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Faculty Development

Our mission is to foster a highly collaborative, supportive, and empowering environment where every faculty member can thrive and achieve their full career potential.

Key Initiatives & Programs

Chalk talk slide

1. THE CHALK TALK SERIES 

Our core faculty development avenue offers dedicated long-format sessions to provide deep, constructive feedback on upcoming grant proposals, research strategies, and course development. Department Chair Dr. Diehl expects every faculty member to give at least one Chalk Talk per year.

Note: All Chalk Talk sessions and monthly faculty meetings are catered with lunch provided.

We offer three distinct Chalk Talk formats:

  • Standard Chalk Talk. Designed primarily for faculty planning to submit a grant proposal. Present your preliminary data, specific aims, and previous NIH reviewer critiques in a supportive room of peers. Receiving candid feedback before submission prevents consequential setbacks and keeps your funding timeline on track.
  • Mock Study Section. A newly introduced format replicating an actual NIH grant review panel. Faculty submit a completed draft of their grant proposal ahead of time. Three experienced faculty reviewers lead the evaluation process following standard NIH study section protocols, while participating faculty contribute to the discussion. Additionally, a dedicated reviewer is assigned to provide feedback on grantsmanship—a critical area left unaddressed by NIH panels.
  • Special Topics Chalk Talks. Focusing on emerging trends and shared interests to keep our faculty at the cutting edge of competitive research. 
    • Fall 2026 Featured Topic: AI in Research. This session will start with an overview of the current possibilities, successes, and challenges of using AI in research. This is followed by a roundtable discussion where faculty share firsthand experiences regarding where AI has proven helpful (e.g., hypothesis formulation, text drafting/editing, big data analysis) as well as areas of concern.
Top 10 tip lists productive labs

2. TOP 10  TIPS FOR RUNNING A PRODUCTIVE LAB

Effective lab leadership requires skills beyond groundbreaking science. To help new faculty establish successful independent research groups, we maintain a living guide to lab management.

The collection features individual "Top 10" lists from 16 current faculty members and distinguished alumni. Updated regularly, this resource is shared directly with all incoming faculty upon joining the department.

Complementary Departmental Support & Community

The above initiatives led by the Vice-Chair for Faculty Development complement additional departmental structures designed to ensure comprehensive support for all faculty members:

  • Mentoring & Chair Meetings: In addition to development programming, faculty benefit from dedicated 3-person mentoring committees and regularly scheduled individual meetings with Department Chair Dr. Diehl.
  • Engagement & Culture: Complementing faculty development, the Department Engagement Committee builds a connected community through regular social events and monthly departmental newsletters.

Together, these combined efforts cultivate a vibrant, supportive environment aimed at helping our faculty thrive. For university-wide professional development resources and programming, explore the CWRU Provost’s Office of Faculty Advancement and Postdoctoral Affairs.

 

Questions & Inquiries

For questions regarding faculty development programming, please reach out to:

Focco van den Akker, Ph.D.

Vice-Chair for Faculty Development

Department of Biochemistry