Institutional Research & Academic Career Development Award
The Minnesota IRACDA Program, funded by the NIH, is a collaborative initiative between the University of Minnesota and Twin Cities Metro area community colleges Normandale College and North Hennepin Community College. This program supports recent PhD scholars by offering them rigorous scientific research training, instruction, mentoring, teaching experience, and career development. Upon completing their fellowship, scholars are well-prepared to transition into tenure-track faculty positions and research-related employment. IRACDA scholars mentor and inspire undergraduate students, many of whom transfer from partner institutions to the University of Minnesota to complete their STEM degrees.
By fostering the transition of talented postdoctoral researchers into independent faculty careers in biomedical research and education, the program seeks to develop and implement successful and innovative strategies to promote biomedical professoriate excellence.
Sample MN IRACDA Program:
Current Scholars
Program Alumni
Overview of IRACDA
The long-term goal of the Minnesota IRACDA Program is to develop and implement successful and creative strategies to promote and facilitate the transition of talented postdoctoral researchers into independent faculty careers in biomedical research and education. The overall objectives of the Minnesota IRACDA Program are to:
- Provide postdoctoral scholars with strong multi-tiered mentoring in cutting-edge biomedical research.
- Provide the postdoctoral scholars with pedagogical training in modern teaching techniques of evidence-based teaching at the undergraduate level at two teaching-intensive institutions: Normandale Community College and North Hennepin Community College.
- Equip postdoctoral scholars with a multitude of career and professional development opportunities and programs including, participation in workshops that address scientific communication, publication, job searches, grant writing, and professional advancement in biomedical research.
- Provide undergraduates from the teaching-intensive partner institutions with paid authentic research opportunities at the University of Minnesota in which they are mentored by the postdoctoral scholars.
