Sang-A Park Memorial Intramural Postdoctoral Fellowship

Dr. Park, a native of South Korea, was an NIDCR postdoctoral fellow with great potential. She was a remarkable and exceptional scientist with a strong commitment to research. Prior to joining NIDCR in 2017, she earned a BS, MS, and PhD from Ewha Womans University’s College of Pharmacy in Seoul, South Korea. Her field of study was TGF-beta signaling and its crosstalk with other pathways in breast cancer stem cells after chemotherapy. Dr. Park will be remembered as a wonderful colleague and for her passion about science, determination to succeed, truly kind nature, and positive outlook on the future. She will also be remembered for her strong enthusiasm for mentoring student interns and other colleagues.

The Park Fellowship is a highly competitive intramural postdoctoral fellowship that includes an expectation that participants will serve as mentors in research areas within the NIDCR mission. Selected fellows receive up to five years of postdoctoral funding. The focus of the fellowship is on career development for junior investigators to better equip them to remain in a biomedical research career and continue to serve as mentors in the scientific community.

NIDCR remains committed to enhancing the diversity of the dental, oral, and craniofacial research workforce. As noted in the Notice of NIH’s Interest in Diversity (NOT-OD-18-210), research shows that diverse teams working together and capitalizing on innovative ideas and distinct perspectives outperform homogeneous teams. Scientists and trainees from diverse backgrounds and life experiences bring different perspectives, creativity, and individual enterprise to address complex scientific problems.

Eligibility

The Park Fellowship seeks to prepare a diverse cadre of postdoctoral students for the rigors of the dental, oral, and craniofacial research enterprise. The program involves both structured and unstructured activities designed to ensure robust and high-quality mentorship and the advancement of participants’ professional goals towards independent, highly competitive research careers. 

NIDCR encourages students from diverse backgrounds to apply, including but not limited to students with disabilities; students who are or have been enrolled in Tribal Colleges and Universities, Hispanic-serving institutions, or Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs); students who identify as LGBTQ; students from groups underrepresented in the biomedical sciences; individuals whose career development benefited from STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) outreach programs or participation in institutional diversity programs; and individuals disadvantaged by circumstances that have negatively impacted their educational opportunities, including recent natural disasters.

Candidates for the Park Fellowship must meet the following basic requirements:

• Individuals must have received a doctoral degree within the previous three years: PhD, DDS (or equivalent), DVM, MD, MD/PhD, DVM/PhD, DDS/DMD or equivalent/PhD 
• Individuals currently in PhD or other doctoral degree programs may apply as long as they anticipate completing their degree requirements within one year of starting the fellowship
• U.S. citizens and non-citizens are welcome to apply for this fellowship
• Individuals must have a potential NIDCR laboratory assignment and investigator match with whom to work 
• Incoming or current intramural NIDCR postdoctoral fellows within the first 24 months of their appointment at NIH are welcome to apply 

Application Process

Applicants must submit their Curriculum Vitae (CV), a cover letter, and the names and contact information of three references. Applicants should include the following elements in the cover letter:

• Prior research experience, research interests, and career goals
• Description of how the applicant’s participation in the Park Fellowship will assist the program in achieving its stated goal of strengthening mentorship within the dental, oral, and craniofacial research enterprise
• Description of previous leadership and mentoring experiences in school and/or the community
• Potential NIDCR laboratory assignment and investigator match with whom to work
• A brief research plan
• Letter of support from the assigned NIDCR principal investigator (PI) or lab/branch chief stating their agreement with the applicant’s participation in the program

Selection Process

Application deadline dates for the Park Fellowship are April 1st, August 1st, and December 1st.

As part of the interview process, selected applicants will be asked to prepare and deliver a research presentation at NIDCR.

Applicants must establish a potential laboratory match at NIDCR prior to being accepted to the program. Applicants are encouraged to directly contact prospective mentors (see NIDCR Intramural Research Areas) or the Director of the NIDCR Intramural Office of Education to assist in identifying a matching research laboratory. 

The Park Fellowship will include salary support commensurate with experience (and within NIH Postdoctoral Fellowship Guidelines), additional funds for lab supplies and consumables, and domestic travel support to attend one scientific conference per year.

Candidates should forward their application materials to:

Dr. Belinda Hauser
Training Director, Office of Training and Education
National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research
National Institutes of Health
(301) 451-6492
belinda.hauser@mail.nih.gov