Career Resources
Resources on this page were developed through DIALOG and DISCCRS symposia and related activities, with the hope of advancing the progress of climate-change and aquatic-science research and early-career development. A key resource for postdocs in particular is the National Science Foundation's Geoscience Directorate's Recommendations for Postdoctoral Policies and Practicies that can be found here: NSF Postdoc Mentoring Guidelines. The U.S. National Postdoctoral Association has many general resources as well. An annotated bibliography is provided below the table of links. If you know of a resource that you believe would be a good addition to this list, please email us at [email protected].
This page is divided into the following sections:
Job-Related Pages and Topical Listservs
Postdoctoral Fellowship Opportunities
Interdisciplinary Graduate Education
Job-Related Pages and Topical Listservs
- AcademicCareers.com - Faculty, adjunct, and post doc, department head, and dean jobs in all areas
- APPAM - Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management
- Climate-L - IISD news & announcements on climate change policy & issues, Climate-L Mailing List
- CLIMLIST - International list for climatologists
- EANTH-L - Ecological & Environmental Anthropology
- Earthworks - Extensive listings of earth related jobs
- ECOLOG-L - Grants, jobs and news from the Ecological Society of America
- ESWN - Earth Science Women's Network
- ES_JOBS_NET - Earth Sciences jobs
- Geomorph-L - Listserv for the International Association of Geomorphologists
- GEP-Ed - Global Environmental Politics
- H-NET - Environmental History
- HERC - Higher Education Recruitment Consortium. Jobs are organized by geographic area to assist dual-career couples in finding jobs within a reasonable commute.
- ISOGEOCHEM - Stable Isotope Geochemistry science and news
- Met-Jobs - Meterological and related jobs (UK)
- Paleoclimate-List - Paleoclimatology research & science
- Planktonnet - Great listserv for aquatic-science jobs. To subscribe to the list, send an empty email to [email protected], or visit https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/planktonnet/info and click 'Join Group.'
- RESECON - Land & Resource Economics Network
- RISKCOM - Risk Communication
- Science Careers - Career development site published by Science magazine
- START e-newsletter - Jobs, research opportunities, and events relating to global environmental change in developing countries (Africa and Asia-Pacific)
Professional Development
While academic institutions are increasingly providing students with training related to professional development, most graduates need more training than is currently provided as part of their graduate education. The resources here were developed to fill this need.
- Making the Right Moves: A Practical Guide to Scientific Management for Postdocs and New Faculty
- Biocomplexity Workshop: Designing a Capstone Experience for Recent PhDs Embarking on Interdisciplinary Careers
- Lessons learned from graduates engaging in the study of complex environmental systems (Margalef Award 2010 presentation by Sue Weiler)
- 'Rotators' at NSFs Geosciences Directorate
- Navigating Promotion and Tenure
- Facilitation Skills - how to keep meetings on track
- On the Cutting Edge Project - Professional Development & Resources for Geoscience Faculty and Post-Docs
- Publication, Citation & Impact (S. Pfirman et al.)
- Collaboration & Networking (S. Pfirman et al.)
- Developing a Research Plan (S. Pfirman et al.)
- Careers in Climate Change Research: Feature Index (Science)
- Finding Non-Traditional Jobs "Outside the Lab" (AAAS)
- FindHow - Career Exploration and Resources
- Academic Job-Hunting Tips
- Interview Question List - what to ask during a job interview
- A Magic Guide to Interviewing
- Writing and Requesting Letters of Recommendation
- Preparing for an Academic Job Interview
- Dual-Career Couples and Academic Science
- Career Development Webinar Series Archive from the Association of Polar Early Career Scientists (APECS)
-
A Quick Guide to Writing a Solid Peer Review - Nicholas, K. and W. Gordon (2011). Eos 92(28): 233.
(Copyright AGU. Further reproduction or electronic distribution is not permitted). -
Writing an Effective Manuscript Review - Waser, N. M., M. V. Price, and R. K. Grosberg (1992). BioScience 42(8): 621-623.
(Copyright 1992, American Institute of Biological Sciences.) - Career-building Resources for Scientists - compiled by Kerry Ann Rockquemore, Executive Director of the National Center for Faculty Development & Diversity and used at the 2012 ESWN Career Development Workshop
- Ask For It: How Women Can Use the Power of Negotiation to Get What They Really Want - Babcock, L. and Laschever, S. 2008. Piatkus Books. 336p. (Targeted towards women, but applies more broadly.)
Postdoctoral Fellowship Opportunities
- NSF Earth Science Postdoctoral Fellowships
- NSF Postdoctoral Fellowships in Polar Regions Research
- NSF Science, Engineering and Education for Sustainability (SEES) Fellows
- NSF Atmospheric and Geospace Sciences Postdoctoral Research Fellowships (AGS-PRF)
- NASA Postdoctoral Program
- NCAR Advanced Study Program; Postdoctoral and Faculty fellowships
- NCAR/CDC Postdoctoral Fellowship - Offers postdoctoral support combining public health applications and climate science in partnership between the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) and the National Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
- NCAR/NEON Postdoctoral Fellowship - Offers postdoctoral support combining ecological, carbon cycle, water cycle, and climate sciences in partnership between the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) and the National Ecological Observing Network (NEON)
- NOAA Climate and Global Change Postdoctoral Fellowship Program (C&GC)
- Postdocs Applying Climate Expertise Postdoctoral Fellowships (PACE)
- Jack Eddy Postdoctoral Fellowships
Funding Opportunities
- National Science Foundation (NSF) Funding
- National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Research Opportunities
- Partnerships for Enhanced Engagement in Research (PEER) program - PEER is a competitive grants program that will allow developing country scientists to apply for funds to support research and capacity building activities in partnership with their NSF-funded U.S. collaborators. Organized by the NSF and USAID.
- EPA Current Funding Opportunities
- NOAA Funding Announcements and Organization Chart
Proposal Development
While anyone wishing to pursue a research career can expect to write proposals, concrete skills are not always taught in graduate school. The resources in this section have been used at various DISCCRS symposia to inform scholars of NASA and NSF programs and proposal development.
- NASA Earth Sciences Division, Science Mission Directorate (pdf) - DISCCRS V presentation by Ming-Ying Wei
- Practical Guidelines for Proposal Writers (updated 2012) - by Deneb Karentz. An overview for new proposal writers based on a presentation Deneb gave at the DIALOG IV symposium, and updated by C. Susan Weiler.
- Tips on NSF Proposal Preparation (pdf) (updated 2012) - by Alan Tessier, NSF Biological Sciences Directorate
- Suggestions for preparing NSF CAREER proposals (PDF), by C. Susan Weiler, Program Director, Division of Atmospheric Sciences, NSF
- Tips on Proposal Development (pdf) - presentation by Thomas J. Baerwald, NSF Geography & Regional Science Program
- How to Get NSF to Support Your Research (pdf) - DISCCRS V presentation by Robert E. O'Connor, Program Director, Social, Behavioral and Economic Sciences Directorate, NSF
- Opportunities for Early Career Scientists (pdf) - DISCCRS V presentation by Robert "Buck" Sanford,Jr., Program Director, Biosciences Directorate, NSF
- NSF Geosciences Directorate and Tips on Proposal Development (pdf) - DISCCRS V presentation by C. Susan Weiler, Program Director, Division of Atmospheric Sciences, NSF
- Suggestions for NSF/GEO Early Career PIs by C. Susan Weiler, Program Director, Division of Atmospheric Sciences, NSF
- Marissa Baskett's resources: grants, jobs, writing, presenting
- How to Fail in Grant Writing - what not to do when preparing a proposal, from The Chronicle of Higher Education
- Ten Simple Rules for Getting Grants - from the Public Library of Science's Journal of Computational Biology
- U.S. National Science Foundation: Survey on the Impact of Proposal and Award Management Mechanisms
- U.S. National Science Foundation: A Guide for Proposal Writing
- NASA Solicitation and Proposal Integrated Review and Evaluation System
- Model for a Collaborative Research Proposal - "Collaborative Research: Impact of solar radiation and nutrients on biogeochemical cycling of DMSP and DMS in the Ross Sea, Antarctica" by Ron Kiene and David Kieber
Communication Resources
Communication skills are key to researchers working at the science/policy interface. The following resources were compiled from past symposia and from recommendations from past DISCCRS participants.
- Personality type differences between Ph.D. climate researchers and the general public: Implications for effective communication by C. S. Weiler (DISCCRS Co-Director), J. Keller, and C. Olex (DISCCRS Facilitation Trainer & Mentor)
- NASA's Global Climate Change website - This page includes many resources relating to climate change that have been developed by NASA, including latest trends in carbon dioxide and temperature, articles, NASA's role, solutions and resources.
- The Psychology of Climate Change Communication - A Guide for Scientists, Journalists, Educators, Political Aides, and the Interested Public
- The One-Minute Talk by Victoria McGovern
- 101 Skeptic Arguments and What the Science Says by John Cook
- How to demolish a denier: scientist fillets Pat Kenny - blog post about an interview with Richard Somerville (DISCCRS VI Mentor)
- Resources for Getting Started in Communicating about Climate Change - from RealClimate.org
- Communicating on Climate Change by Bud Ward (DISCCRS IV Mentor)
- Answering Common Climate Change Questions by Susan Hassol (DISCCRS V & VI Communication Mentor)
- Yale Project on Climate Change Communication by Anthony Leiserowitz (DISCCRS II Symposium Scholar)
- Suggested Links (Center for Climate Change Communication, George Mason University)
- Resources for Scientific Presentations - recommended by DISCCRS and DIALOG participants (2005), compiled by C. Susan Weiler
- Rethinking the Design of Presentation Slides: The Assertion-Evidence Structure
- Pointers for PowerPoint Presentations - compiled from discussions with the DISCCRS VI Mentors
Mentoring and Teaching
Recent PhD graduates are in a period of sharp transition--they still need to be mentored, but they are increasingly taking on the role of advisor and mentor to others. Many are teaching for the first time. These resources were developed to ease the process.
- Interdisciplinary Research & Teaching Resources from "Building Strong Geoscience Departments" (SERC @ Carleton College)
- On Mentoring: Nature journal's Guide for Mentors
- Mentoring (DISCCRS I Symposium Report)
- Ecology teaching tips for first-year professor
- Advice to Students Considering a Ph.D. in the Aquatic Sciences
- Education and outreach guide
- Resources for Evaluating Education Projects
- CAMEL Climate Change Education - a free, comprehensive, interdisciplinary, multimedia resource for educators
Interdisciplinary Graduate Education
DIALOG and DISCCRS symposium participants come from a variety of academic institutions, within and outside the U.S. As recent PhD graduates, they generally have strong opinions on their graduate experiences and are eager to share the best aspects of their programs. These reports share their perspectives and recommendations.
- Meeting Ph.D. Graduate Needs in a Global Changing Environment (Weiler, 2007)
- Earth System Science: Recommendations for Interdisciplinary Ph.D. Training (Weiler, 2007 Distinguished Service Award presentation)
- The Right Stuff: Graduate and Postgraduate Training for Interdisciplinary Research Careers
- Perspectives on Graduate-Education Experiences in Aquatic Science
- The 'Ideal' Climate-Change Ph.D. Program