“Dr. Madhur is an accomplished physician-scientist with a passion for mentoring,” said Tatiana Foroud, PhD, executive associate dean for research affairs. “Her vision for the Ascent program and the impact it will have on our early-career faculty is critical to the success of the School of Medicine’s research program.”
“I’ve always enjoyed mentoring early career physician-scientists and PhD scientists,” said Madhur. “I’m excited to be in a position that allows me to further develop and grow mentorship and career development initiatives for research faculty at IU School of Medicine.”
Before joining the school, Madhur was a physician-scientist at Vanderbilt University. In addition to conducting research and clinical care, she served as associate director of the Nielsen Society, a program similar to I3 that provides formalized mentoring, oversight and faculty development to MD and PhD scientists in the department of medicine.
“There is a lot more to running your own lab than obtaining funding,” said Madhur. “While funding is critical, we’re structuring the Ascent Scholars Program to be more comprehensive, so that we’re not only developing successful scientists but also developing future leaders in their fields.”
Madhur has spent the past few months meeting with faculty in Faculty Affairs and Professional Development (FAPD) and the Indiana CTSI to learn more about the current landscape and determine how the new program can add value, while integrating with existing resources on campus.
“We have a lot of strengths in place already, such as the FAPD on-grant writing series,” said Madhur. “And the Indiana CTSI Project Development Teams are a useful resource for research faculty at all stages of their career to get feedback on their grants from experts in the field, with opportunities to earn pilot project funding as well.”
While program planning and development are still underway, Madhur is focusing on initiatives that will help address the common issues that early-career investigators face:
Human resources: “In medical and graduate school training, we learn how to do the science and then perhaps a little about grant writing, but there are also human dynamics to running a lab such as hiring, terminating, mentoring and supervising,” Madhur said. “In my own experience, the HR aspects are an area that early-career faculty often struggle with.”
Laboratory budgeting: “Many early-career researchers are interested in insight and training on balancing the budget, keeping track of finances and making sure they don’t overspend or underspend their grants, so that’s a topic we’re planning to include in the program.”
Communicating the science: “I’ve heard faculty express hesitancy about promoting themselves and their research findings because they don’t want to come across as bragging. But I tell colleagues that for your science to be effective and to gain recognition and funding, it has to be communicated and understood by the public,” Madhur explained. “We’re exploring ways to help coach people on how to promote their science and themselves in an authentic way.”
Ascent program to provide multifaceted experience
Leaning into some of the strengths of the legacy I3 program, the Ascent Scholars Program is expected to include a variety of components aimed at helping junior research faculty progress in their careers, including:
- One-on-one mentoring with a mid-career faculty member, possibly a program graduate
- One-on-one grant writing support from dedicated grant writers on staff
- A new seminar series with topics related to human resources, budgeting and finance, seeking and applying for grants, regulatory issues, and marketing and communications
- Peer mentoring: Virtual or in-person meetings with a peer cohort to network, develop a sense of community and gather feedback on grant aims pages, etc.
- Peer cohorts with oversight from a senior mentor who will provide mentoring to the mid-career mentors and serve as an additional resource and advocate for the mentees
- Retreats and special events
Organized in two phases, the Ascent Scholars Program will include a phase for researchers working to obtain their first career development award, and a second phase targeted to researchers transitioning from pilot or early-career funding to research project grants.
Watch for an email in the coming weeks with additional program details and application instructions for mid-career mentors and mentees. The Ascent Scholars Program is scheduled to launch in fall 2026.
“IU School of Medicine has a strong career development foundation not commonly found at other schools,” said Madhur. “With the Ascent Scholars Program, we’re looking to provide a structured avenue for our junior research faculty to feel supported and that will help us recruit and retain more talented researchers and physician-scientists to IU School of Medicine.”
