Research Career Development & Strategies

What options and resources are available for new investigators just beginning to think about career development? Where should investigators begin in terms of setting priorities? Welcome to the continuing struggle associated with multiple responsibilities of being a professor, researcher, doctor, community, and family member. Below are some resources designed to help you begin answering these questions.

Tips For Organizing Research Life

Developed by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Burroughs Wellcome Fund, Making the Right Moves provides practical advice and strategies for those seeking or just entering tenure-track faculty positions on the best academic and research career moves. Topics addressed include understanding university structure, laboratory leadership, setting up a lab, time management, project management, getting funded, getting published, understanding technology transfer, collaboration, teaching, and course design.

An addendum to the Making the Right Moves book above, this publication from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Burroughs Wellcome Fund provides an overview of the NIH peer-review process and the typical timeline one can expect when serving as a peer reviewer for the National Institutes of Health.

Tips For Organizing Research Life

The National Institutes of Health now offers early-career investigators the opportunity to become grant reviewers for their Center for Scientific Review (CSR). First established in 2011, more than 800 early-career investigators have now taken advantage of this program. Additional details about this program including eligibility criteria can be found on the Early Career Reviewer Program web page.

The National Science Foundation's premier Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Program emphasizes the dual nature of faculty members - research and teaching - and encourages recipients to fully pursue both while in the developmental stages of their careers.

This CAREER website provides access to information on program contacts and abstracts of previously awarded CAREER projects.

This book of articles compiled by ZJ Pei, a former CAREER awardee, incorporates helpful tips from other CAREER awardees. Although some hints are dated and no longer conform to current NSF requirements, the overall informative nature of this book keeps it relevant. (Provided with permission from the author.)

Developed Resources

ORDE has developed this CAREER Award Toolkit to familiarize early-career investigators with the Early Career Development (CAREER) Program offered by the National Science Foundation. This Toolkit is a great starting point and puts information from a variety of sources in one place for investigator convenience.

Office of Research Services

CU Denver

Lawrence Street Center

1380 Lawrence Street

Suite 300

Denver, CO 80204

researchservices@ucdenver.edu

303-315-5826

Twitter

Tools

Resources

Schools & Colleges

Campus Affiliates

Alert: The Plaza Building will remain closed through Jan. 20, 2025.

The Plaza Building will remain closed through Jan. 20, 2025. The Health Center is operating in a modified capacity. Call 303-615-9999 for appointment information during operating hours. Reminder, the Health Center is closed for the winter break Dec. 24 - Jan. 1.

Learn More

Office of Research Services (ORS)

Research Administration

Research Career Development & Strategies

Tips For Organizing Research Life

Tips For Organizing Research Life

Developed Resources

Office of Research Services

Research Career Development & Strategies

Tips For Organizing Research Life

Making The Right Moves: A Practical Guide for Scientific Management For Postdocs and New Faculty (HHMI)

How to be a Member of an R01 NIH Study Section

Tips For Organizing Research Life

AHRQ Research Training and Career Options

NIH K Award Kiosk

NIH New/Early Stage Investigator Status Explained

NIH Early Career Reviewer Program

NSF CAREER Award Program Website

NSF CAREER Proposal Writing Tips

Developed Resources

New Investigator e-Book

NSF CAREER Award Toolkit

Office of Research Services