Transitioning from a postdoc to an independent position

I'm in the final stages of applying for the NIH K99/R00 Pathway to Independence Award. I can blog more about this process if there is interest. For now, I wanted to write about how it has gotten me thinking about the skills necessary for transitioning successfully from a postdoc to an independent researcher.

Coincidentally a friend shared this resource from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS). It is a series of video-presentations from a workshop held on the NIH campus in March 2010. The topics are quite diverse, but the ones that jumped out at me are:

- The Right Institutional Fit: Focus on Diversity Issues
- The Job Interview and Seminar
- The Offer: Negotiating a Start-up Package
- Establishing a Lab
- Applying for and Getting a Grant
- Non-academic Careers: NIH Intramural Program, Industry, Law, Science Writing

There are many more, so I encourage you to check it out!