Trainers

Are your students publishing or presenting?  Use “Microbiology Doctoral Training Program, University of Wisconsin-Madison” as their affiliation, along with any other affiliations used by your lab.

The MDTP recognizes that students have rich, full lives outside of their academic work. We stand in support of students who serve as caregivers during their time in MDTP, and are committed to providing the accommodations necessary to ensure that all students can further their academic careers while maintaining their family obligations.  See this page for more information on student leave policies.

INTERESTED IN BECOMING A TRAINER?

MDTP is always interested in adding new trainers fulfilling the following criteria:

  • Tenure-track faculty at UW-Madison.
  • Vigorous, high-quality research program.
  • Commitment and ability for providing an outstanding research training environment and serving as a mentor to train graduate students.
  • Research focus match with the broad span of areas encompassed by MDTP and sought by MDTP students.
  • Evidence of or potential for program participation and collegial interactions such as by attendance at student seminars, service on thesis committees, scientific collaborations, etc.
  • Potential for other contributions to the program such as by service on program committees, teaching in courses taken by MDTP students, etc.
  • Graduate training experience or potential.
  • Ability to support research training of students as shown by research funding or potential.
  • If you are new faculty member who has not established a training or funding record we require you to include this letter of support (available here) signed by the Chair of your home department that indicates the availability of back up funding for an MDTP student in your lab should you lose funding. Note that the text of this letter should not be altered in any way, otherwise your application may be considered incomplete.

HOW TO APPLY

The process of becoming an MDTP trainer involves a faculty member’s application and then review by the program Steering Committee. The application deadline is April 1 for a single annual review process. This timing is designed to allow review by the Steering Committee for a decision to be reached prior to Fall orientation and the rotation period for new students. Only rarely will exceptions to the deadline be considered, such as when new faculty join the university and there is adequate justification to evaluate the application outside of the normal cycle. In such a case, the review process may take more time than usual.

The application consists of four components.

  1. Completed online questionnaire.
  2. NIH-style biosketch or more extensive CV.
  3. List of research funding such as NIH-style “other support” page.
  4. Signed letter from the Chair of the applicant’s home department indicating back-up funding for an MDTP student in your lab should you lose funding (applicable only to Assistant Professors). Note that the text of this letter should not be altered in any way, otherwise your application may be considered incomplete.

These materials must be submitted to the program coordinator.

The Steering Committee’s review of application materials may result in 3 outcomes.

  1. Recommendation to approve trainer status.
  2. Invitation to the applicant for an informal meeting with the Steering Committee to get acquainted and discuss the program, the applicant’s research, and components of the application before the Steering Committee votes on whether to recommend approval of trainer status to the core departments. This outcome is more common for new faculty.
  3. Decision not to recommend trainer status, which ends the process. This outcome is typically due to an incomplete application, whereupon the applicant can re-apply.

Faculty interested in learning more about the program should review the MDTP Handbook.