Training
Each semester, the Research and Innovation’s Center for Excellence in Research organizes workshops for USC researchers. Administered by the Research Initiatives and Infrastructure (RII) office, these courses are designed to provide faculty, research staff, postdocs, PhD students and graduate students across all fields of study with specialized skills and knowledge in seeking funding from government, foundation, and corporate organizations, as well as a variety of other topics. Click on the workshops below to register.
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Do you have an idea for a CER workshop? We’d love to hear from you!
For required investigator training, see the Research Training Finder.
Spring 2023 CER Schedule
Recording for Systematic Review and Evidence Synthesis Services at UPC
Systematic review or evidence synthesis is the process of bringing together all the relevant information on a specific research question. In this workshop, Jade Winn will discuss the Non-Medical Science Systematic Reviews (NMSSR) and Evidence Synthesis Services available at UPC, including the service levels offered, a detailed roadmap of how it's done at USC, and an explanation of how to adapt it to multi-disciplinary studies. This service model is getting national recognition and has been presented at the Association of College and Research Libraries. Dr. Winn is also an invited panelist on NMSSR at the American Library Association's annual conference.
Presenter:
Jade G. Winn, MLIS, EdD
Dr. Jade Winn is an Associate University Librarian at USC. She joined the USC Library Faculty in 2009 as The Head of Social Work and Education Library Services at USC Libraries. After promotion to Associate University Librarian she accepted the role of Assistant Dean of Instruction, Assessment and Engagement in the Programs and Planning department at USC Libraries, she served in that administrative role for 8 years. Currently, Dr. Winn takes on a new role developing and launching Evidence Synthesis Services, including systematic and scoping reviews at the UPC Campus.
She worked extensively on the development of the online Master in Management in Library and Information Science (MMLIS) in USC's Marshall School of Business. She currently serves on several MMLIS and USC Library committees including Chair of the MMLIS Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Accessibility and Anti-Racism Committee, the Admissions Committee and the Curriculum Committee. Additionally, Dr. Winn has taught research methods and inquiry courses in USC School of Social Work MSW program, Rossier School of Education EdD program, and currently teaches courses in the MMLIS program at Marshall School of Business at USC.
Recording for Strategies for Young Investigator/Early Career Awards
A lot of federal funding opportunities exist to help researchers at the beginning of their careers, but it can become quite the challenge to narrow down and understand the differences between them. Not to worry — in this workshop James Murday will guide you on what funding is available, topic selection, approaching program officers, as well as provide tips on how to structure a successful proposal. The presentation will then be followed by a Q&A session with Constantine Sideris, who has received a Young Investigator/Early Career award from both the Air Force Office of Scientific Research and the Office of Naval Research.
Presenter:
James Murday, Director Of Physical Sciences, Research Strategy and Development
Guest Speaker:
Constantine Sideris, Assistant Professor of Electrical Engineering, USC Viterbi School of Engineering
USC Research and Innovation - Awards to Fund Your Research
Want to learn about some new internal funding opportunities supporting a diverse range of research areas, scholarship, and artistic and cultural expression at USC? Silvia da Costa will introduce you to all the latest grant programs from USC Research and Innovation, as well as give you guidelines and tips on how to ensure your proposal is a success.
Presenters:
Silvia Da Costa, Director, Research Initiatives and Infrastructure, USC Research and Innovation
This workshop is organized by the USC Research and Innovation (R&I)’s Center for Excellence in Research and the Children's Hospital Los Angeles' Faculty Development.
Writing Compelling NSF Proposals
My fantastic proposal was rejected?! Why couldn’t those knuckleheads at NSF understand how brilliant my ideas are?! Did they even read the proposal?!
If you've ever had these thoughts, then Paul Ronney can help! He has served on a lot of NSF panels and reviewed many well-written (and not so well-written) proposals. After this workshop, you'll understand how the NSF review process works, be able to anticipate panel dynamics and tailor your proposal accordingly, and most importantly have specific recommendations for increasing your chances of getting funded.
Presenter:
Paul Ronney, Professor of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering, Viterbi
Developing Proposals for Large-Scale Grants
Large-scale federal funding grants provide a unique opportunity to pursue challenging scientific questions that require collaboration across disciplines. As a result, these proposals take a significant amount of time to plan, develop, and write. In this workshop, James Murday will empower you to take charge with some strategies to craft a winning proposal for these kinds of opportunities, followed by a discussion with USC faculty who have been successful in such competitions.
Presenter:
James Murday, Director Of Physical Sciences, Research Strategy and Development
Guest Speakers:
- Tom Buchanan, University Professor of Medicine, Bernard J. Hanley Chair in Medicine, Vice Dean for Research, Director of the CTSI, Co-Director of Diabetes and Obesity Research Institute, Endocrine Division Chief in the Department of Medicine
- Yehuda Ben-Zion, Professor of Earth Sciences, Director of Southern California Earthquake Center
- Ewa Deelman, Research Professor of Computer Science, Research Director of Scientific Computation Technologies, Principal Scientist at USC Information Sciences Institute
Protecting Your Intellectual Property
Intellectual property is a complex topic, but we're going to walk you through it! Come learn from Fikret Kirkbir about the differences between utility patents, trademarks, copyrights, and trade secrets; the pitfalls of the provisional patent application frequently used in universities; as well as strategies for patenting while submitting scientific articles.
Presenter:
Fikret Kirkbir, Manager of Intellectual Property Analysis and Assessment, Alfred E. Mann Institute for Biomedical Engineering (AMI-USC)
Registration coming soon!
TBD
Presenter:
John Blosnich, Assistant Professor of Social Work, School of Social Work
Jennifer Dinalo, Health Sciences Research and Data Librarian, USC Norris Medical Library
Clarissa Moreno, Social and Behavioral Sciences Librarian, University of Southern California
Panel:
TBD
Writing Compelling NSF Proposals
My fantastic proposal was rejected! Why couldn’t those knuckleheads at NSF understand how brilliant my ideas are? Did they even read the proposal? Paul Ronney has served on many NSF panels and has reviewed many well-written (and not-so-well-written) proposals. In this workshop, he'll help you understand how the review process at NSF and other funding agencies works and provide specific recommendations for increasing your chances of getting funded, including how to anticipate panel dynamics and tailor your proposal accordingly.
Presenter:
Paul Ronney, Professor of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering, Viterbi
USC Awards to Fund Your Research
Want to learn more about some of the internal funding opportunities available at USC? We’ll review the internal grant programs supporting research, scholarship and technology available at the Office of Research, SC CTSI and USC Stevens, as well as give you guidelines and tips on how to ensure your proposal is a success.
Presenters:
Silvia Da Costa, Director, Office of Research Initiatives and Facilities
Megan Gutierrez, Program Specialist, Clinical Translational Science Institute
Donaldson Santos, Director of Licensing, USC Stevens Center for Innovation
Submitting a Limited Submissions Proposal - Video Recording
Have you come across a funding opportunity that says only one or two proposals are allowed per institution, and didn’t know what to do? This course introduces all members of the USC community to “institutionally limited submissions,” what they are, how USC coordinates them, how to submit to one, and what else to expect. This course will also include answers to commonly asked questions about our submission guidelines, tips on improving your submissions, and more to help familiarize you with this kind of funding opportunity.
Presenter:
Michael Yarsky, Program Specialist, Office of Research
Funding from Foundations for STEM - Video Recording
There are thousands of charitable foundations around the world looking to fund research — the challenge is finding the right one for you. Learn from Hossein Pourmand how you can build a meaningful relationship with a foundation and the process, as well as resources available at USC to help you along the way.
Presenter:
Hossein Pourmand, Assistant Vice President of Research Initiatives, University Advancement
Funding from Foundations for Arts and Humanities - Video Recording
There are thousands of charitable foundations around the world looking to fund research — the challenge is finding the right one for you. Learn from Dana Drew Irwin how you can build a meaningful relationship with a foundation and the process, as well as resources available at USC to help you along the way.
Presenter:
Dana Drew Irwin, Associate Director of Development of Corporate and Foundation Relations, University Advancement
Top Tips for Top-Notch Presentations - Video Recording
Do you have an upcoming presentation and want to knock it out of the park? This workshop will empower you with the essential tactics and perspectives that make outstanding presentations tick. From organizing strategies to anxiety reduction to slide deck design, level up your next presentation with this session’s top tips.
Presenter:
Stephen Lind, Associate Professor of Clinical Business Communication, USC Marshall
Innovation and Collaboration with Miro - Video Recording
Feeling overwhelmed by the scale of a research project? Need to collaborate across disciplines and media? This workshop will introduce you to Miro, a versatile virtual whiteboard that lets you collect questions, compile and annotate sources, and organize notes and drafts in one visually engaging workspace. Whether you’re in the very early stages of conceiving a project or overloaded with links, a planner or a pantser, Miro can help corral your thoughts in a flexible, adaptable way. You’ll have an opportunity to learn about Miro's features; experiment with designing your own project; and find out how Miro could enliven your research and teaching practices.
Presenter:
Maddox K. Pennington (they/them) received their MFA in Creative Nonfiction from Columbia University and currently teaches in the Dornsife College Writing Program. Their courses typically include multimodal assignments on empathy, monsters, and topics from Native, Disability, and Queer Studies. Their debut bibliomemoir, A Girl Walks Into a Book: What the Brontes Taught Me About Life, Love, and Women’s Work, was released May 2017. They’ve performed comedy and storytelling at DC Nerd Night, FemX at WIT, Improbable Comedy, Health’s Angels and the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Previous writing has appeared on Electric Literature, The Toast, and The American Scholar online. Their play Love Chicken had an award-winning world premiere at the 2022 Hollywood Fringe Festival, and an upcoming play, about the arrival of Okie Cherokees in 1920s Los Angeles, is in development with the Moving Arts MADLab First Look festival.
Securing Corporate Funding for Research
In 2016, businesses provided $4.2 billion in academic research funding, largely directed toward life sciences and engineering. Hossein Pourmand will discuss the commercialization process and how the University Advancement can help you find a partner, negotiate a license, and market your product.
Presenter:
Hossein Pourmand, Assistant Vice President of Research Initiatives
University Advancement
Introduction to Advanced Research Computing
Nearly all scientific and engineering disciplines confront challenges in dealing with a vast amount of data or modeling complex processes across many scales. BD Kim will cover high-performance computing, cloud solutions, data workflow management, and other research computing related topics.
Presenter:
BD Kim, Associate Chief Research Information Officer, Center for Advanced Research Computing
Developing a Successful Mission Agency Grant
There are many Federal Agencies that support University Research — which ones are best for you? The workshop objectives are to help an investigator: identify the pertinent agencies and programs, contact the appropriate program officers, develop a winning proposal (it is a bit different for each agency), and work with agency officials to get the proposal funded. The focus is on agencies that fund science and engineering other than NSF and NIH, but those two are used to provide comparisons.
Presenter:
James Murday, Director Of Physical Sciences, Office of Research Advancement
Proposal Review Service
The Center for Excellence in Research also offers a peer-to-peer proposal review service for applications to external funding agencies. Email your near-final proposal draft to usccer@usc.edu, along with the link to the specific program announcement to which you are applying. Reviewers may be USC or non-USC faculty.
Investigators should contact our office roughly four weeks in advance of the proposal due date to allow for sufficient time to review and provide applicants with feedback.