The “Alumni Connections” series highlights NIAID fellows who have taken the next step on their academic path. This article catches up with Kristin Lane, M.S., Ph.D., a former postdoc in the Laboratory of Malaria and Vector Research (LMVR) under the mentorship of Thomas Wellems, M.D., Ph.D. Now in her first year as an assistant professor of molecular microbiology and biochemistry in the Department of Biological Sciences at Idaho State University, Dr. Lane is a recent recipient of the NIAID New Innovator Award, giving her research a huge lift as she tackles the problem of multidrug resistance in malaria. Read our interview with Dr. Lane to hear about her experiences as a new faculty member.
Could you describe the interview process for your current academic position?
I was searching for positions in 2020, at the height of the pandemic, so this interview process was fully virtual. In fact, I accepted the position before I had even seen the university or the town. I interviewed for the position in late fall. The interview followed a standard format with a research talk, a teaching talk, and a chalk talk. I knew from the wording in the job ad that they were looking for expertise in microbial pathogenesis, which I had worked on for both my graduate work and postdoctoral research, so I incorporated that into my job talk. Because my graduate work and postdoctoral work were so different, I actually went in with two stories, which might be considered unusual, but I wanted to include both because it showed how I fit their program. I received a formal offer at the beginning of January. Because we were still fully virtual, and there was not a lot of travel going on, I had to determine lab space virtually. I didn’t actually visit until May, which was two months before I started.
Did you have funding secured when you applied for faculty positions?
One of the common misconceptions among postdocs is that you need funding secured to apply for a faculty position, specifically an individual research career development (K) award. I started my search for a faculty position as I simultaneously applied for the NIAID DP2 funding mechanism, a high-risk, high-reward mechanism that didn’t have a time limit on years of postdoctoral experience. I learned I had received the award several months after accepting my position.
What was your experience like once you finally made it to the campus?
I was so surprised by how beautiful it is out here. The lab space that I had picked out ended up being exactly what I need. Everyone I met in the virtual setting was just as collegial and supportive in person as they had been in the previous virtual interactions. I will say it was a nerve-wracking way to accept a position, but it worked out beautifully in the end.
What are your teaching and mentoring activities?
I teach one course per semester. In the meantime, I have picked up 7 undergraduates who are working in my lab and I’ve recruited a graduate student who’ll be starting in the fall. So, I do a lot of teaching both in the classroom and in the lab right now. I recently submitted an AREA R15 proposal, which is for mentoring undergraduates in the laboratory. Mentoring, for me, is always fun. Back when I was a postdoc in LMVR, we had a pretty engaging group of postbacs. We would try to get together for lunch so we could bounce ideas off one another and help the postbacs navigate next steps and life event-type things, but they also mentored us as much as we mentored them. I still email many of them to get their comments and feedback on projects and writing, and they’ll do the same for me. It is important to have a supportive community where everyone can just get together and talk.
What NIH or NIAID training did you find most useful?
As I went on the job market, I worked with an OITE career counselor who provided invaluable advice on improving my CV and an early version of my cover letter. I found the NIAID grant writing workshops very helpful, as I had attended them at varying times throughout my training.
Prior to attending the 2020 NIAID grant workshop, I had submitted an unsuccessful DP2 grant proposal in 2019 that was not selected for discussion in peer review. The 2020 NIAID grant workshop really illuminated the best way to write a grant. They suggested that I really think about whom I am writing for and to write at the correct level. That was advice I took to heart. The next year, in 2020, I submitted an NIAID DP2 that scored in the top 10%. Meaning I went from “not discussed” to “top 10%” in the space of a year—I credit that to the grant workshops and also to my mentors— a network of faculty from different fields who provided honest feedback. Write your grant as if writing for a senior biology major and not above that. They need to understand what you’re talking about even if they’re not specialists in your field. You can’t be bogged down in so much detail that it confuses your story.
What parting advice do you have for NIAID postdocs?
I have two pieces of advice. First, being a postdoc is inherently difficult. Find a hobby or some way of doing something for yourself to counteract that. Second, you can find mentors everywhere if you look, and they don’t have to be in positions higher than your current position. I routinely reach out to former colleagues and lab mates to help me, to provide feedback on my writing.
Is it okay if current NIAID fellows contact you with questions?
Yes, my email is kristinlane@isu.edu and you can follow my journey to becoming a #BrandNewPI on Twitter @kristindownie.