Seeking graduate student and postdoc nominations for WashU RISE (postdoc with guaranteed faculty hiring)
Submitted by Ariadna S. Rubio Lebrón on
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¡Opportunity for trainees interested in faculty positions! Washington University School of Medicine is seeking nominations for a Retention and Inclusion of Scholars for Excellence (RISE) Fellows.
Recent findings indicate that the dearth of historically excluded and underrepresented minority (HEU) faculty members in US medical schools cannot be explained by a lack of available HEU talent, but is largely driven by the poor transition of available HEU talent into faculty positions (Gibbs, eLife 2016). We have created the RISE program to help address this problem. This program—based on the early successes of similar “grow your own” programs (Culpepper, Frontiers in Psychology 2021)—seeks to hire outstanding senior graduate students or early-stage postdoctoral fellows from HEU backgrounds into a three-year mentored Faculty Fellow period followed by a direct transition into a WashU Assistant Professor position (see this link more information). Important features of the program will include immediate faculty status, cultural and academic mentors, generous salary and flexible funding, and ongoing professional development (e.g., in grant writing and management). To nominate a candidate please send an email to rise-fellows@wustl.edu. For more information and to apply please visit, https://sites.wustl.edu/
What is the RISE Fellows Program?
The RISE Fellows Program is a new initiative to hire outstanding new faculty members into the Department of Cell Biology and Physiology (CBP) at Washington University School of Medicine. In particular, the program seeks to identify individuals at earlier career stages (e.g., recent Ph.D. graduates or early-stage postdoctoral fellows) than typical faculty candidate applicants. The program begins with a three-year mentored Fellow position followed by a transition into a traditional tenure-track Assistant Professor position.
Who is eligible?
Any candidate that is in the final year of PhD training in a field related to biomedical sciences or that has held a PhD for fewer than three years is eligible. Individuals that meet the NIH requirements for populations underrepresented in the extramural scientific workforce are strongly urged to apply. Applicants will not need to identify any faculty advisor at the time of the application.
What does it mean to be a RISE Fellow?
RISE Fellows are mentored, faculty-level employees whose tenure clock has not yet started. During this phase Fellows are provided with laboratory space and independent funding to initiate their own research program. This phase provides Fellows with protected time to build momentum and establish independence before transitioning to their tenure-track faculty position. To facilitate their career development, Fellows will establish at least one formal scientific mentor within CBP and additional cultural mentors within or outside of CBP as appropriate. Scientific mentors assist Fellows with establishing their programs but will not necessarily conduct joint projects or co-publish with Fellows.
What are the requirements needed to transition from a Fellow to an Assistant Professor?
Fellows will be hired into the RISE program with the expectation that they will transition into a tenure-track Assistant Professor role at the end of three years. Fellows are expected to initiate an independent research direction and pursue external funding that will help ensure their success as an independent faculty member. However, there are no formal requirements (e.g., published manuscripts or successful grant applications) required for the transition to take place.
How do I apply to the RISE Fellow program?
To apply, please send a cover letter, CV, one page summary of prior research, 3-4 page future research plan, and contact information of three references to our application portal. Candidates will be evaluated on a rolling basis.
