Said Rodriguez
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How to get an ERC Starting grant? According to Said Said R. K. Rodriguez 19/11/2020 My trajectory Originally from Monterrey, Mexico My trajectory BSc Engineering Physics Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University My trajectory MSc Photonics Year 1: KTH, Stockholm My trajectory Erasmus MunDus MSc Photonics, Year 2: Ghent University, Belgium My trajectory PhD in Applied Physics (Cum Laude) AMOLF / Philips / TU EinDhoven NetherlanDs My trajectory Marie Curie InDiviDual Fellowship Center for Nanosciences anD Nanotechnology Marcoussis (Paris area), France My trajectory Scientific Group leaDer, AMOLF AmsterDam My ERC Starting grant (2018-2019) Strongly CORrelated Polaritons In Optoelectronic Nanostructures ü Succeeded on 1st try, panel PE3 Recommendations for writing an ERC StG Think BIG! Recommendations for writing an ERC StG Think BIG! My “Everest(s)” Ø Room-temperature light-induced superconductivity Ø Analog optical computer for solving the world’s hardest optimization problems Recommendations for writing an ERC StG Be realistic (feasibility) You are here Image of Earth from Voyager 1, Carl Sagan’s pale blue dot, Recommendations for writing an ERC StG Be realistic (feasibility) but do NOT let go of the excitement! You are here Image of Earth from Voyager 1, Carl Sagan’s pale blue dot, Recommendations for writing an ERC StG Breakthrough Feasible Preparing to write an ERC StG Ø Start early (4-6 months before submission deadline). Ø Read several ERC StG proposals and the corresponding Referee+Panel reports. Learn from the success and mistakes of others. Ø Share your ideas with 1 or 2 expert colleagues. Ø You should be able to convey your main idea and excitement in 1 or 2 sentences to a non- specialist. Ø Think of how your proposal will fit in the panel, and adjust the proposal (if possible) to improve the fit Writing an ERC StG Ø Formulate and highlight the key questions that your research will address Ø Your proposal should answer: • If this is such a great idea, why nobody has done it before? • Why You? (competitive advantage) • Why now? • Why this host institution? • Risks? → Output along the way to the ‘holy grail’ Ø When writing, think of the broad composition of the panel (especially for part B1). Ø Ask for feedback from colleagues within your (the panel’s) broad research field Before The Interview “By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail” Benjamin Franklin Ø PREPARE and PRACTICE your talk *I wrote every single word of my talk, and practiced it no less than 50 times. Ø Everything matters: slides, tone, speed, logical thread, complexity level, etc. Ø Organize multiple grill sessions with senior colleagues Ø Identify the weaknesses of your proposal, share them with your colleagues grilling you, and prepare your answer/response to that criticism. Ø Take all criticism seriously, but do NOT let it lower your enthusiasm and confidence Ø If you can, hire a professional (non-scientific) coach During The Interview Ø Smile and be friendly Ø Respect the timing Ø Honor every question Ø Answer directly to the point Ø Be confident, but do NOT bluff. If you are doing frontier research, you likely do not have all the answer. However, you thought of the most relevant questions. Ø If you obtained exciting & relevant results during the evaluation process, include those as backup slides. They could be useful. Thank you for your attention Questions ?.