Information Navigation and Support during Postdoc Onboarding (INSPO)

A study focused on how postdoctoral scholars navigate information, mentorship, and expectations during onboarding.

What is this offering?

As a postdoc, did you inherit a project and struggle to track down previous key decisions? Or feel unsure of what publications were expected from you?

We want to hear from you! Share your insights in our Information Navigation and Support during Postdoc Onboarding (INSPO) study and receive a $25 gift card for your time! We are exploring the experiences of postdoctoral scholars during onboarding, especially around information management and mentorship. Participation is virtual and involves:

• Enrollment survey (less than 10 mins)
• A one-on-one interview about the onboarding experience (~60 minutes)
• A few participants may be invited to a 30-minute user experience interview to share their information management tools or strategies

Who is eligible to participate? 

Any postdoctoral scholar who is currently employed at a U.S.-based institution and part of a research team (or lab). Scholars must be in the field of clinical and translational research, broadly defined, and should have spent at least three months in their roles.

Why should you participate?

You will be contributing to science! By participating, you will help us identify the training and development needs of postdoctoral scholars, supporting their professional development as future team leaders. Insights from this study will be included in a new information strategy learning module for translational teams that you will have early access to when it is ready!

Other considerations

This project is funded by NIH. The study was deemed exempt by the University of Michigan Institutional Review Board, HUM00255826. Your participation is confidential. No names or identifiable information will be published. We may quote you directly without using your name. Interviews will be audio and video recorded for transcription by the research team or a hired transcriber. Transcriptions will be saved, and recordings will be destroyed. Data will be securely stored on U-M servers, with identifying details kept separate.

Questions? 

Please feel free to contact us by email at [email protected]

Research Team

Shruthi Venkatesh, PhD, Project Scientist

Betsy Rolland, PhD, MLIS, MPH, Principal Investigator

Beth LaPensee, PhD, Co-Investigator

How this advances translational science

Developing innovations that address training needs of postdoctoral scholars as future translational team leaders