an online career exploration and planning tool for Ph.D. students and postdoctoral scholars in the Humanities and Social Sciences.
If you are a potential postdoctoral scholar in a STEM field doing research in the life sciences that has a medical application, you may qualify to receive an Institutional Research and Academic Career Development Award (IRACDA) at UC Santa Cruz or other institutions that have received this faculty development funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The UCSC Institute for the Biology of Stem Cells (IBSC) manages UCSC’s IRACDA fellowships and also manages the Genentech- Foundation sponsored Academic Inspiration Network (GAIN) mentoring program for postdocs and advanced Ph.D. students. Find information about UCSC's IRACDA postdoctoral fellowships here. Find information about GAIN here.
The Institute for Scientist and Engineer Educators (ISEE) at UCSC offers a professional development program (PDP) to prepare scientists and engineers to be leaders in effective and inclusive education.
The National Center for Faculty Development and Diversity (NCFDD) provides on-demand access to mentoring, tools, and support to be successful in the Academy. UCSC is an institutional member of the NCFDD, with access open to all faculty, postdocs, and graduate students. Activate your membership by selecting University of California, Santa Cruz from the Select your institution menu on this Become a member page.
National Postdoctoral Association (NPA)
UC Santa Cruz is a sustaining institutional member of the National Postdoctoral Association (NPA). The NPA works to improve the postdoctoral experience by supporting research training and professional growth, advocating for postdoctorate policies that benefit researchers and scholars, developing resources for postdoctorates, holding a conference, and maintaining other community-building pursuits. NPA resources and benefits are available to all members of the UCSC community, including faculty, administrators, postdocs, and graduate students. Register as an affiliate member using your ucsc.edu email address to access member benefits. Find registration steps here.
UC Berkeley QB3 SLAM: Science Leadership and Management is a seminar/workshop series focused on understanding the many interpersonal interactions critical for success in a scientific lab, as well as some practical aspects of lab management. The target audience for this course is upper-level science graduate students and postdoctoral scholars with broad interests and backgrounds, and skills covered apply to a variety of career paths.
UC San Francisco Scientific Leadership and Management Skills (SLMS) Course provides 16 hours of training and is targeted at senior postdocs, clinical research fellows, and junior faculty. It is recommended for those who are about to lead research groups in an academic environment or those who have just begun to lead. Acceptance into this course requires a competitive application.
