NHMRC Investigator Grants - Developing your Research Profile

The new NHMRC Investigator Grant Scheme opens on the 5th December (click here for guidelines). You will find a quick reference guide HERE.

Being a researcher is a competitive business, with an ever-increasing competition in securing funding.

A researcher profile needs to be well rounded in all areas to stand out above other candidates. Therefore, not only do you need to publish high quality articles, but you should also be developing your leadership skills, public profile, collaborations and engagement with communities or societies.

In the coming months, we will share some tips and tricks that may help you with your applications. Firstly, here are some tips into how best to build a well-rounded and publicly visible profile.

Ensuring your public profile is comprehensive and up to date

One of the easiest and often overlooked things you NEED to do as a researcher, is create and maintain a public profile. Often reviewers will do an internet search based on your name, and if nothing comes up then that is a red flag! Likewise, it’s vital that you keep your public profile up to date - If a reviewer searches and finds a profile for you that is out of date, then that is how they will see you (especially if you are showing up a as post-doc of someone else’s lab while claiming to be independent).

There are a number of research profile platforms that you can use (and the advice would be to use all that are available for maximum publicity)

Google Scholar - Google Scholar is probably the most used and accessible public profile. It’s easy to set up and maintain and calculates your citations and h-index. You should add a photo to your account as well. If you have problems setting up an account, please email bev.cottle@monash.edu who will be able to assist.

Pure - All Monash researchers should have a Pure profile, which automatically pulls in your research outputs and projects and calculates your Altmetrics score. It’s vital that you maintain your Pure profile including a bio, photograph, awards and prizes and any other information that will demonstrate your research expertise. You can find instructions on how to maintain your Pure profile here

There are some good examples out there showing how researchers use Pure well. - e.g. see the following:

https://research.monash.edu/en/persons/james-harris

https://research.monash.edu/en/persons/melinda-coughlan

Personal Web Pages - You may also have an individual webpage, either provided through your school webpages, or as an external page that you have developed yourself.  These pages are great at advertising your research expertise and giving reviewers an insight into your interests and capabilities.

ResearchGate - ResearchGate is a social networking site for scientists and researchers to share papers, ask and answer questions, and find collaborators.

**If you require a professional headshot for your profile pages please register your interest here**

Joining societies

You should consider joining societies relevant to your field of research. Although there is usually a membership fee, there are several benefits of joining societies that can help build your profile including:

Networking and Conferences - Society membership usually allows for reduced registration fees at annual conferences or meetings.

News & Opportunities - Society newsletters often contain a lot of useful information and opportunities relevant to your field of study, and keep you abreast of the latest research.

Funding, Awards and Prizes - Professional societies often offer fellowships, awards or prizes that are only open to members, and thus are often less competitive than other opportunities.