Getting Funded as a Postdoc

 

Demonstrating the ability to garner extramural funding is often key to obtaining a tenure-track assistant professor position. If you are a U.S. Citizen or Permanent Resident, the good news is getting a postdoctoral fellowship may not be as hard as you might think. For foreign postdocs in the U.S. who do not have permanent resident status, the key is to find a fellowship which you are eligible to apply for.

Extramural Postdoctoral Fellowships are Mentored-Based Grants. This means you need to have a Mentor or Sponsor commit to train you if you are awarded the fellowship. The Mentor does not receive any funding for this commitment, but does essentially get a postdoc for free (or at least for less money).

When applying for an extramural fellowship, postdocs need to submit the application through a Sponsoring Institution (such as UC Davis). Usually this is done through an office with a name like "Office of Sponsored Programs"; or "Office of Research"; For fellowships at UC Davis, the Office of Graduate Studies serves this purpose.

Here are a few links that can help you get started in looking for a grant