What are Search Committees Looking for?
Summary: Presentation in the 2006 Rice University NSF Advance Conference entitled “Negotiating the Ideal Faculty Position”. This presentation was designed to assist and educate the interviewee regarding Faculty Search Committees, and was authored by Seiichi Matsuda, Chemistry; Kathy Ensor, Statistics; Joff Silberg, Biochemistry; Jennifer West, Bioengineering; and Ken Whitmire, Chemistry.
Workshop Authors: Seiichi Matsuda, Kathy Ensor, Joff Silberg, Jennifer West, and Ken Whitmire.
Slide 1: Applying for a Position
- Cold applications
- Usually need to have connections to the department
- Responding to an advertisement
- Consider level and areas requested
- Solicited applications
- Be sure to present at the most relevant conferences. Hopefully this visibility will lead to contacts with hiring departments.
Slide 2: The Application
- Cover letter
- Summarize your qualifications and interests
- Curriculum Vitae
- Academic credentials
- Research Experience
- Publications
-
Honors, awards, grants, etc.
- Some variability in details and format between fields.
- Research interests statement
- Teaching interests statement
- References
- May include reprints/preprints
- Get feedback on your application package from a mentor.
Slide 3: Research Statement
- Remember that the search committee members may be in areas peripheral to your research
- Describe two or three research proposals
- Usually one that is related to your prior work that is clearly feasible
- One or two projects that demonstrate your ability to think beyond your current work
Slide 4: What to include?
- Statement about the problem
- Key unanswered questions in field
- How will your work contribute?
- Description of research plans
- Break into specific aims
- Include figures
- Be both creative and realistic
Slide 5: Teaching statement
- Describe your philosophy towards teaching and experiences that led to this
- Discuss courses within the core curriculum that you could teach
- Propose development of a new course
Slide 6: What to emphasize in your application?
- Find out about the department/school
- Importance of teaching vs. research
- Areas of interest/growth
- May want to customize your application materials for different positions
- Brag about your successes!
Slide 7: What makes an application stand out?
- Varies between departments/institutions
- Strong publication record
- Most important factor!
- Exciting research plan
- Creative and innovative while also feasible
- Great reference letters
- Evidence of innovation, creativity, hard work, etc.
- Interesting and innovative teaching plans
- Highlight your experiences and capabilities
- Other experiences
- Experience writing a grant, etc.
Slide 8: Recommended Reading
- Making the Right Moves: A Practical Guide to Scientific Management for Postdocs and New Faculty
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute
- At the Helm: A Laboratory Navigator
- Kathy Barker, Cold Spring Harbor Press
References
- Seiichi Matsuda, Kathy Ensor, Joff Silberg, Jennifer West, and Ken Whitmire. (2006, October). What are Search Committees Looking for?: NSF Advance Workshop at Rice University. [http://www.advance.rice.edu/negotiatingtheidealfacultyposition/agenda.html].
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Burroughs Wellcome Fund. (2006). Making the Right Moves: A Practical Guide to Scientific Management for Postdocs and New Faculty. [http://www.hhmi.org/resources/labmanagement/moves.html].
- Kathy Barker. (2001). At the Helm: A Laboratory Navigator. New York: Cold Spring Harbor.
Comments, questions, feedback, criticisms?
Send feedback
- E-mail the author of the module, What are Search Committees Looking for?
Footer
More about this content: Metadata | Version History
This work is licensed by Susan Cates under a Creative Commons Attribution License (CC-BY 2.0).
Last edited by Susan Cates on Jul 23, 2007 2:46 pm GMT-5.