We’re pleased to announce the availability of supplements to active INBRE (P20), COBRE (P20, P30), IDeA-CTR (U54), and NARCH (S06) awards for sequencing-based surveillance studies of the SARS-CoV-2 virus to track variants circulating in communities the IDeA and NARCH programs serve. The supplements will support SARS-CoV-2 viral genome sequencing and analysis studies. Projects are expected to expand on or collaborate with ongoing SARS-CoV-2 testing studies or programs in order to leverage resources and deliver results quickly to help address the urgent challenge.

Applications are due by March 31, 2021; see NOT-GM-21-031 for additional details.

If you have any questions about this supplement opportunity, please contact me.

The NIH Common Fund’s Transformative High Resolution Cryo-Electron Microscopy (cryo-EM) program is requesting input from the community in identifying challenges in screening samples for high resolution cryo-EM, an essential step required for data collection at the National Centers for Cryo-EM. We welcome responses from researchers interested in cryo-EM, including those who have not previously worked in the field.

For more details, see the Request for Information (RFI): Screening for High Resolution Cryo-Electron Microscopy (NOT-RM-21-012). Please respond to the email address in the RFI by February 26.

We’re pleased to announce our first cohort of Maximizing Opportunities for Scientific and Academic Independent Careers (MOSAIC) program scholars. Each scholar will receive up to 5 years of mentored career development and research support and become part of a cohort-based career development program to expand their professional networks and gain additional skills and mentoring through programs administered by MOSAIC UE5 awardees: the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, the American Society for Cell Biology, and the Association of American Medical Colleges.

We’re pleased to announce that NIGMS is now accepting diversity supplement applications to support faculty-level investigators developing independent research careers (NOT-GM-21-014). This opportunity is part of our Diversity Supplements Program, which facilitates the recruitment and training of promising scientists from diverse backgrounds (e.g., individuals from groups underrepresented in the biomedical research workforce).

The supplements provide either short- or long-term research support to early career faculty members wishing to participate in ongoing research projects while further developing their research skills and establishing an independent research career.

Our Division of Training, Workforce Development, and Diversity (TWD) supports programs at multiple career stages to foster the development of a strong and diverse biomedical research workforce. This post is the first in a series focused on data from NIGMS training programs and is similar to the ones we have done for our research project grant portfolio. Below, we examine trends in NIGMS applications and awards for the Individual Postdoctoral National Research Service Award (NRSA) (F32) and Pathway to Independence Award (K99) programs. NIGMS also supports institutional postdoctoral awards that include the Institutional Research and Academic Career Development Awards (IRACDA) (K12) and NRSA Institutional Postdoctoral Training Grants (T32) focused in clinical areas, and data on these programs were shared previously.

UPDATE: These positions are now closed.

We’re recruiting two accomplished scientists for positions in our Division of Biophysics, Biomedical Technology, and Computational Biosciences (BBCB) and our Division of Pharmacology, Physiology, and Biological Chemistry (PPBC). The successful applicants will be responsible for scientific and administrative management of a portfolio of research grants, and will stimulate, plan, advise, direct, and evaluate program activities related to their field of expertise.

UPDATE: This position is now closed.

We’re recruiting for an outstanding individual to serve as a branch chief in our Division of Biophysics, Biomedical Technology, and Computational Biosciences (BBCB). Applicants should have interest and experience in the scientific areas that comprise the Biophysics Branch. Job responsibilities include scientific and administrative planning, managing, and evaluating activities of the Branch, along with supervising program directors with portfolios of funded research grants. The branch chief will also handle a portfolio of research grants consistent with their own scientific background.

As institutions continue to work with virtual learning modalities and in honor of National Mentoring Month, we’d like to share some useful resources from the National Research Mentoring Network (NRMN). Supported by the NIH Common Fund and managed by NIGMS, the network offers free online mentoring tools and learning resources for individuals ranging from undergraduate students to faculty.

After signing up for an NRMN account through an easy, online process, you can access the network’s mentoring tools and resources, including MyNRMN. The MyNRMN platform allows you to browse and connect with other scientists, and it can match you with a mentor or mentee with similar research interests. Through video chats, instant messaging, and file sharing between mentors and mentees, you can design a mentorship program that fits your needs.  

I’m pleased to announce that Dorothy Beckett will join NIGMS on January 19 as the new director of our Division of Biophysics, Biomedical Technology, and Computational Biosciences (BBCB). Dorothy is a molecular biophysicist with extensive expertise in the field. She is a leader in the scientific community and a proponent of expanding opportunities for women and underrepresented groups in science.

During our Starting Your Own Lab webinar, attendees asked so many insightful questions that we ran out of time to respond to all of them. So we asked nine NIGMS early career investigators to tackle the most popular ones in short videos, which were featured on our social media. Now, you can watch the whole series on our YouTube channel.