Early career can take on a variety of meanings within the NSF research and development community. CADRE is purposefully not limiting the definition of early career. Rather, we hope these resources are helpful to all of our community members who self-identify as early career professionals, or who work closely with them.
RESOURCES FOR EARLY CAREER RESEARCHERS
Career Pathways
A collection of resources related to pursuing academic and non-academic careers.
CADRE Resources
- Tips for Pursuing Academic Careers
- Tips for Pursuing Non-Academic Careers
- Navigating the Academic Job: Developing Your Identity as an Early Career Scholar
- Advice on Postdoctoral Fellowships
- Postdoctoral Fellowship Opportunities and Resources
- Non-Academic Organizations List
Additional Resources (See all)
- Postdoctoral Fellowships
- Academic Careers
- Non-Academic Careers
- The Job Search
- Application Materials
- The Interview
- The Job Talk
- Negotiations
- Getting Started
- Tenure
Writing for Publication
A collection of resources for writing, publishing, and disseminating your work.
CADRE Resources
- Tips for Writing for Publication
- Dissemination Toolkit
- Publications for STEM Educators, Policymakers, and Researchers
Additional Resources (See all)
- The Publishing Process
- Finding a Journal
- Pre-Submission Inquiries
- Drafting a Manuscript
- Preliminary Peer Review
- Cover Letters
- Manuscript Review
- Conference Proposals
- Flipping Papers
- Blogs
- Writing Groups
Building Professional Networks
A collection of resources related to building and maintaining professional networks.
CADRE Resources
- Tips for Building Professional Networks
- Conferences for STEM Educators, Policymakers, and Researchers
Additional Resources (See all)
- Networking 101
- Elevator Pitch
- Informational Interviews
- Email and Social Media
- Personal Branding
- Building a Professional Community
- Peer Support
- Maintaining Your Network
- Collaboration
Developing Proposals
A collection of resources for developing a research agenda and applying for funding.
CADRE Resources
- Tips for Developing NSF Proposals
- NSF Proposal Toolkit
- Uncovering the Hidden Curriculum of DRK-12
- Insight from DRK-12 CAREER Awardees
- Budgets for Beginners
Additional Resources (See all)
RESOURCES FOR ADVISORS AND MENTORS
Early 
Career Researchers and Developers in the DRK–12 Program: Needs, Supports, and Recommendations
This CADRE brief identifies needs, supports and recommendations for early career researchers and developers in the DRK-12 program, as well as in the broader field of STEM education R&D.
Mentoring Spotlight
This spotlight offers a collection of resources related to mentoring strategies, including CADRE briefs and tips sheets, sample mentoring plans, perspectives from mentors and mentees in the field, and DRK-12 projects focused on mentoring.