Postdoctoral training in aging research

The primary home of the training program is the Buck Institute for Research on Aging, located in Novato, California. Postdoctoral trainees may work under the primary supervision of any Buck Institute faculty or selected faculty at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), Stanford University or the University of California in Berkeley (UCB). The research will be conducted at the location of the primary preceptor. Please see the list below for eligible preceptors and apply directly to the preceptor.

Applicants should select a preceptor from the list below:

TO APPLY FOR A POSTDOCTORAL TRAINING SLOT

Individuals wishing to apply for a position on this training grant should contact a preceptor on the list — send the preceptor a CV, cover letter, and a list of three references. Either the preceptor or the trainee may select a second preceptor for joint training. The primary preceptor will then submit an application to the Training Program.

SUCCESSFUL CANDIDATES WILL BE CHOSEN ON THE BASIS OF THE FOLLOWING CRITERIA:

1. Quality as determined by publications, awards and recommendations, commitment to a career in basic or translational aging and/or age-related disease research, and relevance of the training project to aging or age-related disease.
2. 
Collaborative projects between one or more preceptors, particularly inter-institutional projects, will be given special consideration.
3. As required by NIH, trainees must be US citizens or permanent residents. Please verify.

The applicant is required to hold a PhD, and to show excellent scientific merit, leadership qualities, and ambitions to secure an independent faculty position in the future, following the Valley Foundation Fellowship Award. Furthermore, the applicant is currently employed at the Buck Institute and is a:

Postdoctoral Researcher with at least three full years of postdoctoral experience at the time of application; or

Research Scientist or Staff Scientist, who is interested in a path to scientific independence.
Moreover, these additional criteria apply:

• The applicant is required to demonstrate a specific/novel impact to the field of aging research, and strong potential to become an independent researcher.
• The applicant should show a strong prior record of scientific productivity, and to exhibit strong potential for leadership qualities in respect to scientific impact, scientific networking, and mentorship capabilities.
• The applicant’s mentor is required to commit to support the candidate on their path to become an independent researcher by endorsing the promotion of the applicant to Research Scientist as part of receiving and implementing the Valley Foundation Fellowship Award. Final promotion decisions will follow institute procedure and will be made by CSO, VP of Academics, and a faculty from the Committee of Appointments and Promotions.

The following documents need to be included as part of the application submission:

• Check list (provided as separate word document)
• NIH Biosketches from applicant and mentor/co-mentor(s)
• The application package, consisting of:

1. 1. Two-page Candidate Career Development Plan, including planned new scientific skills, vision for future scientific independence and impact, planned activities to develop career skills and mentoring capabilities, and relevance of the award for the future career. The candidate should highlight a clear path to scientific independence.
   2. Two-page Research Plan (allowing for one extra page of figures and references) demonstrating innovative aging research and/or research on age-related diseases. Impact to the field of aging research should be clearly stated.
   3. List of suggested members for a mentoring committee with short justification for these members and their anticipated contributions (e.g., mentoring, advice for new skill sets/technologies). Please consider one member to be represented from the Buck Institute leadership (e.g., CEO, CSO, VP Academic Affairs etc.) for additional insights into academic organizations and guidance.
   4. Short (maximum half a page) diversity statement from the candidate.
   5. List of reference letter writers including names, affiliation, position/title and email information.

• Two-page Commitment letter from the Mentor/Co-Mentor(s) highlighting prior productivity, scientific excellence, and leadership qualities of the candidate. The mentor letter needs to include a clear statement that upon successful funding of a candidate, the mentor will support internal promotion of the candidate to Research Scientist with the following salary distribution:

1. 1. For Postdoctoral Researchers who are promoted to Research Scientist the salary will be in accordance with the base salary of $80,000 plus fringe (obtained from the Valley Foundation).
   2. If the candidate already earns >$80,000 there will be a 5% merit increase on their current salary. In this case, the Valley Foundation will pay $80,000 plus fringe – the difference will be supported by the mentor (the latter should be stated in the mentor letter).

• Three to five reference letters that should be emailed directly to Alyssa West by April 28, 2023 (email: awest@buckinstitute.org), noting the applicant’s name and Valley Foundation in the subject line. Two of the reference letters need to be from an external (non-Buck affiliated) referee.

All application materials should be submitted as one pdf file to Alyssa West (email: awest@buckinstitute.org) by April 28, 2023 – 5 pm PST. Reference Letters need to also be received by April 28, 2023 – 5 pm PST
For any questions, please contact the chair of the Valley Foundation Fellowship Committee (Dr. Birgit Schilling, email: bschilling@buckinstitute.org).

• Five voting members (chair, three Buck Faculty members, one external member)
• Chair: Birgit Schilling, PhD (Professor)
• Members: Malene Hansen, PhD (Professor, Chief Scientific Officer); Gordon Lithgow, PhD (Professor, Vice President for Academic Affairs); Buck Institute Faculty Member (to be determined)
• External Member: Faculty at US academic institution to be determined (will remain anonymous)
• Coordinator: Brian van Weele (Chief Philanthropic Officer), non-voting
• Review process: Each application will be scored by at least three reviewers, and will subsequently be reviewed during a ‘study section’ meeting with all members of the review committee. Together with the coordinator, the final Valley Foundation Fellowship Awardees will be determined.

Note: While this scenario will generally be avoided (as is the case for the 2023 round), in case a mentor of an applicant is a committee member or chair, that mentor will excuse themselves from the evaluation of the applicant. The chair and committee members will serve for to two (max. three) rounds, and thus committee members will cycle. CSO, VP Academic Affairs and Chief Philanthropic Officer will identify new committee members, when needed.

• Launch and call for applications on March 10, 2023
• Call for applications closes on April 28, 2023
• Committee review meeting on May 25/26, 2023
• Contact of two awardees on May 30, 2023
• Announcement of two awardees on June 1, 2023
• Start of two Valley Foundation Fellowships on July 1, 2023
• Next round of applications is expected in the Spring of 2025