Professional Development

The National Postdoctoral Association has identified six core competencies to guide your career and professional development:

Discipline-specific conceptual knowledge
Research skill development
Communication skills
Professionalism
Leadership and management skills
Responsible conduct of research

While your research experience and your mentor will help you to advance in the first two areas, we strongly recommend that you also invest time developing the remaining competencies. Our office and many others at Yale organize events throughout the year to assist you in your professional development. Explore the links below, and read our weekly email newsletter for a compendium of upcoming events.

Training & Getting Involved at Yale

The variety of training opportunities available at Yale is extensive, and we use our weekly newsletter to summarize all upcoming events. Other resources are listed below.

Grant Writing

We strongly urge you to take advantage of the workshops offered by the Funding Resource Center within the Office of Sponsored Projects. These workshops for faculty and trainees will help you to identify funding opportunities for your research and prepare successful, well-targeted grant applications.

The programs listed below are presented regularly.

How To Write A Successful R01
Developing A Funded Research Program
Science Writing for Grants (and Manuscripts)
How to Write A Compelling Grant Abstract: A Hands-On, Skill-Building Workshop
All About Career Awards: Applications, Review, and Stepping Stones to Funding Your Future
Show Me The Money: Using Online Databases to Identify Funding Opportunities for Your Research
Behind the Scenes at NSF, DOE, DOD and Other Funding Agencies: An Insiders’ Perspective on Grant Review
Behind the Scenes at NIH: Study Section Members Share Their Experience with Application Review
Revising and Resubmitting: Practical Considerations Based on the Psychology of Re-Reviews
Funding Q&A Clinic: Get your questions answered in an informal setting

Responsible Conduct of Research for Postdocs

What is Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR)?

“Yale University is committed to the conduct of research and research training activities in a scientifically responsible and ethical manner. The Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) training is a part of funding requirements for both the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the National Science Foundations (NSF).”

Source: https://your.yale.edu/research-support/conflict-interest/responsible-conduct-research-rcr

Who should take RCR?

Postdocs paid from NSF or NIH grants, fellowships or other awards are required to complete RCR. If you are unsure how your postdoctoral position is funded or whether you are required to complete RCR, please consult your faculty mentor/supervisor or unit admin and funding agency guidance (see links below).

What are the options I have for taking RCR?

For those postdoctoral appointees paid from National Institutes of Health (NIH) T32 institutional training grants, F32 individual postdoctoral fellowships, and K awards, please register for the in-person RCR course offered by the Office for Postdoctoral Affairs which is offered each spring.

***The Spring 2024 course for the above appointees is now scheduled. It will take place on April 11 and April 12 from 9am-2pm on each day. Full details and registration can be found here: https://cglink.me/2dA/r2249232. Attendance on both days is required to complete the course. ***

For those postdoctoral appointees paid from NIH R awards, NSF fellowships and research grants please take the online CITI RCR course using the instructions provided here: https://yale.box.com/s/teelxypkfifml3wyx5q067ktx8ob337g.

What do I do after I’ve completed RCR?

If you take the in-person RCR course offered by the Office for Postdoctoral Affairs, your attendance will be tracked and your completion recorded to reflect your compliance. Please note: for the in-person course, you can miss only up to two sessions, and any sessions missed must be made up (instructions for makeups will be provided).

If you take the online CITI course, please send your certificate of completion to postdocs.affairs@yale.edu and your completion will be recorded to reflect your compliance.