FAQs
Prior experience is helpful, but not required. However, candidates should have a strong commitment to undergraduate education.
No, all individuals who meet the eligibility criteria (U.S. Citizens or Permanent Residents with no more than two years of prior postdoctoral experience) are encouraged to apply. Contextual information about the applicant’s lived experience and trajectory (e.g., first-generation college graduate, veteran status, socioeconomic background, participation in bridge or post-bac programs) may be included in the personal statement to help reviewers understand context and structural factors influencing the applicant’s career path. This information can be used to inform a holistic review but is not used in scoring applications.
Formal commitment to a faculty research mentor is not required at the time of application, but applicants must specify 1-3 faculty of interest, and indicate whether these individuals have already been contacted. We encourage applicants to contact prospective faculty research mentors prior to applying. This greatly expedites our admissions process, as a mentor must be identified prior to acceptance into the program. If necessary, our program staff can assist you with contacting faculty and finding a lab that is a good fit. A good place to research faculty research interests is the Biomedical Graduate Studies website.
Candidates who have already identified one or more prospective mentors are encouraged to make contact at any time. Please indicate this on your application form.
The entire group of fellows and administrators meet monthly for lunch to discuss research progress, experiences at partnering schools, successes, and challenges. These networking lunches are an integral part of the program.
All applicants will present a seminar to research lab(s) of interest.
Depending on availability, during your visit you may meet with all faculty members of interest.
Each PennPORT IRACDA scholar teaches at least one semester-long course as instructor of record, with an optional second semester of teaching. Teaching typically occurs in the second year of the program.
Salaries for all PennPORT scholars are governed by Penn’s minimum postdoctoral stipends, which exceed NIH guidelines. Benefits for Penn-based scholars are based on Penn’s benefits for non-NRSA postdocs. Benefits differ slightly for postdocs based at CHOP and Wistar.
Yes, travel costs to the teaching institutions are paid by the PennPORT IRACDA program.
Yes, each scholar is allotted funds to purchase teaching supplies annually. In addition, all fellows are given funds to attend professional conferences or workshops.
All PennPORT scholars are expected to attend the annual IRACDA meeting. Scholars can also choose an additional professional conference or workshop.