Training Opportunities

Training Opportunities

Lunch & Learn Sessions and Proposal Workshops

This spring, we're excited to offer a series of 13 new research and proposal development training opportunities.  Our Lunch & Learn Sessions will provide information on a specific, focused, proposal-related topic, and will give you the knowledge you need to confidently prepare and submit a competitive proposal.  Our Proposal Workshops will also provide you with valuable information, as well as hands-on experience in crafting aims/objectives, preparing strong scientific/technical proposals, developing innovative broader impact plans, and creating rigorous assessment and evaluation plans. In addition, the CAREER Award workshop will give you the opportunity to have your proposal reviewed by your workshop peers, our professional research development specialists, and faculty members.

All training sessions will benefit you in other important ways, enabling you to: 

  • Become familiar with the entire research development and proposal writing process.
  • Prioritize your proposal with a set of internal deadlines.
  • Write multiple drafts of your proposal.
  • Obtain feedback from a proposal development specialist as well as from your peers in the workshop.
  • Analyze strategies and techniques others use to present their projects.
  • Consider how best to present your own ideas.
  • Understand the proposal review process.
  • Work in a positive, interdisciplinary, and collaborative environment.
  • Meet potential collaborators for future projects.

Please scroll through the descriptions of this spring's training opportunities below for details about each one, and feel free to contact us with questions.  We're excited about having you join us for these events!

Please note:  All Lunch & Learn sessions and Proposal Workshops will be offered in person only.  Lunch will be provided.

Lunch & Learn:  Overview of the Funding Landscape for Early Career and Young Investigator Awards

Navigating the federal research funding landscape as an early-career faculty member can be challenging. This workshop will help early career faculty members disentangle the goals and priorities of several competitive award mechanisms, including those offered by DOD, DOE, NIH, and NSF.

  • Date—Wednesday, February 19, 2025
  • Time—11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. (lunch provided)
  • Location—provided upon registration
  • Eligible Participants—Rice faculty, research scientists, center and institute staff, and postdocs.
  • Lunch & Learn Leader—Jon Meyer
  • Registration is required and closes at noon on February 18, 2025.

    Lunch & Learn: Using Graphics, Figures, and Data Visualization Techniques to Communicate Your Ideas

    This workshop will cover three areas of interest:  1) Introductory:  Creating appealing graphics that convey information and ease eye strain;  2) Intermediate:  Understanding the best pictorial style to use for different applications (proposal graphics, schematics, drafting, iconography);  and Advanced:  Designing full-page scientific illustrations, 3D renderings: combining photorealism and non-photorealistic effects.

    • Date—Tuesday, March 4, 2025
    • Time—10:50 a.m. to 12:50 p.m. (lunch provided)
    • Location—provided upon registration
    • Eligible Participants—Rice faculty, research scientists, center and institute staff, and postdocs.
    • Lunch & Learn Leader—Mario Norton
    • Registration is required and closes at noon on March 3, 2025.

    Workshop Part 1: Working Collaboratively: Using Team Science to Address Scientific Challenges

    Join us for a practical talk by Eduardo Salas, Associate Vice President for Research, Collaborative Engagement, and Team Science and Allyn R. & Gladys M. Cline Professor of Psychological Sciences, and get pragmatic, evidence-based tips for putting the science of team science into practice, both when writing proposals and when conducting research.

    • Date—Wednesday, March 5, 2025
    • Time—11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. (lunch provided)
    • Location—provided upon registration
    • Eligible Participants—Rice faculty, research scientists, center and institute staff, and postdocs.
    • Guest Speaker—Eduardo Salas
    • Registration is required and closes at noon on March 4, 2025.

    Rescheduled:  Workshop Part 2: Working Collaboratively on Center Proposals: Using Team Science to Address the Challenges of Developing a Strong Proposal

    • Date—Tuesday, March 25, 2025
    • Time—10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. (lunch provided)
    • Location—provided upon registration
    • Eligible Participants—Rice faculty, research scientists, center and institute staff, and postdocs.
    • Guest Panelists—Pedro Alvarez, George R. Brown Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering; Member NAE; Director, NEWT Center; Director, Rice WaTER Institute.  Omid Veiseh, Professor of Bioengineering; CPRIT Scholar in Cancer Research; Director of Rice Biotechnology Launch Pad.  Eduardo Salas, Allyn R. & Gladys M. Cline Professor of Psychological Sciences;  Associate Vice President for Research, Collaborative Engagement, and Team Science. 
    • Registration is required and closes at noon on March 24, 2025.

    Workshop:  NSF CAREER Award Program:  Phase 1—Information Session

    This informative, hands-on workshop series is divided into two segments.  Phase 1 includes three (3) information sessions during which you'll learn about the NSF CAREER Award and its requirements and expectations, become familiar with campus offices that can support your work, query past winners on their experiences and insights, become familiar with the Project Summary, and learn how to design a sound, assessable, and compelling educational plan for your proposal.  

    • Dates and Locations—
      • Phase 1:  Three sessions: 
        • March 26:  provided upon registration
        • April 2:  provided upon registration
        • April 9: provided upon registration
    • Time—12:15 p.m. to 2:15 p.m. (lunch will be provided)
    • Eligible Participants:  Rice tenure-track faculty who are working in any of the disciplines supported by NSF.
    • Workshop Leaders—Tanya Karamchandani and Vasudha Kurapati
    • Registration is required and closes at noon on March 25, 2025.

    ​​​​​​Workshop:  NSF CAREER Award Program:  Phase 2—Peer Review

    This informative, hands-on workshop series is divided into two segments.  Phase 2 includes six (6) peer review sessions followed by a mock review panel with experts in your field.  During this phase, you'll write and revise a project summary and receive detailed peer feedback, draft a project description, analyze strategies and techniques in winning CAREER proposals, hear what reviewers look for when evaluating proposals, benefit from one-on-one developmental editing feedback from staff in the Office of Research Development, receive technical feedback from experts in your field, and establish a writing practice.

    • Dates and Locations— 
      • Phase 2:  Six sessions:
        • May 7:  provided upon registration
        • May 14:  provided upon registration
        • May 21:  provided upon registration
        • May 28:  provided upon registration
        • June 4:  provided upon registration
        • June 11:  provided upon registration
    • Time—12:15 p.m. to 2:15 p.m. (lunch will be provided)
    • Eligible Participants—Rice tenure-track faculty who are working in any of the disciplines supported by NSF.
    • Workshop Leaders—Tanya Karamchandani and Vasudha Kurapati
    • Registration is required and closes at noon on May 6, 2025.

    NEW:  Presentation:  Scientific Integrity in NSF Proposals

    NSF has refined its Proposal Guide to explicitly connect compliance requirements to its principles and professional standards for research conduct. This session will cover these 11 areas to prepare you to successfully address those elements in your NSF proposal and when carrying out your funded project.

    • Date—Thursday, March 27, 2025
    • Time—12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m.
    • Location—provided upon registration
    • Eligible Participants—Rice faculty, research scientists, center and institute staff, and postdocs
    • Presentation Speaker—Mickey Stevenson
    • Registration is required and closes at 5:00 p.m. on March 26, 2025.

    NEW:  Presentation:  Responsible and Ethical Conduct of Research: Customized Training Plans

    NIH, NSF, and USDA require project personnel to complete training on responsible and ethical conduct of research. This session will equip attendees with boilerplate language for proposals to each of these agencies while pointing out options for customizing your RECR training plans.

    • Date—Tuesday, April 8, 2025
    • Time—12:30 p.m. to 1:30  p.m. 
    • Location—provided upon registration
    • Eligible Participants—Rice faculty, research scientists, center and institute staff, and postdocs.
    • Lunch & Learn Leaders—Mickey Stevension and Ramel Walker
    • Registration is required and closes at 5:00 p.m. on April 7, 2025.

    Rescheduled:  Lunch & Learn: Find Research and Limited Submission Funding Opportunities

    In this session, we'll explore the various resources and strategies available to help you identify and secure funding opportunities for your research. Whether you're just starting your research journey or looking to expand your funding network, we'll cover key tips and tools to help you navigate the funding landscape effectively.

    • Date—Tuesday, April 15, 2025
    • Time—10:50 a.m. to 12:50 p.m. (lunch provided)
    • Location—provided upon registration
    • Eligible Participants—Rice faculty, research scientists, center and institute staff, and postdocs.
    • Lunch & Learn Leaders—Jalon Martin and Jon Meyer
    • Registration is required and closes at noon on April 1, 2025.

      Lunch & Learn:  Project Management for Proposals

      Join us as we share best practices for successfully carrying out critical project management processes:  Holding proposal kick-off and progress meetings; identifying team roles and responsibilities; developing a feasible proposal production timeline; helping researchers become aware of and connect to key university resources; outlining the proposal; tracking receipt of proposal sections; vetting the proposal to ensure compliance, clarity, and competitiveness; and troubleshooting issues as they arise.

      • Date—Thursday, April 10, 2025
      • Time—10:50 a.m. to 12:50 p.m. (lunch provided)
      • Location—provided upon registration
      • Eligible Participants—Rice faculty, research scientists, center and institute staff, and postdocs.
      • Lunch & Learn Leaders—Phyllis McBride and Molly Slattery
      • Registration is required and closes at noon on April 9, 2025.

      Lunch & Learn: Data Management Plans

      • Date—Thursday, April 17, 2025
      • Time—10:50 a.m. to 12:50 p.m. (lunch provided) 
      • Location—provided upon registration
      • Eligible Participants—Rice faculty, research scientists, center and institute staff, and postdocs
      • Lunch & Learn Leaders—Sean Smith, Lisa Spiro
      • Registration is required and closes at noon on April 16, 2025.

      Lunch & Learn: Graduate Student and Postdoctoral Fellowships

      This session is dedicated to helping Rice's graduate students and postdocs navigate the research landscape to further their professional development and academic prowess. We'll identify where to locate funding resources and cover the initial steps of the funding process. 

      • Date—Thursday, April 24, 2025
      • Time—10:50 a.m. to 12:50 p.m. (lunch provided) 
      • Location—provided upon registration
      • Eligible Participants—Rice graduate students and postdoctoral fellows.  
      • Lunch & Learn Leader—Jalon Martin
      • Registration is required and closes at noon on April 23, 2025.

      Workshop: Objectives and Metrics: Crafting a Strong Proposal

      • Date—Tuesday, April 29, 2025
      • Time—11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. (lunch provided)
      • Location—provided upon registration
      • Eligible Participants—Rice faculty, research scientists, center and institute staff, and postdocs.
      • Workshop Leaders—David Blair, Vasudha Kurapati
      • Registration is required and closes at noon on April 28, 2025.