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I’ve built a career without a big golden grant. Here’s how

NIH funding is the goal for many US health researchers, but you can be successful in academia without it, says Brandon Brown.
By
  1. Brandon Brown

    1. Brandon Brown is a professor of medicine at the University of California, Riverside School of Medicine.

Golden egg in egg cup among other eggs in line.

Brandon Brown says he’s avoided pursuing a single ‘golden’ grant in favour of other forms of scientific recognition. Credit: Andy Roberts/Getty

As a full professor working in public health in the University of California system, I’m often asked about my funding portfolio. Many junior faculty members assume I’m the principal investigator (PI) of multiple million-dollar grants, with a large laboratory and a prolific paper output, because this is the norm for professors at my institute.

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doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-024-02390-w

This is an article from the Nature Careers Community, a place for Nature readers to share their professional experiences and advice. Guest posts are encouraged.

Updates & Corrections

  • Correction 30 July 2024: An earlier version of this piece misrepresented the nature of the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute. It is a non-profit research-funding institute.

References

  1. Brown, B. & Merritt, M. W. IRB 35, 14–17 (2013).

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  2. Brown, B. et al. J. Empir. Res. Hum. Res. Ethics 16, 117–124 (2021).

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

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Competing Interests

The author declares no competing interests.

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