As STEM graduate students, there are a myriad of non-traditional career paths available to us upon graduation. The problem? It can be hard to know just how broad our options are, and it is entirely possible that jobs well-suited for us can fall under the radar. For Dr. Jennifer Aleman, a 2021 Genetics & Epigenetics graduate from the Capelson lab, science grant writing was not a career path she was aware of throughout graduate school. However, once she learned of a job opportunity in this field through utilizing her network, she realized it would be a good fit for her. As a science grant writer for the School of Science for The College of New Jersey (TCNJ), Jennifer is able to combine her passion for science writing and community engagement in a unique way. We had the pleasure of speaking with Jennifer about her experience as a science grant writer.
Can you describe your job as a science grant writer?
My job involves supporting the dean and faculty members in the School of Science (Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Math & Stats and Computer Science) with the development, writing, editing and submission of competitive grant proposals to external funding agencies. I’ve worked on faculty-based research proposals, collaborative proposals between different institutions, and department/school level proposals focused on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives.
What does a typical work day look like for you? How would you describe the pace of your job?
The pace of my job ebbs and flows according to grant deadlines and time of year. It’s been busier recently as there are many deadlines for grants between NSF and NIH in January and February. A typical day involves answering emails in a timely manner (usually specific grant questions or grant progress check-ins), working on grant documents for faculty members (including the administrative aspects, budget, facilities document, etc.), reviewing faculty member’s research description/aims and providing feedback and edits, coordinating/liaising with the College’s grant administrators, keeping track of deadlines and always looking ahead to make sure grants are on track for their submission deadlines.
Beyond those day-to-day activities, what else might you be doing any given week?
I hold a weekly faculty writing group meeting, where faculty meet together on Zoom to co-work on writing projects and grants they are working on. This has helped keep a group of us accountable, and a few faculty members have made great progress on grants in this session.
I coordinate NSF GRFP submission for undergrad students by running an application workshop and providing students with feedback on their essays. I have also served on evaluation committees for other scholarships like the Goldwater Scholarship and Fulbright Scholarship. I’ve worked with these students on their essays as well.
I am in the process of starting up a SACNAS chapter at TCNJ and will be serving as the staff advisor. SACNAS at Penn was a big part of my graduate experience and being involved in this group really gave me a sense of community as well as support through grad school with their helpful programming. I always wished that I had access to a group like this when I was in undergrad. I am in the process of creating an e-board, and we are planning our first general meeting. We have received a lot of positive interest from students as well as faculty. I hope to keep my connection to Penn SACNAS strong and collaborate with them in the future.
How and when did you find out about this type of job? Was it a career you knew you wanted to pursue early on?
I knew early on in grad school that I’d like to pursue some sort of career in science writing, but I had never heard of or read about this type of position throughout grad school. I actually found out about the position from my undergrad PI (I did my undergrad at TCNJ). Even in my job search I had not come across any opportunities like this, though I think this can be due to the fact that it can be classified by different job titles, such as grants manager or grants administrator.
This position merged many of the job responsibilities/tasks that I was interested in into one role. I get to do science writing and editing and consult with different faculty members about their research; I have administrative grant duties, which I have been learning along the way thanks to the help of some awesome administrators; and I get to interact with students as a mentor, helping them with their writing and now advocating for DEI as their SACNAS mentor. Something that drew me in was the College’s openness to have me involved in the community in other ways in addition to science grant writing – helping with other fellowships across campus, involvement with students, and an openness for me to even explore teaching if I am interested.
Is a PhD required for your position? How has your degree helped you in your current work?
A PhD was not required in my role, but I think it was preferred. They were definitely looking for someone with substantial science writing experience. They wanted someone that could interact with PIs to understand their science and provide feedback.
My PhD has given me the prior understanding of how federal agencies like NIH and NSF function, understanding why receiving funding is so competitive and a general understanding of what makes a grant proposal successful. Coming into this role, I was concerned that I didn’t have enough grant writing experience, having only been awarded an F31. The process of applying for an F31 has been invaluable to what I do everyday in my job, and I definitely under-valued that experience. Of course, there is always more to learn – I am not an expert in all of the types of grants that I am now helping faculty apply for, and the agencies are often changing rules, guidelines and versions of their forms. But the ability to do research, read directions carefully, and know when to reach out for help has allowed me to successfully navigate this role. There is always something new to learn in the grants world – even when you think you have a handle on the rules and guidelines, something is always changing. I need to stay on top of policies and have fine-tuned attention to detail in this role to make sure mistakes aren’t made.
What skills are important for being a science grant writer?
Attention to detail: I have to re-read solicitation/RFP/FOA (the many names for “grant instructions”) over and over again to make sure I have completed all of the requirements and are staying compliant.
Collaboration: I work with different types of people (PIs) with different types of needs (some want more hands-on help while others are more independent).
Science writing and storytelling: I help others improve the quality of their writing.
Ability to multitask: I am often working on more than one proposal in a day, so that often means not only switching between grant agencies that a particular grant is for (NIH vs NSF grant guidelines and instructions have distinct formats that are not overlapping), and also switching between different science disciplines entirely (Chemistry vs Biology).
Time management: I have to manage the timing of different submissions, which are sometimes overlapping. I need to make sure all grant documents are completed, compliant and ready to upload the day before submission. Grant submission needs to be coordinated with our institutional grants office, so efficient planning and timing is essential for getting grants submitted on time.
Communication: I am constantly writing emails. You need to keep people updated on your progress, ask questions when you need to, and politely nudge people if you are waiting on a document that’s needed.
How did you learn to write? Any resources in particular help you?
The science writing course (CAMB 695) that students take before the preliminary exam was super helpful for me, especially in writing my grant proposal.
I always enjoyed science writing more than I did benchwork. I looked forward to the times I could dedicate to writing. Getting feedback on my fellowship application from my advisor definitely helped me develop my writing skills. Writing your own paper and getting feedback is also helpful in order to improve your science writing.
Was it important to show you had a history of getting grants/fellowships yourself?
Yes, this was essentially my job experience. I showed that I was capable of going through the process of developing and submitting a grant and that I was successful in the process and able to secure funding. I was asked in my interview what I thought were important aspects of grant writing, all of which we learned during our science writing course and which I also learned on my own going through the proposal submission process and following up with my Program Officer. These were all one-time experiences that were all applicable past experiences and held a lot of weight.
Did you specifically want to work at a university?
No, I wasn’t necessarily looking for a job at a university specifically. I was interested in science writing jobs in general. I heard about the position from my undergrad PI. It’s been a great experience coming home so to speak and to get to work with my old professors now as colleagues. It’s a great environment to work in, and that was also a big factor that I had to take into consideration – feeling comfortable and liking the people I am working with.
Can you compare science grant writing to other types of science writing careers, such as medical writing?
Grant writing and medical writing share a lot of similarities. They are both client-focused. In grant writing, the client would be the professor that I’m working with that will be submitting the grant. I want to make sure they are happy with and approve of the proposal that they are putting forward and the support that I give them in putting the whole grant application together. There is a lot of attention to detail necessary in this job, as there would be in medical writing as well. Medical writing would of course be more clinically focused while grant writing at an academic institution – or specifically a predominantly undergraduate institution (PUI) like I’m at – is mainly focused on basic research and undergraduate education. You are engaged in cutting edge science in both positions, but what differs is the subfield that you’d prefer to work in.
Any additional advice for students who want to prepare for a job like yours?
I would say the number one piece of advice is to take the opportunity to apply for an F31 fellowship after your preliminary exam. No matter what your career choice ends up being, it is a great opportunity and process to go through. It is especially rewarding and provides great training if you do want to go into some sort of science writing in the future, especially grant writing.
Take other opportunities to write when you can. Write for different audiences if possible (blog posts, CAMB newsletter). Writing for common audiences is a necessary skill in grant writing and science writing in general. I would also say to write as much of your own paper as you can when you are preparing your publication. Ask your PI for feedback and to edit your writing if possible (sometimes they want to re-write for you because it’s easier – try to avoid this when you can). This will improve your writing clarity.
Also look for editing opportunities when possible. This may seem futile and not useful to put on a resume, but being able to improve the clarity of someone’s writing and to be able to give constructive feedback is a big part of grant writing. Even editing a lab mate’s manuscript would be a good editing experience.
If you are interested in this type of role, I would suggest searching for jobs with different keywords – this job may not always be classified as “grant writer”. Search for other terms like “grants manager” and “grants/research administrator”. If you are interested in being at a particular institution, go to their career pages and look under staff/administrative roles – these types of positions would be listed there. The job responsibilities I’ve described in my role fall under “pre-award grants administration”. This includes the process of proposal development and budgeting up until proposal submission.
What’s the best thing about your job?
Getting to work with faculty that really care about their students’ research, training and education. Professors at PUIs are amazing scientists pursuing cool research and they are great educators dedicated to all students’ learning. It’s been great to see their dedication to their jobs and to the student experience. I am happy that I get to support enhancing PI’s research capabilities and also create research experiences for students through the crafting and submission of grants. I benefited both in my undergrad and grad school training with diversity focused grants that impacted my career trajectory and I’m happy to ensure that TCNJ can give the same supportive experience to others.
I’ve also really enjoyed interacting with students and providing them with feedback on fellowship applications and grad school essays and personal statements. Students are really appreciative of my feedback and I have been impressed to see the improvement in their statements afterwards. I’ve also been able to make connections with students as a former student and a recent PhD grad and have already become an informal mentor so to speak.