Tuberous Sclerosis Complex Postdoctoral Development Award

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The TSCRP Postdoctoral Development Award mechanism is being offered for the first time in FY16. The Postdoctoral Development Award supports recent doctoral or medical graduates to conduct impactful research with the mentorship of an experienced TSC researcher (i.e., Mentor). This opportunity allows for junior investigators to develop and investigate a TSC research project and further their intellectual development as a TSC researcher of the future. Under this award mechanism, the junior investigator is considered the Principal Investigator (PI), and the application should focus on the PI’s research and TSC career development. It should be clear that the proposed research is intellectually designed by the PI with assistance from the Mentor. Applicants for this award must exhibit a strong desire to develop and pursue a career in TSC research, with clear evidence for a researcher development plan that will lead to a successful independent career in TSC. Applicants must also demonstrate that the proposed research has high potential to lead to or make breakthroughs in TSC. Inclusion of preliminary data is not required. However, logical reasoning and a sound scientific rationale for the proposed research must be demonstrated. Clinical trials will not be supported by this mechanism. Key elements of the award are as follows: • Principal Investigator: The PI must be a postdoctoral fellow with 3 years or less of postdoctoral research experience (excluding clinical residency, clinical fellowship training, or family medical leave) and working in the Mentor’s laboratory at the time of the application submission deadline. While the PI is not required to have previous experience in TSC research, the proposed project must focus on TSC. Applications must emphasize the PI’s high potential for success in becoming an independent TSC researcher based on his/her qualifications, achievements (including first-author publications), and letters of recommendation. • Mentor: The Mentor must be an experienced TSC researcher as demonstrated by a strong record of active peer reviewed funding and recent publications in the TSC field. In addition, the Mentor must demonstrate a commitment to advancing the PI’s career in TSC research. The Mentor’s record of accomplishments (such as publications, patents, presentations, etc.) should include documentation of significant contribution to the TSC field. Research Approach: The scientific rationale and experimental methodology should demonstrate in-depth analysis of the research problem presented. The feasibility of the research design and methods should be well defined, and a clear plan should be articulated as to how the proposed goals of the project can be achieved. Additionally, resources necessary for the proposed research should be identified and their availability should be supported through documentation. Identification of potential problems and pitfalls are strongly encouraged with alternate approaches addressed. A statistical analysis of the proposed research should be included, if applicable, as well as a power analysis to support the design and sample size. • Researcher Development Plan: A researcher development plan is required and should be prepared with appropriate guidance from the Mentor. The application should include a clearly articulated strategy for acquiring the necessary skills, competence, and expertise to successfully complete the proposed TSC research. • Impact: The proposed research should have the potential for a major impact and accelerate progress toward advancing TSC research and/or patient care. The impact may be short-term or long-term, but must be significant and move beyond an incremental advancement.

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