The McGovern Institute hosts activities focused on building communication, grant-writing, and job-market skills for trainees at all career stages. These activities are spearheaded by McGovern Institute Scientific Advisor Jill Crittenden, who draws on her years of experience as an MIT research scientist to mentor predoctoral and postdoctoral trainees, guiding them through grant writing, public speaking, and professional growth.
Regular events
Chalk Talk Mentorship Series
The McGovern Institute offers ongoing practice talks for postdocs who are preparing tenure-track applications. These chalk talks are delivered before faculty and peers, who provide constructive feedback to the speakers.
Career Development Talk Series
McGovern postdocs who recently secured tenure-track positions are invited to share their academic journey with the community.
3 Minute Thesis Competition
The 3 Minute Thesis Competition is a an annual competition held in more than 200 universities worldwide. The McGovern Institute hosts an adaptation of this competition for PhD students and postdocs at our annual retreat. The competition challenges participants to present their research to a panel of judges and peers in just 180 seconds, with four or fewer slides that can be understood by an intelligent audience with no background in the research area. Contestants receive structured practice sessions and feedback to their presentations leading up to the retreat, helping PhD students and postdocs to grow their research and academic communication skills.
1:1 Presentation Feedback
Scientific Advisor Jill Crittenden provides continual coaching on slides and talks for McGovern students and postdocs and regularly attends postbac scholar data meetings.
Grant Reviews
Scientific Advisor Jill Crittenden provides detailed feedback on grant applications for students, postdocs and junior faculty.
Other notable initiatives
- Career panels at McGovern retreat
- Postdoc supervisory skills workshop
- NIH K99 grant workshop
MIT students and postdocs who are interested in the career resources described above should contact Scientific Advisor Jill Crittenden at jrc@mit.edu for more information.
