The Office of Postdoctoral Affairs
Enhancing the postdoctoral training experience

Postdoc Fellowship Writing Series

The Postdoc Fellowship Writing Series presents strategies for planning, drafting, and revising common components of a postdoc fellowship application. Whether you are applying for a federal fellowship, foundation grant, or just want to develop your grant writing skills, this series is for you. Postdocs and senior graduate students from all disciplines are invited to attend individual events or the whole series.

Questions or want to request access the resources from these events? Contact Alyssa Leystra (aleystra@wisc.edu).

2025-26 Series

Using AI Tools Responsibly in Fellowship Grant Writing

Wednesday, June 17, 2026 12:30pm-2:00pm. Hector F. DeLuca Biochemistry Building (420 Henry Mall), room 2131.

Examine practical and ethical approaches for using AI tools throughout the fellowship grant writing process. The discussion will include tips for using AI to brainstorm, research, and organize ideas while maintaining accuracy, originality, and compliance with sponsor expectations. This session will be led by Brady Krien, PhD, Digital Humanities Coordinator in the Digital Scholarship Hub, UW–Madison Libraries.

Register

Getting Started With Fellowship Grant Writing

Wednesday, June 24, 2026 12:30pm-2:00pm. Hector F. DeLuca Biochemistry Building (420 Henry Mall), room 2131.

Develop general strategies for outlining and writing an application that appeals to reviewers. By the end of the session, participants will be prepared to create a writing plan, identify a team to provide support throughout the writing and submission process, and draft a summary of the proposed project. This session will be led by Alyssa Leystra, PhD, Associate Director for Skills Development in the Office of Postdoctoral Studies, University of Wisconsin–Madison.

Register

Drafting the Research Plan

Wednesday, July 1, 2025 12:30pm-2:00pm. Hector F. DeLuca Biochemistry Building (420 Henry Mall), room 2131.

Get ready to craft a clear and compelling research narrative. The discussion will include tips for writing research aims, significance, methods, and alternative approaches. This session will be led by Lawrence (Lonnie) Berger, PhD, Associate Vice Chancellor for Research in the Social Sciences, Sheila B. Kamerman and Alfred J. Kahn Professor of Social Policy, and Vilas Distinguished Achievement Professor in the School of Social Work at the University of Wisconsin–Madison.

Register

Crafting the Training Plan

Wednesday, July 8, 2026 12:30pm-2:00pm. Hector F. DeLuca Biochemistry Building (420 Henry Mall), room 2131.

Explore methods for crafting a compelling biography, personal statement, and training plan. The discussion will include tips for demonstrating your expertise, identifying a mentoring team, and setting appropriate training goals and milestones for the fellowship period.

Register

Preparing Additional Application Components

Wednesday, July 15, 2025 12:30pm-2:00pm. Hector F. DeLuca Biochemistry Building (420 Henry Mall), room 2131.

Learn how to draft or acquire some of the most common additional application components, including budgets, letters of support and recommendation, and descriptions of the training and research environment. This session will be led by Alyssa Leystra, PhD, Associate Director for Skills Development in the Office of Postdoctoral Studies, University of Wisconsin–Madison.

Register

This is an accordion element with a series of buttons that open and close related content panels.

2024-25 Series

Getting Started with Fellowship Grant Writing

Wednesday, April 30, 2025 12:00pm-1:30pm. Hector F. DeLuca Biochemistry Building (420 Henry Mall), room 2131.

Develop general strategies for outlining and writing an application that appeals to reviewers. By the end of the session, participants will be prepared to create a writing plan and identify a team to provide support throughout the writing and submission process. This session will be led by Alyssa Leystra, PhD, Associate Director for Skills Development, Office of Postdoctoral Studies, University of Wisconsin–Madison, and Alicia Williams, PhD, Science Editor, Morgridge Institute for Research.

Aims, Abstract, and Summary

Wednesday, May 7, 2025 12:00pm-1:30pm. Hector F. DeLuca Biochemistry Building (420 Henry Mall), room 2131.

Discover approaches for making a strong first impression on reviewers with a clear, concise, and persuasive summary of the proposed project.This session will be led by Lawrence (Lonnie) Berger, PhD, Associate Vice Chancellor for Research in the Social Sciences, Sheila B. Kamerman and Alfred J. Kahn Professor of Social Policy, Vilas Distinguished Achievement Professor in the School of Social Work, and former Director of the Institute for Research on Poverty at the University of Wisconsin–Madison.

Training Plan

Wednesday, May 21, 2025 12:00pm-1:30pm. Hector F. DeLuca Biochemistry Building (420 Henry Mall), room 2131.

Explore methods for crafting a compelling biography and training plan. This session will be led by Chad Vezina, PhD, Chair and Professor, Department of Comparative Biosciences at the University of Wisconsin–Madison.

Research Plan

Wednesday, June 4, 2025 12:00pm-1:30pm. Hector F. DeLuca Biochemistry Building (420 Henry Mall), room 2131.

Get ready to craft a clear and compelling research narrative. The discussion will include tips for writing about innovation, significance, background, and alternative approaches. This session will be led by Jen Choy, PhD, Assistant Professor in the department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Hongyan Mei, PhD, a postdoc and 2025 Schmidt Science Fellow in the department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, and Alyssa Leystra, PhD, Associate Director for Skills Development in the Office of Postdoctoral Studies, University of Wisconsin–Madison.

Additional Application Components

Wednesday, June 18, 2025 12:00pm-1:30pm. Hector F. DeLuca Biochemistry Building (420 Henry Mall), room 2131.

Learn how to draft or acquire some of the most common additional application components, including budgets, letters of support and recommendation, and descriptions of the training and research environment. This session will be led by Alyssa Leystra, PhD, Associate Director for Skills Development in the Office of Postdoctoral Studies, University of Wisconsin–Madison.