Program Features
The Michigan
Chemistry Fellows Program is Not Just Another Postdoc
The Michigan Chemistry Fellows Program has been designed to provide
more than a typical postdoctoral fellowship. The focus is on establishing
a core of highly-motivated researchers in transition from student to independence.
Many landmark discoveries are taking place at the intersections of several
disciplines, and one of the ways we hope to foster further innovations
is by bringing together the Fellows in a common office—separate from
their labs—to provide a common space for discussion of science as
well as the many issues particular to a postdoctoral researcher.
Fellows-Selected Speaker
Inspired by a similar program for the graduate students and a junior-faculty
selected lecture series, the Michigan Chemistry Fellows will be asked
to select, invite and host an outside speaker's visit to the department.
One-on-one meetings with the Fellows will have priority over typical faculty
meetings, thus allowing the Fellows to discuss science directly with the
guest. This kind of interaction is very valuable, particularly in learning
more about the guest's work while providing a chance for Fellows to describe
their current work, future prospects and to receive feedback on proposal
ideas.
Additional Training Opportunities
Currently, most of the training of post-doctoral Fellows is done within
research groups in the department. For the Fellows, research will remain
a central priority, as this is crucial for obtaining their next position. We
will provide additional professional development for the Fellows by integrating
with our existing Chemical Sciences at the Interface
of Education (CSIE) program. The CSIE program has a variety of
training sessions on a monthly basis, including sessions on how to write
grants and how to run research groups. We will add a hands-on academic
and industrial interview training involving short job talks and research
propositions based upon their current post-doctoral research. The Fellows
will also be encouraged to take the scientific ethics course run by PIBS
if they have not previously had such training.
The Michigan
Difference