OK-PROS – Guidance for Applicants

This page includes application guidance from the OK-PROS Cycle 1 process. Please go to this page for Cycles 2 and 3 and for more updated information.

 


Ohio State faculty mentors must initiate the request for OK-PROS support through the application submission system. Once complete, the postdoc nominee will be automatically notified to upload their application materials. Details on the required application materials can be found below.

OK-PROS Application Summary

Faculty Mentor needs to submit…

Postdoc Candidate needs to submit…

  1. Curriculum Vitae that includes previous mentorship track record, funding, and scholarship
  2. Postdoctoral Mentoring Plan for the nominee
  3. Contact information for postdoctoral nominee
  1. Curriculum Vitae
  2. Research Plan that includes a broader impact statement
  3. Education and Background Statement
  4. Budget and budget justification describing how OK-PROS support will be used

Application Details

A complete application package will include the following materials uploaded or input into the Qualtrics submission system:

  1. Name and contact information for the postdoc scholar
  2. Academic and employment information for the postdoc scholar
    1. Terminal degree information, including degree(s) type, field(s) of study, and graduate year(s)
    2. Current location and role (if any)
    3. Information for the department they have been/will be hired into at Ohio State
    4. Name and contact information for their faculty mentor
    5. Start date at Ohio State (if known)
  3. PDF uploads for postdoctoral scholar:
    1. Full curriculum vitae (CV)
    2. General research project description: 300-1,000 words
    3. Education and Background Narrative: 300-1,000 words
    4. Budget: download the budget template here.
    5. Budget Justification:  < 2 pages in length.
  4. PDF uploads for faculty mentor:
    1. Full CV (or NIH/NSF biosketch and details on previous experience with mentoring trainees)
    2. Postdoctoral Mentoring Plan: 300-1,000 words

Format for all uploaded materials:

  • File type: all uploaded materials should be a PDF aside from your budget excel file.
  • Font: Arial or Times New Roman at 11pt or higher size.
  • Margins: no smaller than .5” on each side.

Please note: CVs will be accepted in the format that is standard for your field of study (font, font-size, and margins); you do not need to reformat them for the purposes of this application process.

Evaluation and selection criteria that reviewers will use to choose applicants:

  • Reviewers may consider candidates according to their academic accomplishments, the strength of their research proposal, and their experience with and potential to contribute to diversity and equal opportunity through their teaching, research, and/or service.
  • Reviewers also may consider the faculty mentor’s potential to work productively with the candidate and commitment to and experience with equity and diversity in higher education, including experience with or willingness to participate in mentorship training.
  • OK-PROS application reviewers will submit their recommendations to the Office of Postdoctoral Affairs, where the final selections will be determined.

OK-PROS review committees will evaluate each application package component using the following criteria:

  1. Postdoc Candidate and Faculty Mentor Curriculum Vitae (CV).
  • Updated CVs, including NIH or NSF Biosketches, for both the faculty mentor and postdoc candidate will be evaluated based on productivity (faculty mentor career stage will be considered), experience, and accomplishments.

Please note: NIH or NSF Biosketches can be submitted by the faculty mentor in lieu of a full CV for this component as long as they also include information on their previous trainee mentorship experience.

  1. General research project description – 300-1,000 words describing the type of work to be undertaken by the postdoc and their faculty mentor. The research proposal must also include a Broader Impacts statement that addresses at least one of the following:
  • How does the faculty mentor and/or postdoc candidate have the potential to bring to their academic research the critical perspective that comes from their understanding of the experiences of groups historically underrepresented in higher education or underserved by academic research generally;
  • How does the proposed research have the potential to serve the needs of groups that have been historically underserved by or included in academic research. For example, will underrepresented undergraduate or graduate students be mentored by the postdoc and faculty mentor to participate in the proposed research?
  • How does the faculty mentor and/or postdoc candidate, in addition to their primary field of interest, have the potential to make research contributions to understanding the barriers facing members of groups who have been historically underrepresented in these fields in higher education. For example,
    • studying patterns of participation and advancement of women, racial minorities and other groups in academic fields where they are underrepresented;
    • evaluating research programs, curricula and teaching strategies designed to enhance participation of students from groups underserved by higher education;
    • studying the biochemical, molecular, cellular and/or organismal-level mechanisms underlying diseases affecting underrepresented groups; and/or
    • developing technologies that enable underserved communities to have greater accessibility to educational, financial, occupational and entrepreneurial resources.
  • How does the faculty mentor and/or postdoc candidate in any scholarly discipline have research and/or professional interests focusing on underserved populations and understanding issues of racial, gender, or other inequities. For example,
    • research that addresses issues such as race, gender, diversity, and inclusion;
    • research that addresses topics such as health disparities, educational access and achievement, political engagement, economic justice, social mobility, civil and human rights and other questions of interest to historically underrepresented groups (e.g., social determinants of health and health disparity elements that undergird the prevalence of certain cancers within African American populations; the linkage between inflammation and Type 2 diabetes); and/or
    • artistic expression and cultural production that reflects culturally diverse communities or voices not well represented in the arts and humanities.
  1. Postdoc Candidate Education and Background Narrative – 300-1,000 words that describes the postdoc’s personal and academic background and their understanding of the barriers facing women, historically underrepresented minorities, students with disabilities, and other members of groups underrepresented in higher education careers, as evidenced by life experiences and/or educational background. Examples include but are not limited to:
  • attendance at a minority serving institution;
  • ability to articulate the barriers facing women, racial minorities and other groups within their field of study;
  • participation in diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives at their current or previous organization(s);
  • a record of academic service to advance equitable access to higher education for women, racial minorities and other groups in fields where they are underrepresented;
  • a record of leadership or significant experience teaching and mentoring students from groups that have been historically underrepresented in higher education;
  • demonstrated significant academic achievement by overcoming barriers such as economic, social or educational disadvantage; and/or
  • a record of leadership or significant experience performing public service addressing the needs of our increasingly diverse society.
  1. Faculty Mentor Postdoctoral Mentoring Plan – 300-1,000 words that outlines the faculty mentor’s experience with mentoring postdocs; describes prior participation in mentorship training and/or expresses a willingness to participate in OPA-sponsored mentorship programming; and acknowledges willingness to use an individual mentorship plan (see information on the IDP here).

Please note: the faculty mentor is able to use a NSF Postdoctoral Mentoring Plan here as long as it includes the information requested above.

  1. Budget and Budget Justification – A high-level budget and budget justification that outlines what activities the postdoctoral scholar will support if they are selected as an awardee (the OPA has developed a template budget which you can find here with expense categories and example allowable expenses for each category). The budget justification should be no more than 2 pages in length.
  1. Other Factors That May Be Considered – OK-PROS application review committees may give less consideration to applicants who:
  • Have had significant postdoctoral experience;
  • Propose to work in the department where they received their Ph.D. or currently hold postdoctoral appointments with their proposed mentor; and/or
  • Individuals who are already based near their primary campus location (i.e., Columbus if on main campus or other location if employed at a regional campus or external research facility) and therefore need fewer financial resources to onboard to the university research community.

Please note: Applicants who align with any of the three criteria above should address their circumstances in their application. For example, an applicant who is staying in the same department due to family needs would be given full consideration.


Acknowledgement

The OK-PROS program is made possible through the generous support of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. Grant #: P-60076160-2022 Ohio State University.