Faculty Facilitator

Topic

Career Development

A collection of 18 issues

“The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck” by Mark Manson

This book by Mark Manson is designed to impact your outlook and how you view your position in the world. Its central hypothesis is that happiness is not meant to be the default, constant state, and that struggle and the desire to improve are where happiness comes from. It emphasizes

Change What You Can

Academics are the nexus of a university. They interact with other academics at all levels, administration, parents, donors, funding agencies, and corporate partners. These interactions can be helpful and productive, or they can be a source of frustration. While the ability to work with (or around) these groups is a

Surviving and Thriving after Switching Labs mid PhD

I switched to a new research group and dissertation project in the 5th year of my basic biomedical research PhD. Three years later I graduated with multiple first authored papers and a much improved resume that included a teaching fellowship. I went on to complete a successful fellowship-funded postdoc in

Maintaining a Wikipedia Page

It is now expected that a researcher has some sort of online presence. At a minimum this includes a University profile page, a lab webpage, and some sort of social media presence, often a Wikipedia page or LinkedIn profile. LinkedIn is wonderful for networking, but is not the best option

NIH URM Eligibility

updated February 2026. NOT-OD-20-031 was the most recent version of the NIH's Interest in Diversity. This Notice is no longer posted on grants.nih.gov consequent to the release of Executive Order 14151. The Notice it replaced, NOT-OD-18-210, is online but rescinded. Please contact your Program Officer for

Authorship Order

The order authors are listed on peer-reviewed scientific papers serves as a shorthand that signifies the contribution of each author. Each discipline has its own system in terms of what each authorship position signifies. Here I write from the perspective of the basic biomedical sciences. What Each Position Signifies The

Book review - "Be Useful", by Arnold Schwarzenegger

I’m going to riff off on how James Clear does his book reviews, providing an overall summary and then notes I took while reading. Final Thoughts: The title says it all. I liked this book- it is remarkably practical about its suggestions for how to move yourself closer to

How to ask for a letter of recommendation

Letters of recommendation are needed for hiring and promotion at all career points, from a first undergraduate summer internship to professional awards for senior faculty. They are also critical for obtaining tenure. You need to know who to ask for a letter of recommendation (LOR), and how and when to