ORI is proud to announce Bronco PI Lab. This program provides professional development for pre-tenured faculty members across 5 areas of academic careers: Professional Community, Publications, Innovation, Sponsors, and Research & Scholarship. The PI Lab provides workshops throughout the semester, one-on-one coaching, and an external to WMU mentor who will work with participants to develop career networks, goals, and skills.
Nominations should be submitted through InfoReady. For the Spring 2025 cohort, they are due December 8th, 2024 by 11:59pm.
Benefits
- Mentorship – ORI pairs participants with a mentor in your field (external to WMU) to develop a strategic plan to meet short- and long-term goals.
- Workshops – Gain insight from faculty who have successfully navigated different aspects of scholarship.
- Network – Establish connections with peers from across the university.
- Research Coaching – One-on-one sessions to develop your individual research, including writing advice, proposal development, editing, etc.
Eligibility & Requirements
- Bronco PI Lab is geared toward tenure-track faculty in their first 5 years at Western Michigan University. PIs must be nominated for the program by their Deans.
- To participate in the PI Lab, faculty must agree to attend the preliminary grant writing workshop, attend a majority of the workshops offered by ORI (details TBA), and complete, at minimum, monthly check-ins with their mentors.
- PIs whose participation leads to a publication agree to include acknowledgement of support in publication.
- PIS will submit for an external grant or project for publication/display within 1 year of the end of the program. Deans agree that any grant awarded based on participation in the PI Lab (up to three application attempts) will have an adjusted F&A distribution.
Application Process
Deans and associate deans for research are encouraged to nominate faculty members who are motivated to increase their research, innovation, and creative scholarship portfolio and become a more active member of the WMU professorate.
- Nominations should include:
- A cover letter that outlines the nominee’s qualifications, work, and fit for the program,
- A Letter of Support from the nominee’s department chair; this letter should affirm that inclusion in the PI Lab is an investment of time that be protected to allow for the faculty member’s growth.
- A current curriculum vitae from the nominee,
- A statement from the nominee expressing their interest in the program, and includes a summary of the accomplishments, recognition, and/or impact of their previous work. This should be explained in generalist terms. This statement should be a maximum of 3 pages.
- Following nomination period, applications will be reviewed by the Vice President for Research and Innovation and Research Development Administrator. The number of selected participants will vary depending on the budget for the year and the quality of nominations.
Contact
Research Development Administrator