The summer months are often considered the cucumber season both in politics and in academia. However, there are several young researchers who use these months to work like crazy on proposals for the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Postdoctoral Fellowship call. To give some inspiration to these young academic adventurers, I asked some current and recently awarded MSCA Fellows to share their experien ...[Read More]
The Sassy Scientist – It’s All In The Mix
Mare needs to secure some funding. Trotting through previous successful applications, she finds a common denominator. As a purebred scientist, she bellows: How important is interdisciplinary research for a research proposal? Dear Mare, Very important. Realistically, you’ll not get funded in case you’re a one-trick pony. Who will hand over their pouch of gold nuggets to someone who will ...[Read More]
The Sassy Scientist – The Low-Risk Game
Winning a prestigious fellowship is the dream of any early career scientist. It provides the freedom to waste a couple years of public funding without having to answer for that to a supervisor. The first step to reaching this academic Nirvana is to write a proposal. Blerta dares to ask what’s on everyone’s mind: What is a great idea for a proposal? Dear Blerta, I would love to tell you that the pr ...[Read More]
The Sassy Scientist – Guest of Honour
Interdisciplinary research are the buzzwords all funding agencies want to hear these days. After reading my blog on how to write an interdisciplinary proposal researching the interior of planets, Ruby decided to approach a geochemistry group to collaborate. They have kindly invited her to present her latest research at their group meeting, which left Ruby coming to ME for help: How should I prepar ...[Read More]