Postdoctoral Research Fellowships in Alcohol Studies

Alcohol Research Group

 

 

Appropriate for:

 

*      Recent doctoral graduates wishing to increase their research experience and establish a publication record in alcohol studies.

*      Established faculty seeking to make a transition to the alcohol studies field during the course of a research sabbatical.

 

The Alcohol Research Group (ARG) offers postdoctoral fellowships sponsored by the National Institute for Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism for research training in alcohol studies. These fellowships are offered through the School of Public Health, University of California at Berkeley.

 

Scholars who are new to alcohol studies are welcome to apply. Recent doctoral graduates are eligible if they are seeking a transition from related fields of study or if they are continuing previous study in the field. Established faculty are eligible if they have not previously conducted research in alcohol studies.

 

The program offers both one-year and two-year fellowships:

 

*      One-year fellowships are designed for experienced scholars or for recent doctoral graduates who feel prepared to launch directly into a research project without spending an initial year of skill development.

 

*      Two-year fellowships are designed for recent doctoral graduates, who will spend their first year developing and enhancing their research skills and knowledge in alcohol studies through a combination of structured course work and independent learning and their second year conducting an individual research project. Second year funding is contingent on the approval of a research project. The project is to be proposed by the candidate at the end of the first year and conducted during the second year.

 

These fellowships are oriented toward the pursuit of basic and applied social science or epidemiological research and are not seen as appropriate for persons interested in clinical practice.

 

ARG hosts a National Alcohol Research Center, funded by the U.S. National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) to carry out long-term programs of research in the alcohol studies field. The Alcohol Research Group’s research program focuses on the social epidemiology of alcohol problems and health services research. Current areas of study include trends and longitudinal studies of drinking practices and problems in clinical and general populations, cross-cultural research on the meaning and functions of alcohol consumption, health services research on the clientele and on the social ecology of community agencies that respond to alcohol problems, and research on the nature and processes of cultural change concerning drinking practices and problems. Methodologies cover a wide range including survey research, ethnography, and epidemiological methods.

 

Fellows have an appointment at the Alcohol Research Group, for either two twelve-month terms under the two-year program (conditional on satisfactory progress and the approval of a proposal for the second year’s work) or for twelve months under the one-year program. As of January 9, 2006, the fellowship stipend ranges from $36,996 to $51,036 per year, depending upon the number of years of relevant postdoctoral experience. Health insurance reimbursement and a travel allowance are also provided. Stipends are taxable. Federal trainee payback provisions apply to the award.

 

Applications will be accepted from U.S. citizens or permanent residents who have earned a doctoral degree, or are within 3 months of their filing date; applications are reviewed by the Research Fellowship Committee, which meets at regular intervals throughout the year. Please prepare your application using the attached “Postdoctoral Fellowship Application Requirements Checklist” and submit it to the address below.

 

Applications should be sent to: Research Fellowship Committee, Alcohol Research Group, 6475 Christie Ave, Suite 400, Emeryville, California 94608, (510) 597-3440, email: Submit Here 

 

Applicants are encouraged to contact members of the committee regarding any questions they may have in the preparation of their proposals.

 

Postdoctoral Fellowship Application Requirements Checklist

 

ONE-YEAR PROGRAM

  1. Cover Letter addressed to the Research Fellowship Committee: basic information.
  2. Curriculum Vitae: listing education, publications, etc.
  3. Samples of writing: reprints of articles and/or papers and reports, etc.
  4. Proposal for Postdoctoral Research: 15–20 double-spaced pages (excluding references, containing the following:

·        A.  Specific Aims (1 page) Be succinct in realistically describing the research objectives that will be accomplished, and how this program of study fits your long-term learning/career goals.  The aims should include specific hypotheses to be tested.

 

·        B.   Background and Significance (3-4 pages) Briefly review related studies and explain why the proposed research is important.  It is appropriate to summarize your prior work here.  This section should include the theoretical perspective and rationale for the specific aims you are pursuing.

 

·        C.  Approach and Methods (10-15 pages) Describe the work to be undertaken during the year.  Detail the data sources, methodology, tasks and timetable for the research.  Include a detailed analysis plan describing your sampling, your key measures, and the statistical or qualitative analysis you will conduct.  The analysis plan should demonstrate how you will answer your hypotheses.  Structure the analysis plan according to your hypotheses.  If recoded variables are being used, include the original variables and how you will recode them.  Be specific in terms of independent and dependent variables.  Finally, what difficulties are anticipated and how will they be overcome?  Consider human subjects protection.

 

·        D.  Products (halfpage) What papers are planned?  Summarize their content and possible publications outlets.  If relevant, mention any other deliverables, e.g., new questionnaires, scales, programs, analytic techniques, etc.  Again this section should map directly to your aims.

 

·        E.   Resources (half page) What resources (e.g., equipment, travel, programming) will be needed to accomplish the research?  How would these be funded? 

 

·        F.   Literature Cited (2-3 pages)

 

·        NOTE:  The proposal needs to be clear.  Use consistent words to designate key constructs. Proofread carefully.  Include tables and matrices as appropriate to clarify how your variables map to the questionnaires, analysis plan, and hypotheses.  Reviewers will consider your project using similar guidelines that are used when reviewing NIH grant applications (go to  http://cms.csr.nih.gov/NR/rdonlyres/849C0F12-A897-4D17-B5D0-09EFE9184667/13270/R01_Research_Grants041107.pdf .)

  1. Three letters to be sent separately.  Letters of recommendation should be addressed to the Research Fellowship Committee.
  2. Optionally, state your race and the ethnic group to which you identify.
  3. [Submissions will be photocopied for distribution to the Committee, stapled documents are not acceptable.]

 

TWO-YEAR PROGRAM

  1. Cover Letter addressed to the Research Fellowship Committee: basic information.
  2. Curriculum Vitae:  listing education, publications, etc.
  3. Statement of Purpose (2–3 pages): 

·        What are the specific and realistic aims of your postdoctoral study?

·        How do you see the fellowship contributing to your leaning/career goals?

·        How will it build upon your prior interests and accomplishments?

·        What products do you envision coming out of your two years at ARG?

  1. Samples of writing: reprints of articles and/or papers and reports, etc. If you have recently received your doctoral degree, enclose 2–3 relevant chapters from your dissertation.
  2. Three letters of reference to be sent separately.  Letters of recommendation should be addressed to the Research Fellowship Committee.
  3. Optionally, state your race and the ethnic group to which you identify.
  4. [Submissions will be photocopied for distribution to the Committee, stapled documents are not acceptable.]

 

For further information, please contact Tina Noren at 510-597-3440, or tnoren@arg.org

 

Post-Doctoral Second Year Renewal Guidelines

 

Fellows in the two-year program are required to reapply for the second year by submitting a renewal application that specifies the 2nd year project.  Post-docs should not assume that the 2nd year project will be approved and a 2nd year postdoc granted.  As a first step, the draft of the 2nd year project proposal must be approved by the mentor.  Make sure to build in time to discuss the project and to incorporate feedback from the mentor.  The mentor-approved draft is then forwarded to the training grant administrator, and is due to the administrator by the end of the ninth month of the first year.  It then goes to the training faculty committee for their vote.  Expect to revise the application based on feedback from the committee.  Please note that sections A-C are similar to the NIH format for grant applications.

 

Proposal for Postdoctoral Research: about 20 double-spaced pages (excluding references), containing the following:

·        Summary of the first year’s activities.

·        Curriculum Vitae

·        Proposal for Postdoctoral Research

A.     Specific Aims (1 page) Be succinct in realistically describing the research objectives that will be accomplished, and how this program of study fits your long-term learning/career goals.  The aims should include specific hypotheses to be tested.

 

B.     Background and Significance (3-4 pages) Briefly review related studies and explain why the proposed research is important.  It is appropriate to summarize your prior work here.  This section should include the theoretical perspective and rationale for the specific aims you are pursuing.

 

C.     Approach and Methods (10-15 pages) Describe the work to be undertaken during the year.  Detail the data sources, methodology, tasks and timetable for the research.  Include a detailed analysis plan describing your sampling, your key measures, and the statistical or qualitative analysis you will conduct.  The analysis plan should demonstrate how you will answer your hypotheses.  Structure the analysis plan according to your hypotheses.  If recoded variables are being used, include the original variables and how you will recode them.  Be specific in terms of independent and dependent variables.  Finally, what difficulties are anticipated and how will they be overcome?  Consider human subjects protection.

 

D.     Products (halfpage) What papers are planned?  Summarize their content and possible publications outlets.  If relevant, mention any other deliverables, e.g., new questionnaires, scales, programs, analytic techniques, etc.  Again this section should map directly to your aims.

 

E.      Resources (half page) What resources (e.g., equipment, travel, programming) will be needed to accomplish the research?  How would these be funded? 

 

F.      Literature Cited (2-3 pages)

 

NOTE:  The 2nd year proposal needs to be clear.  Use consistent words to designate key constructs. Proofread carefully.  Include tables and matrices as appropriate to clarify how your variables map to the questionnaires, analysis plan, and hypotheses.  Reviewers will consider your project using similar guidelines that are used when reviewing NIH grant applications (go to http://cms.csr.nih.gov/NR/rdonlyres/849C0F12-A897-4D17-B5D0-09EFE9184667/13270/R01_Research_Grants041107.pdf).

 

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