application): In 1994, the National Institute on Aging (NIA) awarded RAND a five-year training grant to support the postdoctoral training of two fellows per year in the study of aging. The NIA-funded training program, now in its fifth year of funding, has proved highly successful. RAND is now proposing that NIA extend funding for another five-year period, again supporting two postdoctoral fellows per year. RAND offers a rich and unique environment for advanced training in aging-related research: an environment devoted solely to research and training, a strong emphasis on interdisciplinary research, a highly regarded program in population studies and the study of aging, a diverse and distinguished group of scholars, excellent facilities and strong research support services, and the availability of formal instruction in a variety of research skills. The postdoctoral program would reside in the Center for the Study of Aging, which is located in RAND's Labor and Population Program. A six-member Steering Committee would oversee the program. Twenty-seven researchers would participate as the training faculty. Fellows, who will be broadly recruited from recent Ph.D.s in demography, economics, sociology or other relevant disciplines either just completing their degree or with a few years of post-doctorate experience, will pursue programs of advanced research training for up to years. Each fellow, upon arriving, would be assigned a staff advisor who would meet with the fellow for at least one hour every week to provide general guidance and advice, discuss the progress of the fellow's research, and help resolve any administrative problems that might arise. The postdoctoral program will offer highly individualized training to the fellows, including on-the-job training in research on aging and other formal and informal training designed to enhance the fellows' analytical and communication skills. Fellows can enroll in seminars in the RAND Graduate School of Policy Studies; participate in courses offered by RAND's statistical, computing, survey, and communications experts; and attend numerous seminars on economic, demographic, and population issues offered at RAND and neighboring universities. The staff advisor and other members of the training faculty and research support staff will help fellows prepare research presentations for professional meetings, and papers for submission to professional journals. Fellows will also be encouraged to develop a proposal for a research project of their own design (to be worked on after completing their postdoctoral tenure) for submission to a funding agency.
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