Personal Statement



Sample:

Candidate biographical narrative3

Educational Background:

My educational background was in __________________. I received Bachelor’s degree in ________________ at ______ State University. My first Master’s degree is from the same institution for the project entitled “_______________________________________”. Later, as a research technologist, I have joined the laboratory that specialized in the _________________________. Later I started graduate school at the _______________________, where I gained my second Master of Science degree in molecular biology. My studies were focused on the biology of _______________________. Oddly, the very diversity of these studies gave me an excellent background to enter research in ___________________. Knowledge of the basics of biochemistry, virology, microbiology, enzymology and molecular biology proved invaluable by providing me with a broad outlook and varied knowledge of the diverse biological processes.

Scientific Background:

As a junior researcher I joined the laboratory of Dr. ____________ at the ___________________________. My task was to investigate __________________________. These studies afforded an effortless transition to my present field of study: in 1990 I became a visiting fellow in the laboratory of Dr. __________, a world-renown specialist in ______________________. During my time at Dr _____’s lab I participated in the following seminal studies and discoveries:

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

These findings, published in a variety of high-profile journals, including ______________, __________________, Journal of _______________________ and ____________________________., have become a solid foundation for my further independent research in the field of ________________________________.

Research Progress

In 1998 I have begun my independent career as research faculty at the department of _____________________, Northwestern University Medical School, and later as a tenure-track Assistant Professor at the Department of _______, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. During my time as a tenure-track faculty I have authored 25 papers, some of them in high-profile peer-reviewed journals including Nature Medicine, Journal of Experimental Medicine, and Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. In addition I have written three invited review articles, two editorials and a book chapter. My cumulative citation index now exceeds 4000, with the most important articles highly cited in the field. My findings, alone or in collaboration with others yielded two US patents and three patent applications.

During my stay with the _______ Department the following studies have been completed:

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Future Studies

1. We are in the process of defining transcriptional networks involved in the regulation of _____________.

2. We plan to investigate __________________________. We are in the process of collecting preliminary data for this study.

3. We will determine the mechanism by which _________________________. Collaboration is established with the group in Spain and a body of preliminary data has been accumulated.

4. We are attempting to develop the combination therapies mentioned above for clinical use. In close collaboration with Dr. _________ and __________ Laboratories, we intend to obtain an FDA approval for the combined _______________________ treatment and initiate Phase I clinical trials.

5. We will continue to investigate the effect of ________________ on ___________________ cells.

Summary of research

Our discovery of __________________

Using our knowledge of the ____________________we designed a number of combination therapies combining a potential for high efficacy with negligible toxic side effects. It is our hope that this combination will find their way to clinic.

Finally, we have established a _______________ program in the lab with two intriguing working models: _______________________ (these studies will be continued in collaboration with Dr. _______________ for the ____________ Department), and a model of __________________________________. These studies are likely to produce new and meaningful information, which can be further used for the treatment of ____________________.

Teaching

During my tenure-track period I have taught the following courses at the Northwestern Integrated Graduate Program:

1. _______________________ (2001-2002)

2. ___________________________________________ (2001-2002)

3. _____________________________________________ (2001-present)

4. __________________________________________________ (2001-present)

5. ________________________________________________ (2001-present)

I continue to actively participate in the __________________ Course. My goal is to familiarize the students with the basic principles of _______________________. In my lectures I cover historical perspective, basic concepts, essential components and experimental approaches to the studies of _________. On the other hand I strive to remain current and to introduce my audience to the newest achievements in the contemporary ________ studies using the most recent landmark articles in the area.

In my lectures on ___________ I give the students an overview of this relatively young field. I cover the main definitions, basic, genetic and epigenetic influences that regulate physiological ______________________. I pay particular attention to the pathological ______________ and possible ways to block it as a means of therapeutic intervention. It is my hope that this course may bridge basic science with the advances of contemporary medicine.

An important part of my teaching involves mentoring future researches. Currently in my laboratory there are two postdoctoral fellows: Dr. ________________ and Dr. ___________. Both are talented young investigators successful in their chosen careers and the recipients of ______________ Basic Science Training Grant awards. Dr. _____________ successfully secured a postdoctoral award from the US Department of Defense. Dr. ______ is currently applying for the American Cancer Society Postdoctoral Award. Her first submission was scored from Excellent to Outstanding, with a high likelihood of funding in the next submission cycle. These achievements clearly demonstrate the strength of their training environment as well as their personal excellence.

In the past I have mentored four other postdoctoral fellows, Drs. ____________ (now a Staff Scientist at CovX Pharmaceuticals), __________________ (a Research Faculty at Northwestern University Department of Surgery), _____________ (a Vice Chief of _______ Department at the Otto von Guericke University, Magdeburg, Germany), and ________________ (now a new faculty member at the Otto von Guericke University, Magdeburg, Germany). Their placement also reflects the high external evaluation of the training they received and their publication record.

I have mentored two residents, Dr. _____________ from Children’s Memorial Hospital at Chicago (now a faculty at the _______ Department at Northwestern University), and Dr. __________, MD from _______ Department, Northwestern University. Both remained involved in laboratory research, which suggest that the tutelage in my lab was intellectually stimulating. The work of Dr. ______ received a prize at the Resident’s science paper competition in 2000 and was recently published in Clinical Cancer Research.

I was asked to participate in the exchange program for the students and postdoctoral fellows from Spain and have mentored two students, ________________, and ____________ (both received their PhD in 2005). Another student from the University Autonoma de Madrid will join the lab in 2006 for a period of 6 months.

In addition, I have mentored two undergraduate students, two high school students, and a summer student. Both undergraduates continued into medical school.

The career development, awards, podium talks and career choices by my mentees characterize the strengths of my teaching methods and the success of my research program.

University and Professional Service

University services

My contributions to the University include my duties as a member of the __________________ Center. I served as an organizer for the __________________ Seminar for years 2000-2002. I am also an active member of the Research Committee in the Department of _______. In 2001 I served as a head of the Search Committee for the _______ department and in 2003 spearheaded a search for the recipients of _______ Basic Science Training Award. Thus I have contributed in providing a research environment for the residents, graduate students and medical students. I participated in the resubmission of the prostate SPORE grant (NIH), where my project was given a Career Development Award. It is my belief that the renewal of the SPORE is essential to maintain the strength if our _______________ research program.

I have served on several committees including the Gramm Travel Fellowship Award Committee, __________________ Qualifying Exam Committee and the Departmental Faculty Search Committee.

I have also contributed to the University functions by interviewing incoming graduate students, residents and prospective faculty members and reviewing proposals for the summer students.

Services to the scientific community

I served as an Ad Hoc member of the review panels for the NCI PO1 _______________________ Cluster Review (October-December 2004). I have been asked to participate in the special interest study section in the _______________________ in November 2005.

I was recruited as a reviewer for the proposals submitted to the international funding agencies, including Research Foundation Swiss and Irish National Foundation for Science.

I serve as an editor in the book series “Cancer Treatment and Research” and have been invited as a guest editorial board member for the Journal of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO).

I review manuscripts for multiple journals including Angiogenesis, ARVO, Blood, Cancer and Metastases Reviews, Circulation Research, Cancer Research, Clinical Cancer Research, Molecular Cancer Research, European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO), EMBO Reports, FEBS Journal, Genes and Development, Journal of Investigative Dermatology, Journal of Experimental Medicine, Journal of Clinical Investigation, Journal of Urology, International Journal of Cancer, Cancer Cell, Molecular Cell, Nature Medicine, Nature Cell Biology and others.

I have been invited as a speaker to a number of national and international meetings (see CV attached). I was asked to present my research in the workshops dedicated to the biology and function of angiogenesis inhibitors (the last, Ocular and Extraocular Angiogenesis (ARVO-Pfizer), took place in Ft. Lauderdale, FL in April 2005) where I presented our lab findings and participated in the round-table discussion, aimed to clarify the grey areas in this new field of study.

I served as a consultant and was asked to perform pilot studies for several pharmaceutical and biotech companies, including Abbott, Bayer, CovX, Monsanto, ScriptGene, and Surface Logix (both Abbott and SurfaceLogix continuously request my expertise in the field of _______________).

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