Postdoctoral Training Program

Grant Proposal Writing Workshop: This workshop is open to researchers at all phases in their career development. The workshops are led by faculty who have served on NIH Study Sections. The goal of the workshop is to provide knowledge about current funding opportunities and to provide a detailed discussion of grant format in order to assure that Junior faculty are aware of expectations and have strategies to meet them. Guidance on technical writing skills is provided, as well as discussions of feasibility and how to avoid an overly ambitious proposal. 

The New Frontiers Seminar Series: Recognizing the importance of having a great seminar for job interviews, this seminar series is specifically aimed at providing Postdocs with the opportunity to give and get feedback on their job talk. Talks are advertised to the entire CEHS community and are attended by Senior faculty who ask questions that help in preparation for interviews. Importantly, following the presentation, there is a private meeting of Junior and Senior faculty with the Postdoc Speaker where there is a detailed discussion of speaking strategy, organization, and clarity. This format provides valuable feedback for Postdocs enabling them to hone their slides in preparation for a competitive job market.

Outreach Opportunities: The CEHS Community Outreach Education and Engagement Core (COE2C) has a history of success in translating CEHS activities into impact on public health. Researchers at all stages of their careers have opportunities to be involved in bidirectional communication between the community and CEHS researchers. The COE2C provides opportunities for engagement with: i) local area young people to provide them with experiences that inspire an interest in science; ii) teachers who are able to expand on what they offer using tools and techniques developed by the COE2C; iii) nurses who learn fundamental scientific concepts that contribute to their understanding of disease treatment and prevention; and iv) members of our community concerned about water, soil, and air quality and contaminated sites. CEHS faculty at all career stages who have been involved in these efforts have benefited from both sharing their expertise, and from learning about key public health challenges that influence their own research.

Global Environmental Health Sciences Program in Public Health: Researchers at all stages of their careers have exciting opportunities to participate in global outreach efforts in environmental health. Through a long-standing connection with the Chulabhorn Research Institute (CRI), CEHS members have been participating in both educational and research efforts in Thailand. In terms of educational outreach, members of CEHS have participated in developing and offering courses as part of the Applied Biological Sciences, Environmental Toxicology and Chemical Biology Programs at the CRI. In addition, CEHS members have multiple research collaborations that link MIT to the CRI. Junior faculty have benefited from the opportunity to teach at the CRI, CEHS postdocs have been involved in fostering research at the CRI, and undergraduate students have been involved in an exchange program called ThaiROP (Thailand Research Opportunities Program). CEHS members additionally have opportunities for community engagement through the CEHS’s global efforts.