Professional Development
Trainings and resources to help you meet your training goals.
Purdue University Office of Professional Development Workshops
Purdue hosts several grant-seeking related workshops and office hours for postdoctoral scholars. The three below are offered on a monthly basis.
How to Find and Prepare Fellowship Applications
Whether you’re just getting started or looking to sharpen your approach, this workshop offers practical strategies and helpful resources to support your fellowship journey. We will cover different types of fellowships available, general strategies to strengthen any application, tips for searching effectively for fellowship opportunities, and highlights of popular fellowships among Purdue students. You’ll also learn about the resources and support offered by the Fellowships Office to help you succeed.
NIH Fellowship Opportunities for PhD Candidates and Postdoctoral Scholars
This workshop covers two NIH fellowship opportunities for late-stage PhD students and postdocs pursuing research careers in field that improve human health: the F32 Postdoctoral Fellowship and K99/R00 Pathway to Independence Award. The F32 provides up to three years of postdoctoral training support and is open to U.S. citizens, US nationals, and permanent residents who are either in the final year of their PhD or within the first two years of a postdoc.TheK99/R00 supports up to two years of mentored postdoctoral training followed by up to three years of independent research funding once a tenure-track faculty position is secured. This award is best suited for experienced postdocs with 1-2 years to training time remaining U.S. citizenship or permanent residency is not required. The workshop also introduces the NIH Loan Repayment Program, which repays up to $50,000 annually of qualified educational debt in return for those conducting NIH mission-relevant research. We will provide an overview of each opportunity, strategies for submitting a winning application, and resources available through the Fellowship Office to help you succeed.
Fellowship Coaching Hour
The Fellowship Writing Coaching Hour provides an opportunity to learn about fellowship topics that matter most to you. Our fellowship coach will have a selection of short presentations prepared, and participants will vote on which one(s) to cover during the session. You are also welcome to bring your own questions.
Presentation topics include:
- How to avoid common fellowship application mistakes
- How to condense a fellowship draft to meet page requirements
- How to plan a research project for a grant or fellowship application
- Letters of recommendations for fellowships
- Fellowships for non-STEM students
- Fellowships for non-US citizens
- Computational fellowships
- Fellowships for postdoctoral scholars
NIH F Award Workshop Series
OGSPS partners with the Office of Research and the Purdue Institute for Cancer Research to host a 6-month long workshop to help grads and postdocs submit an NIH F Award application for the April 8 deadline. The series begins in September and ends in February, but you can join along at any time. Please see the Information Sheet for more details.
For more information, email trainee-funding@purdue.edu
Grant Writing ‘Light’ Course
The OGSPS Fellowship Office offers a virtual, asynchronous, 1 credit course to start great grant writing habits. Postdocs can audit the course with instructor permission. The next course will be offered spring 2026.
To request to audit, email trainee-funding@purdue.edu
K99 Writing Circle
Are you interested in writing a K99/R00 application but daunted by the process? Postdoctoral Affairs is coordinating a grant writing circle to help provide mentoring, accountability, and peer support!
If you are interested, complete this online form and we will get back to you with more details ASAP.
Indiana CTSI Office Hours and Trainings
Indiana CTSI (Clinical and Translational Science Institute) hosts a grant writing office hour on the first and third Wednesdays of each month. At each session, a speaker will discuss a relevant topic and answer questions. Topics range from finding collaborators, to designing clinical trials, to effective self-promotion.
Grantseeking 101 for Graduate Students and Postdocs Webinars
Purdue’s Postdoctoral Affairs is part of a BIGTEN+ Postdoctoral Affairs Support Network. This network hosts a quarterly webinars focused on grant writing. As a Purdue Postdoc, you will be notified of upcoming webinars through the Postdoc Listserv and bi-monthly Postdoc Professional Development Newsletter.
NCFDD Free 14-Day Writing Challenge
Writing is one of the most critical aspects of academic success, yet it’s often deprioritized in the face of competing demands. The 14-Day Writing Challenge is a free, structured opportunity for faculty, postdocs, and graduate students to develop consistent writing habits, stay accountable, and make real progress—all in just two weeks.
The Fall Challenge runs September 8 – September 21, 2025.
The Winter Challenge runs November 3 – November 16, 2025.
Stanford Online Writing in the Sciences Free Online Course
This course teaches scientists to become more effective writers, using practical examples and exercises. Topics include: principles of good writing, tricks for writing faster and with less anxiety, the format of a scientific manuscript, peer review, grant writing, ethical issues in scientific publication, and writing for general audiences.
Purdue Workshops and Opportunities
We offer various mentoring workshops through our Go Sign Me Up platform. Just type in “Mentor” into the search field to see which ones are hosted for the current semester.
National Postdoctoral Association Resources
A Postdoc’s Guide to Mentorship
This resource has been created to help postdocs:
- Think and assess prospectively about what they are seeking from mentors
- Shift from thinking about good and bad mentors to the core attributes of effective mentoring relationships
- Recognize that effective mentoring is not just about mentors guiding mentees, but also about mentees guiding mentors – mentoring up
- Learn more about recent theoretical, practical and research advances to guide their development of effective mentoring relationships
- Become familiar with key resources to continue building their skills as mentees and mentors
Note: You must first request your free NPA Affiliate Membership before you can access their resources. Click on this link and follow the registration process. Sign up as an “Affiliate Individual Member, Postdoc.” Once you click Submit, the NPA Membership Director will review your affiliate membership within 10 working days, and you will receive an email when it has been approved.
NPA Smartskills Recorded Webinars
Empowering Your Postdoc Journey: Strategies for Effective Communication (2025)
Speakers: Wendy Crone, Ph.D., professor, engineering physics and mechanical engineering, University of Wisconsin – Madison; Ellen Dobson, Ph.D., Morgridge Institute for Research; Wesley Marner, Ph.D., Morgridge Institute for Research
This session is designed to help postdoctoral researchers build strong, collaborative relationships with their mentors. Participants will receive practical advice for setting expectations, aligning goals, and advocating for their professional growth. We will cover communication skills that postdocs can use to navigate potential challenges with their advisor.
How to Find, Utilize and Be a Great Mentor (2022)
Joanne Kamens, Ph.D., senior consultant, The Impact Seat
We all hear the buzzword of “mentoring” in relation to career success but most of us don’t know how to get the most out of these relationships. This presentation will give practical advice about finding, utilizing and being a mentor in a fun, interactive format.
AAMC Compact between Postdoc Appointees and their Mentors
A framework for aligning the postdoctoral mentor-mentee relationship
The Compact Between Postdoctoral Appointees and Their Mentors is intended to initiate discussions at the local and national levels about the postdoctoral appointee-mentor relationship and the commitments necessary for a high quality postdoctoral training experience. The first version of the Compact was disseminated in 2006. It served as a model for the AAMC Compact Between Biomedical Graduate Students and their Research Advisors. In 2016, a team consisting of representatives from the AAMC Group on Graduate Research, Education, and Training (GREAT Group) and AAMC Council of Faculty and Academic Societies (CFAS) reviewed and updated the document. Input on the revised draft was received from the GREAT Group, CFAS, and AAMC staff leadership. We encourage members of the postdoctoral community to utilize and share this document.
Purdue Webinar – RCR: Discipline-Specific Training
Dr. James Mohler, Purdue University Research Integrity Officer, will host an RCR workshop designed to help all grad students, faculty, staff, and postdocs meet the 2-hour, discipline-specific RCR training required under University policy S-20.
Purdue Webinar – How to be a Good Reviewer
Dr. Sujith Puthiyaveetil will give their expert opinion on how to review manuscripts in a more comprehensive manner. He will share his experience for postdocs and graduate students who want to review manuscripts for their scientific enrichment.
NIH provides a 5-part series on “Becoming a Resilient Scientist.” It is offered in the fall and the summer for NIH trainees but is OPEN TO EVERYONE.
“The goal of this series is to provide you with the resilience tools needed to study and work in high-knowledge environments. The material will help you develop well-being, assertiveness, and feedback skills with the goal of improved relationships in research groups and beyond. The series is helpful for trainees and fellows at all levels. The series is also helpful for fellows who supervise others and wish to develop strong mentoring skills for the future.”
Two webinars from this series can be found on YouTube, below.
Part II: Exploring Self-Talk: Imposter Fears and Other Cognitive Distortions
Toastmasters can help you practice oral presentations. Toastmasters meet weekly to develop speaking and leadership skills. Being a Toastmaster gives you the courage to speak with confidence, improve communication with family and friends, give and get constructive feedback, and thrive in a supportive learning environment.
Handled through Radiological and Environmental Management
Training is also available for specific research centers:
Biweekly Professional Development Newsletter for all Purdue Postdocs
All new postdoctoral scholars automatically get enrolled in the bi-monthly professional development newsletter for postdoctoral scholars. This newsletter advertises current workshops and funding opportunities. If you are not classified as a postdoctoral scholar but think you will benefit from receiving this newsletter, please email postdoc-affairs@purdue.edu to request to be added; you must have a Purdue email address.
Purdue Postdoc Listserv
All new postdoctoral scholars automatically get enrolled in the Purdue Postdoc Listserv. This is OGSPS’ only communication channel with postdocs all over West Lafayette and Indianapolis locations. We use this to highlight special professional development opportunities, such as our monthly Postdoc Power Session, in addition to advertising postdoc events, special funding opportunities, awards, etc. If you are not classified as a postdoctoral scholar but think you will benefit from receiving these communications, please email postdoc-affairs@purdue.edu to request to be added; you must have a Purdue email address.
Contact Information
Postdoctoral Affairs
Young Hall, Room 160. 155 Grant Street
West Lafayette, IN 47907-21147
Email address: postdoc-affairs@purdue.edu
Phone number: (765) 494-2600