Despite the economic downturn, a federal stimulus bill will enable Hopkins to host a job fair this Saturday in search of science professionals to fill positions that may open as a result of federal grant money.
The stimulus money, divided between the National Institute of Health (NIH) and National Science Foundation (NSF), will be divided among various research institutes based on how many research projects were approved through the institutes.
The bill is officially known as the American Recovery and Revitalization Act of 2009 (ARRA) and provides for $10.4 billion to be granted to the NIH and $3 billion to the NSF. The funds will be distributed sometime between now and September 2010.
Vice President of Human Resources Charlene Hayes believes that the University is likely to receive a significant amount of money.
"Given that we are the number one recipient of federal research grants in the country and have been for 29 years, I think we will be seeing a lot of research grants approved," she said.
The JHU Research Administration official Web site predicts that the University will see a 20 to 30 percent increase as a result of federal research funding.
The upcoming job fair is intended to fill positions that will open after research grants are approved.
For example, the University will need new people to provide research and administrative support for whatever grants get approved through the University.
Other positions may become available in information technology and finance, according to a Hopkins press release. Attendees must register in advance for the fair, and attendance is limited to 1,200 people.
As of yesterday afternoon, 1,000 attendees had registered, according to Cherita Hobbs, senior director of human resources.
When individuals register online, they are given information about the location of the fair. Registration closed last night.
Most of the positions available require at least a bachelor's degree, according to the University's press release. However, Hobbs also believes that in the future, students might benefit as well.
"I certainly think there will be opportunities for students to get involved in research or internships because of this," she said.
According to Hobbs, the University has submitted over 300 grants and contract proposals so far in fields ranging from environmental health science to epidemiology and clinical departments.
"Some of these applications list students instead of personnel for research support," she said.
"We're also hoping that some of our graduating students will come."
Hobbs added that the human resources department has been in contact with the Career Center in an effort to boost graduate attendance.
While Hobbes and Hayes were both optimistic about the employment opportunities that the federal grants would generate at Hopkins, Hayes also acknowledged that the situation could be strained, since earlier this year the University implemented a hiring freeze and some departments may eventually have to downsize.
"We're in a situation where we are trying to deal with the economic downturn and make sure that the University is operating more efficiently," she said.
"But what this means is that we have an influx of dollars in some areas while in others we are eliminating positions. That may be confusing to some of our faculty."
She also pointed out that since the NIH and NSF are in charge of awarding the grants, all of the grants will be going to researchers in science and technology fields, so the employment opportunities will be limited to those areas.
Neither had concrete details about what kind of projects would most likely be funded, but Hobbs explained that the grants were meant to supply money for an 18 to 24 month period, so the projects would for the most part be designed to finish in roughly that time.
She added that during that time, everyone hired would be receiving full benefits such as healthcare through the University.
"This is definitely an opportunity to bring jobs to Hopkins and hire people from the surrounding community," Hobbs said.
Please note All comments are eligible for publication in The News-Letter.