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some scientist

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  1. Thanks, but pfffft. I don't think I have a very good chance - Banting seems to go to later career postdocs (I'm <6 months into my first postdoc). I will let you guys know when I find out, but there's still no news on the Banting front. Be sure to update us on your wait list status! Sometimes, I think there's also quite a bit of luck to grant applications and/or a bit of who reads your application and how much they like your writing/proposed research. I see a lot of people with similar CVs and good proposed project land on either side of funding decisions, so I can only assume it's a result of their writing or luck. Speaking of luck, good luck to all of the MSc/PhD applicants this year. NSERC MSc awards do count undergrad grades quite heavily, so if your only goal in life was to get NSERC, then yes, this is good advice. However, I imagine you have other things to do with your time. Budgets are tight in a lot of research groups, so they would prefer to hire NSERC funded students. Unfortunately, some groups cannot afford to hire new students at all, unless they bring their own funding. I agree with Jungshin - it is a bit like dating. I'd suggest meeting a few more profs and asking whether they could take you without NSERC if you are willing to TA - play the field. If you are dead set on (head over heals in love with?) a particular lab and they don't have the funding, then you might have to wait until next year. I think a lot about what I will like my lab to be like (if I am ever so lucky/successful to start my own research group!) and I would definitely be interested in a student who has some consulting/outside university experience, since they would bring an interesting new perspective to the group. I think you will find a good fit eventually.
  2. I hope this helps, gaga: Field: Biology Profile: this is my first postdoc (started in September), and I have a PhD and an MSc from different universities in Canada, and I spent some time during my PhD as a visiting student in the EU and in the USA. Proposed research: interesting, and I’m excited about it, but not a traditionally “sexy” topic. I am at a large institute overseas with excellent resources and I work with a young, but “up and coming” supervisor. Publications: 13 (8 first author) in moderate impact general journals (e.g. PNAS) or top 5 field-specific journals, but no Nature/Science papers. Average impact factor is about 8, my h-index is 6, I have about 150 citations, but several of my papers were published last year and haven’t been cited much (yet!) Communication: I’ve given a handful of presentations (>10) at international conferences/research institutes, most of them have been oral presentations, and I have won some prizes for these (travel prizes for conference funds, best conference talk/poster, etc). Teaching & Mentoring: I was a TA for 3 years during my PhD and won a teaching prize. I’ve mentored about 5 undergrads in the lab plus two MSc students, and most of them are on publications, though some of these are still in prep. Service: I peer review papers for three international journals, I have organized/volunteered at conferences, I did some student government work during my PhD, and I coordinated a volunteer program. Other awards: NSERC CGS-M, CGS-D3, plus smaller awards. I think a lot of this has to do with how you write the application. If I just listed these, it would be kind of boring (sorry). But if I write my statement as if I were writing a reference letter for myself, it’s a lot more interesting to read. I try to address each criteria directly and provide evidence for why I am excellent at it. For example, they want to know about teaching and mentorship. I don't just say: “Teaching is important and I’m a good teacher. Trust me.” I say: “I’m a good teacher. I’ve taught for 3 years, including some course design/development. My students nominated me for a TA award (which I won) and my most recent undergrad is first author on a paper from their project, which I designed and supervised.” I think another thing that likely helped was that one of my reference letters was from an international collaborator, since this addresses the scientific and personal criteria, but also shows that I already have an international reputation. I figured with my profile, I had an ok shot at an NSERC PDF, but Banting is quite unlikely. Hey man, all those guys who get Banting (or NSF, Marie Curie, etc) will reject their NSERC PDFs, so there are a lot of short-list people who will still end up getting a PDF!
  3. Thanks guys. It's kind of funny to post here - none of my labmates even know what NSERC is, so they don't really get it. I guess I will just stall as long as I can with NSERC and send them a quick note if I need an extra couple of days for negotiation. Surely everyone else who applied for both NSERC and Banting has the same situation, so this can't be the first time someone has had this happen. I was mildly optimistic that since the NSERC website also says PDF results will be available at the end of March, Banting might also send letters early? I was hoping someone who had experience with Banting might weigh in about when they heard back in the past?
  4. Yeah, I got an NSERC PDF letter today (success). It was so early compared to CGS results from the past that I thought it was some kind of joke. Seriously. Plus I am overseas, so I figured my letter would be even later. I think I heard about CGS in April in the past, but that was a few years ago now. So now NSERC PDF needs a reply before the end of March, but I am still waiting for Banting results. I now feel like there is a tiny chance at Banting since my PDF was successful. What do you think: do the tri-council folks have their act together enough that I will hear about Banting before NSERC needs a reply? It seems like Banting info was sent in late March-early April in previous years and the Banting site promises by March 31, but I would appreciate a little more than a day or two to negotiate with my postdoc supervisor and host institute.
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