The Globe has an interesting story today about how fundraising is no longer the exclusive job of presidents, deans and development officers, but is now increasingly being done by regular staffers, from musicians with the Boston Symphony to rank-and-file scientists and professors. The article gives one example at MIT’s McGovern Institute for Brain Research, where neuroscientist Christopher Moore became friends with one of the wealthy board members, Thomas Peterson, Jr.…a friendship that led to a $500,000 gift from Peterson for Moore’s work.

Indeed, we ran a story a little while ago about local stem cell scientists who have to deal with philanthropists as part of their work. Fundraising isn’t just about writing NIH/NSF grant proposals anymore, in these days of tightening federal budgets for science. Courting wealthy individuals will increasingly become part of science, but it’s not exactly something they teach you in grad school.