Application Instructions

Propel Faculty Mentor in the School of Medicine

Propel requires that you have an established relationship with a faculty mentor who has a primary appointment in the Stanford School of Medicine (SoM) by the due date of the application. Propel applications are scored in part based on the mentor/mentee fit, so ensure any mentor is a strong fit scientifically, a good fit for your work style, and supportive of your career goals. Please note that a faculty member may serve as primary mentor for only one Propel scholar at a time.

Propel Application Sections

The Propel application consists of the following sections:

Part 1: Eligibility Biographic and Demographic Information

If you are interested in applying to be a Propel scholar, we encourage you to complete and submit Part 1 using this link as soon as possible. After this form has been submitted, you will be notified of your eligibility status. Those who meet minimum eligibility criteria will receive instructions for the next steps and a link to Part 2 of the application.

The form in Part 1 will ask you for your name, email, ORCID and additional demographic information. You will also be asked about the status of your postdoctoral search and questions about your postdoctoral mentor if you have identified one.

Part 2: Main Application

Education and Training Record

This section asks about your academic background, educational history, and a short description of your dissertation research.

Research Experience

This section will help us learn about your research achievements as well as your potential to establish an independent research career. Describe your graduate and postdoctoral (if applicable) research, in a manner clear to scientists who may not be experts in your field by responding to the following prompts. We ask you to provide short responses to the questions below within the word limits indicated in the application:

Keywords that most closely applies to your research (select from pull-down menu)
What is the central question addressed in your research? (100 words)
State your major research findings and the significance of your work to the field. (300 words)
Describe your individual contributions to experimental design, data collection, data analysis and interpretation, and manuscript preparation, as well as within collaborations or teamwork (100 words)
Who is your proposed primary Stanford postdoc mentor? If you are being co-mentored, please list the primary mentor first. Feel free to explain further as needed
How has your graduate training motivated your selection of postdoctoral lab? (100 words)
How does your proposed research direction align with your proposed faculty mentor’s interests? (100 words)

Curriculum Vitae

Your CV should include education trajectory, research, work experience, publications, presentations, teaching, and other professional experiences, along with your full legal name, contact information, and (expected) date of Ph.D., which must be received by the program start date.

Personal Interests, Motivations, and Career Goals

This section helps us learn about your leadership (across any of research, teaching, mentoring, and/or outreach areas), community engagement, commitment to promoting access and enriching the education of others, as well as passion and motivation for an academic career. In this context, you will be asked to provide short responses to the following questions below within the word limits indicated in the application:

Describe your career goals and why an academic career is compelling to you. (200 words)
- Note that you may have interests in a range of institution types, which is aligned with Propel’s goal of supporting an applicant’s career of choice within academia
How do you see Propel advancing your career goals? (100 words)
Tell us about your experiences in community engagement, community service, or leadership activities. How do you see these experiences contributing to your success as future faculty? (200 words)
Describe an activity or experience outside of your research that demonstrates your commitment to teaching and/or mentoring. (200 words)
- While you will have the opportunity to list a breadth of activities and experiences in your CV, in this question we would like to learn more in-depth about an experience that has shaped your career goals and trajectory
Describe a time you overcame a (non-research) challenge in a professional setting. This could include interpersonal difficulties, lack of resources, or something else. (200 words)
Research shows that access to role models with similar lived experiences improves retention of students and trainees in an academic setting. Briefly describe the ways you as a postdoc now and as faculty in the future can serve as a role model. (200 words)
How would you contribute to creating an inclusive community? What unique factors in your background and experiences have shaped your identity and personal and professional motivations? (200 words)

References

Two reference forms are required, one of which must be from your thesis advisor. You will be asked to name the two reference writers (with email addresses) in the “Request Reference” section of the application. We will send reference forms to the two individuals you identify, so please do not ask them to prepare a letter ahead of time. Please note that your references should not be from your current/future Stanford School of Medicine postdoc mentor as we request a separate mentor form from them. If you have concerns about receiving a fair assessment within your thesis advisor’s reference, we strongly recommend you ask your second reference to address the issue directly in their letter.

This part of the application may be completed and/or edited at any time before the deadline (does not require previous sections to be completed first). Please note that once you submit a referee name/email, an email with instructions and a link to the reference form is sent out immediately to your referee. We encourage you to contact your referees to ensure they are familiar with the mission and goals as stated on our Propel program website and to let them know that they will receive an email and instructions from the Propel system to submit their letter.

Part 3: Faculty Mentor Designation & Supplemental Mentor Application Form

After the Propel application closes, the primary Stanford School of Medicine mentor you listed in Part 2 of the application will receive a link to a Propel Mentor Application Form (see below for the list of questions). Your primary mentor will receive and must submit the supplemental mentor application form, though all co-mentoring faculty may work together to respond to the prompts.

The mentor form helps us learn about the mentor-mentee relationship, which is central to the mission of Propel. This portion of the application is meant to foster explicit conversation between the mentor and mentee to ensure that their expectations are aligned and the applicant’s research and career goals will be supported. This form must be filled out by the faculty mentor. While we expect you to engage in meaningful conversation with your mentor, composing responses may not be delegated to you. The application emphasizes the faculty commitment to the individual scholar’s development and growth towards independence, with questions that explore how the faculty’s mentoring philosophy and commitment to training scholars will provide a supportive and rigorous experience. We are especially interested in understanding the unique potential of the mentor/mentee research partnership.

Propel Mentor Application Questions

1. Why is this candidate compelling to you?

2. What are this candidate’s research goals for their postdoctoral training, and how will you support them?

3. What are this candidate’s career goals, and how will you support them?

4. How do you define research independence, and how will you support them in developing independence and transitioning into an independent career?

5. What mentoring experiences and training have you engaged in that have prepared you to mentor this scholar?

6. How do you contribute to creating an inclusive community that fosters belonging?