Brief Description:

The Hanna H. Gray Fellows program is designed to encourage, support, and develop promising scientists from a broad range of backgrounds, including backgrounds that historically have been underrepresented in the sciences. The program therefore encourages candidates with all backgrounds and personal characteristics to apply, including candidates with backgrounds or personal characteristics that are historically underrepresented in the sciences. This includes, but is not limited to, those who are socioeconomically disadvantaged, from rural or less-resourced geographic areas, the first in their families to go to college or obtain a graduate degree, members of underrepresented racial or ethnic groups, LGBTQ+ and non-binary persons, women, and persons with disabilities. Reviewers do not evaluate a candidate’s application on the basis of any protected characteristics.

The 2024 application includes the following components:

• A summary of your educational and research training record
• A description of your PhD research, including up to 3 selected research articles
• A questionnaire that we will send to your PhD advisor
• Narrative statements regarding your commitment to becoming an academic researcher and building an inclusive lab culture, and how your lived experiences have informed your values, priorities, and career goals
• Your postdoctoral research plan
• A questionnaire for you and your postdoctoral mentor about the training plan and training environment
• A curriculum vitae and lab census provided by your postdoctoral training mentor

Evaluation focuses on each applicant’s unique career path and scientific contributions, and what each person will bring to their role as a future leader of a scientific research lab.

Eligibility:

• are a basic science researcher or physician-scientist in the biological and biomedical sciences in the many scientific disciplines that HHMI supports
• have been accepted to join a laboratory as a postdoctoral researcher, led by a tenured or tenure-track faculty member at an eligible institution in the US, including Puerto Rico, at the time of the application due date.
• will commit 75% of your total effort to research in a postdoctoral training position by the grant start date.
• will commit to a minimum of two years of postdoctoral training in this position after the grant start date.
• hold a PhD and/or MD (or equivalent), which is conferred by the start of the grant term.
  • If your training institution for your graduate degree is in the U.S., including Puerto Rico, you may be of any nationality.
  • If your training institution for your graduate degree is not in the U.S., you must be a U.S. citizen or U.S. national.
• have no more than 24 months of postdoctoral research experience by the application due date.
  • If you are a PhD applicant, the date or anticipated date of conferral of your doctoral degree must be on or after February 28, 2022, and before January 15, 2025.
  • If you are an MD or MD/PhD applicant in residency, clinical fellowship, or postdoctoral training you can have no more than 24 months of postdoctoral training by the application deadline on February 28, 2024.

The program supports early career scientists with the potential to become leaders in academic research. Fellows receive funding to support their postdoctoral training and may continue to receive funding during their early career years as independent faculty.

Postdoctoral Training Phase 

Fellows will receive an annual salary, $80,000 for the initial year, and a $20,000 expense allowance that is paid through a non-renewable grant to the training institution. This phase of the award is for a minimum of two and maximum of four years.

Faculty Phase 

Fellows will receive $250,000 in research funding and a $20,000 expense allowance per year, paid through a non-renewable grant to the institution where they have attained a faculty position. This phase of the award has a maximum length of four years.

Conditions of the award 

• Fellows in both Postdoctoral Training and Faculty Phases are required to devote at least 75% of their total effort to research.
• To transition to the faculty phase of the program, fellows must obtain a tenure-track (or equivalent) faculty position at an eligible research institution with a doctoral-level graduate program in their area of interest.
• Fellows are expected to contribute to the growing community of Hanna Gray Fellows, participate in professional development activities, attend an HHMI science meeting each year, and provide an annual progress report.

Apply here:

https://www.hhmi.org/programs/hanna-h-gray-fellows#award-information