DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This project involved a three-day annual workshop, for assistant professors at the early stages of their careers, to assist them in effective proposal preparation, in establishing and maintaining a unique research program and in mentoring. These objectives will be achieved in an interactive program with the guidance of Discussion Leaders who are well recognized as effective mentors and have distinguished research records. The planning and execution of the workshops will be carried out by a Steering Committee. Assistant professors, whose research interests fall within the areas of expertise of the Synthetic and Biological Chemistry A and B NIH study sections, will be invited to participate. The relevant research specialties include organic chemistry (synthesis, methodology, and mechanism) and chemical biology, as well as natural products chemistry and biochemistry; peptide chemistry; nucleic acid chemistry; and bioinorganic chemistry. Approximately thirty junior faculty and six discussion leaders will attend each workshop. More than one-third of faculty entering research universities in applicable fields will be impacted.

Project Relevance This workshop is designed to help new faculty in chemistry get their programs off to a quick start by providing essential information on grant writing and research group management.