Early Career Investigators
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Upcoming Early Career Workshops
Understanding Your Career Path
Where are you on your Career Path?
What direction would you like to go?
How will you get there?
Get started with this Self-Assessment tool to evaluate strengths, weaknesses, and areas in need of improvement for your career development:
Creating a Faculty Career Development Plan
The purpose of a Career Development Plan (CDP) is to facilitate the planning of the activities and milestones leading to promotion and tenure. A central feature of a CDP is a 3-5 year blueprint for developmental activities in research, teaching, and service that will position you for success at each stage of your career. These activities include funding and publishing. Your CDP should be reviewed and modified as appropriate on an annual basis.
A CDP can help you…
- define your research vision.
- develop your ability to realistically gauge time required for your activities and goals.
- identify gaps in the knowledge, skills, etc. you need to achieve your goals.
- stay accountable.
- fulfill organizational requirements (some CSU colleges and departments require career plans).
Start your CDP today!
Resources for Early Career Investigators
NSF CAREER
The National Science Foundation’s Faculty Early Career Development Program (CAREER) supports early-career faculty who have the potential to serve as academic role models in research and education and to lead advances in the mission of their department or organization. This prestigious award provides 5 years of funding to junior faculty who exemplify the role of teacher-scholar.
NSF CAREER Resources
- NSF CAREER Project Description Template Word document (Hanover Research)
- NSF CAREER Project Description Template for Overleaf/LaTeX users (Hanover Research)
- NSF Faculty Early Career Development Program (CAREER) Program 2024 NSF webinar
- webinar slides
- NSF 22-586 Timeline PDF
- Keys to a Competitive NSF CAREER Proposal Hanover Research webinar
- Key Insights & Strategies for Pursuing NSF CAREER Hanover Research webinar
- Fact or Fiction? NSF CAREER Hanover Research webinar
- NSF CAREER Education Activities & Broader Impacts Hanover Research webinar
Federal Agency Young Investigator Programs
If you would like to learn more about Federal opportunities for Early Career Investigators, please contact RAO.
- Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR) Young Investigator Program
- American Chemical Society (ACS) Doctoral New Investigator (DNI) Grants
- Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Young Faculty Award
- Department of Energy (DOE) Early Career Research Program
- National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Early Career Faculty Award
- National Institutes of Health (NIH) Research Career Development Awards
- National Science Foundation (NSF) CAREER Award
- National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) Fellowships
- Office of Naval Research (ONR) Young Investigator Program
- USDA NIFA Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) New Investigator Grants
Foundation Early Career Investigator Opportunities
If you would like to learn more about Foundation opportunities for Early Career Investigators, please contact Peter Hartman and Sam Ernst, Directors of CSU Foundation Relations.
- Andrew Carnegie Fellows
- Beckman Young Investigators
- Blavatnik Awards for Young Scientists
- Burroughs Wellcome Fund: Career Awards at the Scientific Interface
- Camille Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar Awards
- Cottrell Scholar Awards
- FFAR New Innovator in Food & Agriculture Research
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI)
- Kauffman Knowledge Challenge
- Mallinckrodt Grants
- McKnight Scholar Awards
- Pew Biomedical Scholars
- Searle Scholars
- Simons Early Career Investigator in Aquatic Microbial Ecology and Evolution Awards
- Sloan Research Fellowships
- W.T. Grant Scholars
- Webb-Waring/Boettcher Investigators