University of Wisconsin–Madison

Category: Issue No. 1

The NIDDK Celebrates its 75th Anniversary! – Chris Mullins, PhD

First, hello to the CAIRIBU community! Dr. Kris Penniston asked me to provide a few words from the NIDDK for this inaugural issue of the Trainee Newsletter and periodically in future issues. I’ll try to cover broad topics of relevance to you, including updates on research and training/career development opportunities, NIH grant preparation and review, summaries …

NIH Funding for Trainees Within the F-Series Grant Mechanism – Kris Penniston, PhD

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) offers a series of “fellowship” awards. These awards are part of the NIH National Research Service Award program. F-series awards are specifically designed to support training and career development. Many CAIRIBU Community investigators have benefited from various F grants over time. Grant opportunities within the F-series are announced in …

Ask a Postdoc – Hannah Ruetten DVM, PhD

As a postdoctoral fellow, I am in the in-between stage where I am working toward independence but still working for another lab. It seems like there are a lot of obstacles at this stage because it is hard to access time and monetary support to get preliminary data for your own ideas and independent career, …

Collaboration Tips – Whitney Sweeney, PhD

Working across disciplines helps us get a deeper understanding of urologic conditions and develop better health solutions. However, most researchers aren’t trained to step outside their own field, and the training that is available frequently targets principal investigators (PIs). Thus, a lot of trainees wonder how they can help their teams work better together. Below, …

Ask a PI – Chad Vezina, PhD

The short answer is yes — a principal investigator (PI) may have to leave academia if they experience a lapse in funding. The impact of losing funding often depends on the PI’s employment structure. Some PIs hold hard money positions, meaning their salary is supported by stable, institutional sources like a university’s operating budget, which …