Funding Opportunities
ARC is now accepting applications for the 2024 cohort.
The Carney Institute’s Advancing Research Careers (ARC) program invites applications from postdoctoral scientists at Brown University engaged in brain science research. A two-year, NINDS-funded program, ARC seeks to promote the research careers of women and persons historically excluded due to ethnicity and race (PEERs) in brain sciences. Participants benefit from financial support, mentorship and professional development tailored specifically to each person.
Program Snapshot Download full instructions
Why ARC?
Women and PEERs are underrepresented at the postdoctoral and faculty level. The ARC program is designed to empower each participant to enhance their research careers and to provide programming to support their transition to independence. ARC provides scientific research seed funding, individualized mentorship and a set of training and professional development resources to build a career advancement plan. Because one of ARC's main objectives is to help postdoctoral scholars develop independent research, the program awards research-related funds, which are exclusively allocated to the scholars’ line of research.
How does ARC work?
Up to six ARC Scholars are selected annually. With assistance from the ARC Faculty Steering Committee, scholars build a mentorship team who will support and advise them over a two-year period. Scholars benefit from a series of professional development workshops, including sessions on preparing grant proposals and research budgets. Scholars use these resources to help develop a research project proposal with strong professional merit that ARC then supports through seed funding, travel and scientific training awards.
The ARC Scholar Experience will be accomplished through:
- Building a Mentorship Team. In addition to current primary advisors, applicants will invite at least two additional mentors (one outside the institution) to form their mentorship team. Program faculty will provide guidance and introductions.
- Seed Funding for Research. Postdoc ARC Scholars will receive start-up funds of up to $25,000 for appropriate research costs to develop an independent research project. Program faculty will help participants acquire skills or access collaborators to develop their research projects.
- Monthly ARC Scholar Community Workshops. These sessions will cover a variety of topics chosen by the ARC Scholars, such as grant preparation, budget development and/or other professional development goals, such as preparing for the job market.
- Travel and Scientific Training Funds. ARC Scholars will receive funds for the purposes of presenting scholarly work at professional conferences, establishing a collaboration at another institution or obtaining external technical training.
Admission to the ARC program is rolling. For questions, contact Kristin Webster, Associate Director of Training and Development in the Carney Institute.