Biophysical Society Bulletin | May 2021

Career Development

Grants & Opportunities Vilcek Prizes for Creative Promise in Biomedical Science The Vilcek Foundation will award three Creative Promise Prizes of $50,000 each to young, immigrant biomedical scientists who demonstrate outstanding early achieve- ment. Who can apply: Requirements include that the applicant was born outside of the United States to non-American parents, is not more than 38 years old as of December 31, 2021, and has lived in the United States for at least four years. Additional requirements can be found on the website. Deadline: June 11 Website: https:/ vilcek.org/prizes/vilcek-prizes-for-cre- ative-promise/creative-promise-prizes-biomedical-sci- ence/ Ozen: Perhaps when you say industry, it is good to keep in mind that there is not just one industry—it’s a spectrum and there are all different kinds of companies. Even larger com- panies differ within themselves in terms of thinking about innovation and innovative science. There’s always a way to try to meet the deadlines but also think of the more innova- tive ideas. There is some creativity and extra effort required, and making a case to management is important; you have to make the case for why it is good for them to support you with money and your time, which then couldn’t be used for other experiments. It is a lot about thinking and presentation. In terms of deciding to go do industry, when I was graduating with my PhD I had no idea. I didn’t know what I wanted to do. All I was hearing from academic advisors was that you Wilbur: That’s an interesting point because I feel like my com- pany tries to balance those things and be right on the edge of both. There is great value to doing that kind of academic-style research to our drug discovery programs. Yet, we do have timelines and we have to advance things quickly, both for business purposes and because there are patients out there that need the drugs that we’re making. So I think finding that balance, that interesting, fun science—that is really import- ant to the drug discovery project—that is where I spend a lot of my time thinking. That feels both very academic at times and very practical.

can only do “cool science” in academia, in industry there is no “cool science,” which is absolutely not true. I actually got an offer for a scientist position from a company, but it felt scary, because you don’t know what you’re signing. I was never exposed to what industry and drug discovery science is. I got this postdoc opportunity at Genentech, and looking at previous Genentech alumni it was clear that some peo- ple went to industry and took scientist positions, and some people went back to really good faculty positions in academia. It sounded like a really good opportunity to be exposed to industry settings a little bit but also maintain my chances at getting high-profile publications so if I decided to go back to academia it would still be an option. Beach: That sounds really smart. For me, I always knew I was going into industry. I was a non-traditional student, I started in the military, then worked my way through undergrad and got a scholarship to graduate school. I knew it wasn’t the path for me to go into academia, but I didn’t know my job existed. I went a conference and saw the ad for my position, went to their booth and presented my resume, got the interview, and got the job! Sometimes being in the right place at the right time, keeping your eyes open for opportunities, and having your 2-minute speech, your 1-minute speech, your 15-sec- ond presentation of yourself, it just works wonders.

Cottrell Scholar Award This award honors and helps to develop outstanding teacher-scholars who are recognized by their scientif- ic communities for the quality and innovation of their research programs and their academic leadership skills. This award provides entry into a national community of outstanding scholar-educators who produce significant research and educational outcomes. Who can apply: Early career tenure-track faculty at US and Canadian research universities and primarily under- graduate institutions. Deadline: July 1 Website: https:/ rescorp.org/cottrell-scholars/ cottrell-scholar-award

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