Finding Pre-doctoral Fellowships
Physiology & Biophysics
Alison K. Hall, Ph.D.
Professor
Associate Dean of Graduate Educationhttp://www.nal.usda.gov/ric/images/currency.gi
f
So, you’re thinking of a Graduate Fellowship Proposal
why write one?
where does this fit in my career?
when do I write this?
what is in a fellowship proposal anyway?
what makes a strong proposal?
why write one?
1. Develop your own ideas
2. Benefits associated with grant
3. Looks good on your resume
4. Great learning experience
5. Can engage active PI mentorship
Where does this fit in my career?
Communicate
your PI, potential mentors/committee
Graduate Education examples
Grants and Contracts (era username)
Are you ready?
pilot data
time to focus
appointment status
deadlines
Do you qualify?
fellowships in topic areas
citizenship
Is there money? How will I find it?
1.NIH, NSF, DoD; The Feds
“National goals”
US citizens and permanent residents
diversity
Multiple deadlines each year
Almost formulaic
2.Foundations and Agencies
Non-citizens usually okay
One deadline a year
Can be quirky mission
Prepare the Application: read the instructions!!
start early, seek internal reviewers
The NIH F30/31
Individual Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award
F Kiosk
http://grants1.nih.gov/training/F_files_nrsa.htm
electronic submission
through Grants.gov to eRA Commons
F30 Predoctoral MD/PhD Fellows
F31 to Promote Diversity in Health-Related Research
F31 Individual Predoctoral Fellows
Not all Institutes participate in this mechanism
set stipend scale, supplement from PI, program
Predoc
Postdoc
yr 0
Training Related Expenses
21,600
38,496
what is in a fellowship proposal anyway?
Form pages
including UG, grad grades, GRE, MCAT, USMLE
Biosketches
Research Training Plan 6 pages
specific aims--3, 3 years
background, preliminary studies
research design and methods
two new techniques, collaborators
human subjects, vertebrate animals
literature cited
Your career and training goals
publications, meetings, didactics
Mentor’s career development plan for you*
3 sealed letters of reference
Deadlines usu Feb8, June8, Oct 8
http://grants.nih.gov/training/nrsa.htm
Case has few NIH F awards
NIH Reporter http://projectreporter.nih.gov/reporter.cfm
NIH Spending Categorization
Project Title
Project Number
Aging;Alzheimer's Disease;Brain Disorders;Neurodegenerative;Neurosciences
TOLL-LIKE RECEPTORS AND INNATE IMMUNE
ACTIVATION IN ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE
1F30AG03811 CAMERON,
BRENT DAVID
1-01A1
Bioengineering;Cardiovascular;Clinical Research;Diagnostic Radiology;Heart
Disease
INNOVATIONS INVOLVING BALANCED STEADY
STATE FREE PRECESSION MRI
5F30HL09400 DERAKHSHAN,
JAMAL JON
2-03
No NIH Category available.
NON-REDUNDANT FUNCTIONS OF HU PROTEINS 5F31NS06472 HINMAN,
MELISSA N
AS NEURON-SPECIFIC SPLICING REGULATORS 4-02
No NIH Category available.
THE WT1 INTERACTING PROTEIN: A
CHOREOGRAPHER OF MORPHOLOGY AND
TRANSCRIPTION
5F30DK08389 KIM, JANE
7-03
Eye Disease and Disorders of Vision;Infectious Diseases
THE PATHOGENESIS OF ASPERGILLUS
KERATITIS
5F31EY01984 LEAL, SIXTO
MANUEL
1-02
Biotechnology;Depression;Mental Health;Neurosciences
CONTROL OF SEROTONERGIC SIGNALING BY
CHIMERIC LIGHT ACTIVATED RECEPTORS
5F30MH08437 OH, EUGENE
1-03
No NIH Category available.
DETERMINING THE CELLULAR MECHANISMS OF 1F31DC01121 SCHMIDT,
LOREN JANES
GAMMA OSCILLATIONS IN THE OLFACTORY
3-01A1
BULB.
No NIH Category available.
CONTROL OF CELL GROWTH BY MTOR AND BMP 5F31CA14231 WAHDANALASWAD,
IN PROSTATE CANCER
1-02
REEMA SAID
Alcoholism;Chronic Liver Disease and Cirrhosis;Clinical Research;Digestive
EFFECT OF ALCOHOL AND OPIOIDS ON DC
Diseases;Emerging Infectious Diseases;HIV/AIDS;Hepatitis;Hepatitis - C;Infectious FUNCTION IN HCV AND HIV INFECTION
Diseases;Liver Disease;Substance Abuse
Contact Principal
Investigator
5F31AA01785 YONKERS,
NICOLE L
3-03
National Defense Science & Engineering Graduate Fellowship
(DoD)
http://ndseg.asee.org/
Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering
Biosciences
Chemical Engineering
Chemistry
Civil Engineering
Cognitive, Neural, and Behavioral Sciences
Computer and Computational Sciences
Electrical Engineering
Geosciences
Materials Science and Engineering
Mathematics
Mechanical Engineering
Naval Architecture and Ocean Engineering
Oceanography
Physics
American Heart Association
http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=
9713
Ohio is in Great Rivers Affiliate
Helps students initiate careers in cardiovascular
or stroke research by providing research assistance and
training.
NSF Graduate Fellowships
http://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=62
01&org=NSF
American Heart Association-Ohio
Barron,
Victoria A
American Heart AssociationOhio
Human
Genetics
Lee, Elaine
American Heart AssociationOhio
Biomedical
Engineering Engineering
Graduate
Student
Muralidharan American Heart Association, Abirami
Ohio
Biomedical
Engineering Engineering
Graduate
Student
Beamish,
Jeffrey
American Heart AssociationOhio
Biomedical
Engineering Engineering
Graduate
Student
Hong,
Shiyuan
American Heart AssociationOhio
Physiology &
Biophysics School of Medicine
Graduate
Student
American Heart AssociationHu, Wenqian Ohio
RNA Center School of Medicine
Graduate
Student
Kapadia,
Fehmida
Cardiology
Medicine UH
School of Medicine
Graduate
Student
Pediatrics UH
School of Medicine
Graduate
Student
American Heart AssociationOhio
Karunamuni, American Heart AssociationGanga
Ohio
School of Medicine
Graduate
Student
How will I find money?
http://sciencecareers.sciencemag.org/funding
Info on science careers, etc
Grants net
http://grantsnet.org/search/srch_specify.cfm
Go to “advanced search” in blue tab
Tabs: research funding/ student support
Research
/ teaching, policy etc
Experience level: PhD dissertation student
Type of Application: Individual
CWRU Graduate Education website
http://casemed.case.edu/gradprog/grantsources.html
What makes a strong proposal: easy to review!
Proposal is read by smart non-experts and summarized quickly
Phyllis McBride, Ph.D.
p-mcbride@tamu.edu
what makes a strong proposal? A good idea
A strong research idea should pass the “so what” test.
What is the benefit of answering your question?
Who will it help and how?
If you cannot make a definitive statement about
the purpose of your research, it is unlikely to be funded.
What makes a strong proposal: Novel hypothesis
• Provide a rationale—where did hypotheses they come from,
and why are they strong?
• Have ideas logically related to you and the lab
• Propose testable and measurable studies
• Provide alternative possibilities that could be tested
why did you choose the ones you did over others
• Clear training potential
What makes a strong proposal: 3 Specific aims
steps you are going to take to test your hypotheses
what you want to accomplish in the course of the grant period
Make sure:
Your objectives are measurable and highly focused
Each hypothesis is matched with a specific aim
The aims are feasible in technique, time and money
http://www.theresearchassistant.com/tutorial/2-1.asp
What makes a strong proposal: some Pilot data
For F30, perhaps a year of work?
The goal of this section is to demonstrate
experience and competence to perform the proposed project
Often, the feasibility of your proposed study is
demonstrated through the report of pilot data
Can include work of others in lab if cited
Try your hardest to collect pilot data, even if your N is small.
What makes a strong proposal: Career Development
Research is NOT the only thing!
You articulate how this research training plan increases
Likelihood for career success
Your PI must articulate a training plan for you
Not just research 24/7
Seminars, courses
Cold Spring Harbor, collaborations
Thesis committee
Publication and presentation goals
New techniques
Presentation skills
Resources at University for career development
Do not give up!!
You want to earn support
Your mentor wants you to earn support
Your study section wants to support you
Pay attention to the summary statement
Resubmit
Expect to work at funding, and
Enjoy the outcomes
What happens to your application after it is submitted?
Scientific Review Group in Center for Scientific Review
Study section review// supplements
Scores and percentiles
Summary sheet
Phyllis McBride, Ph.D.
p-mcbride@tamu.edu