Biophysical Society Newsletter - September 2016

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BIOPHYSICAL SOCIETY NEWSLETTER

2016

SEPTEMBER

Molly Cule

100 business cards from people with whom you’ve barely spoken. • Don’t monopolize conversations! • Do follow-up with people you connect with — either through LinkedIn, email, or even phone calls depending on the nature of the interaction. It is always a good idea to quickly jot down brief information about the people you meet on their business cards right after meeting them. Don’t be afraid or reluctant to set up a follow- up one-on-one meeting over coffee or lunch. Remember that the networking event itself is only the first step. (Also, if you get help from someone, try to figure out if there’s a way you can return the favor — it’s all about give and take!) • Most importantly, do have fun!

Networking Event Dos and Dont's Networking events are great opportunities to expand your connections and can potentially lead to new collaborations, finding new job opportuni- ties, or simply creating new friendships! Here are some tips for successfully navigating a networking event. • Do have a professional business card to hand out at the event. Get one printed if you don’t get one through your university/school. • Do have a positive attitude going into the event. Doing a PhD/postdoc can be tough going at times and it is easy to become pessi- mistic; plus it might be stressful/intimidating, but showing enthusiasm and love for your work makes you stand out more. • Do have an “elevator pitch” prepared. The pitch should capture who you are and what you work on, magnifying unique skill sets you pos- sess. Be concise and to the point. Think about what you are hoping to get out of the event you are attending and adjust your pitch as necessary. • Don’t try “hard-selling” e.g., directly asking for a job. Networking is about building relation- ships and most people are put off if you im- mediately start asking for something (especially if there is no incentive for the other person). However, if you feel you have established a con- nection, and that it is contextual to the con- versation, it is appropriate to ask something on the lines of “so do you know if your company/ department is hiring,” or “…would you mind if I followed up with you regarding potential positions…” etc. • This should be obvious, but don’t stand in a corner speaking to people you know — go out and mingle. However, networking doesn’t necessarily mean you need to introduce yourself and speak with everyone in the room. Quality trumps quantity and making four or five good connections is more important than collecting

Grants and Opportunities i i s

Enabling Resources for Pharmacogenomics

Objective: To support critical enabling resources that will accelerate new research discoveries and/ or implementation of research discoveries in pharmacogenomics. The outcome of an enabling resource must be highly impactful in a demon- strable way.

Deadline: September 25, 2016

Website: http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/ pa-files/PAR-14-185.html

Grants for Early Medical/Surgical Subspecialists’ Transition to Aging Research Objective: To provide support for early-stage physician-scientists, trained in medical or surgical specialties, to launch careers as future leaders in research on aging or in geriatrics.

Deadline: October 6, 2016

Website: http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/ rfa-files/RFA-AG-17-012.html