Admissions

Our rolling admissions process involves five easy steps:

Step 1: Schedule an informational discussion with our team

Schedule a meeting to learn more about this unique program. Following the meeting, you will receive a link to apply to the program.

Step 2: Apply to the Invent at Seattle Children’s Postdoctoral Scholars Program

Complete an application form, provide a CV and references, and let us know about your research interests and laboratory mentors you would like to meet.

Step 3: Meet with our program director

Candidates will meet with either Dr. Jim Olson, Dr. Franck Kalume or Dr. Alexis Kaushansky along with a program delegate, who will review their application, answers questions and discus whether program is a good fit for them.

Step 4: Identify a mentor and project

Our program manager will help make introductions to one to three potential mentors so that the candidates can arrange a virtual or in-person meeting with them.

Step 5: Admissions decisions

The admissions committee will meet regularly to consider applications along with the feedback from the program director and mentor(s). Candidates will be notified about the committee’s decision in a timely manner.

Eligibility

Invent@SC seeks candidates who are enthused about focusing on a “discovered here” pediatric therapeutic product that has potential to advance to human clinical trials. There are three eligibility criteria. Candidates must meet one of the criteria in order to be eligible to apply.

1. Candidates currently enrolled in a graduate program must be within six months of their PhD defense, with the defense date scheduled.
   
2. Candidates with a PhD can apply up to three years following their PhD defense provided they have not held a faculty position. If this applies to you or if there are other extenuating circumstances regarding your eligibility, please provide relevant information in the “Anything else you would like us to know?” section of the application.
3. Candidates already employed as a postdoctoral scholar are eligible to apply to transfer to Invent@SC and continue with their current lab mentor and project only if they are employed by Seattle Children's Research Institute, are within six months of hire, and provided their project is focused on a “discovered here” pediatric therapeutic product that has potential to advance to human clinical trials.
4. Candidates who have been employed at the research institute as a postdoc for more than six months with projects focused on a “discovered here” pediatric therapeutic product that has potential to advance to human clinical trials are not eligible for Invent@SC salary support but are invited to apply to the program as affiliate members.
5. Candidates currently employed as a postdoctoral scholar at other institutions are not eligible for Invent@SC unless they are seeking a new project and lab mentor.

What are we looking for?

Few applicants will have experience in biotech or therapeutic discovery. Ideal candidates are passionate about discovering therapies for children, naturally curious, hard-working and know how to take a project to completion. We seek scholars who actively build their knowledge foundation through reading and seminars, and who are dedicated to advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion in academia and biotech. The application process is built around identifying these important qualities, some of which are not readily conveyed in a CV, but become apparent through conversations, reference letters, and written responses in the application.

Our commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion

We believe that some standard admissions processes in academia and healthcare contribute to systemic racism or discrimination. For example, when a whole group of applicants is compared and prioritized, those with the strongest CVs tend to rise to the top. Often, the strongest CVs are linked to generational connections, early internships, and other privileges that are not shared by all. In contrast, we focus solely on the individual in front of us without comparing them to other applicants. We focus our recruiting efforts on candidates who identify with underrepresented or underserved minority communities, identify as LGBTQIA+, or come from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Affiliate Membership in Invent at Seattle Children’s

Postdoctoral scholars working at Seattle Children’s may be eligible for Affiliate Membership. Click here to review the eligibility criteria.