Biophysical Society Bulletin | November 2021

Cheers for Volunteers

Nagarajan Vaidehi Committee for Inclusion and Diversity (CID)

Nagarajan Vaidehi

Grants & Opportunities IBSA Foundation Fellowships The IBSA Foundation awards five fellowships every year, each worth €30,000, to young researchers under the age of 40 from universities and research institutes around the world who have distinguished themselves for their skills and have ongoing projects of particular relevance in five areas of research: dermatology, endocrinology, fertility/ urology, orthopedics/main medicine/rheumatology, and a special 2021 category on “regenerative medicine.” Who can apply: Please see website for full eligibility re- quirements. The call is open to PhDs, postdocs, research fellows, and residents. Deadline: December 31, 2021 Website: https:/www.ibsafoundation.org/en/fellow- ships/call-2021 Volunteering is clearly a two-way street. We learn from others’ experiences and share our experiences with others. It is a great platform for meeting colleagues within BPS from diverse backgrounds and to share their experiences. Listening to ideas and thoughts that my colleagues on the committee provide in discussions of issues related to diversity showed everyone’s commitment to the work and has really enriched my experience as a woman biophysicist. Is this your first volunteer position for BPS? If not, what other positions have you held? No. Prior to this position I have served on the Education Com- mittee. Why do you volunteer? Volunteering is one way to understand the needs of the next generation of biophysicists and to share knowledge and per- sonal experiences as a scientist in navigating career goals. What has been a highlight from your volunteer experience?

American Association for Cancer Research – Anna D. Barker Basic Cancer Research Fellowship This fellowship encourages and supports postdoctor- al or clinical research fellows to establish a successful career path in cancer research. This fellowship provides $110,000 over a two-year period to support the salary and benefits of a fellow working on a mentored basic cancer research project. Who can apply: Please see website for full eligibility requirements. The call is open to postdoctoral fellows, clinical research fellows, or equivalent. Deadline: January 25, 2022 Website: https:/www.aacr.org/grants/aacr-anna-d-bark- er-basic-cancer-research-fellowship/ When not volunteering for BPS, what do you work on? I am a computational chemist, and in my research group we develop advanced molecular dynamics simulation methods and apply these methods to understand the inner workings of the largest superfamily of membrane proteins, called G protein coupled receptors. As a Chair of the Department of Computational and Quantitative Medicine and Associate Di- rector of the Cancer Center at City of Hope, I am also actively involved in expanding the impact of computational and quan- titative methods in analyzing patient-related data to provide knowledge that would aid the treatment decision-making process for the physicians. In my spare time I love to teach, read books, and play with kids. Do you have advice for others who might be thinking about volunteering? Yes, please do so. This is loud and clear. I have learned a lot and also contributed to BPS through volunteering. It gives an opportunity to touch people’s lives beyond your own sphere of influence.

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