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Overview of NIGMS Training Opportunities

NIGMS supports predoctoral and postdoctoral research training through Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award grants to institutions and fellowships to individuals.  This document provides an overview of these programs; see the Training and Careers section of the NIGMS Web site for additional information.

Institutional Training Grants (T32)

Individual Fellowships (F31, F32)


Institutional Training Grants (T32)

Predoctoral Institutional Training Grants

NIGMS provides grants to more than 250 interdisciplinary training programs that support approximately 3,000 Ph.D. and M.D.-PhD. students at institutions from coast to coast. These graduate programs represent highly diverse areas of basic science and have been judged by peer review to be among the best in the nation. Funds are provided to the institutions, which then administer the training programs. Students apply directly to these programs at the institution and are appointed by the training grant program directors.  Trainees receive a base stipend (currently $20,772) that usually is further supplemented by the institution. In addition, each trainee receives an allowance for tuition and fees, health insurance, travel, and training-related expenses.

Requests for general information about predoctoral institutional training grants should be directed to:

Dr. John Norvell
301-594-0533
norvellj@nigms.nih.gov

Predoctoral Research Training Areas

Behavioral-Biomedical Sciences Interface: Dr. Alison E. Cole -- 301-594-3827

Programs should provide graduate research training for students at the behavioral sciences-biomedical sciences interface.  The goal of the program is to develop basic behavioral scientists with rigorous broad-based training in biology and biomedical science, who are available to assume leadership roles related to the Nation’s biomedical, behavioral and clinical research needs.  These programs must provide an interdisciplinary research training experience and curriculum for predoctoral trainees that integrates both behavioral and biomedical perspectives, approaches and methodologies.  These training programs must include coursework, laboratory rotations and programmatic activities that reinforce training at this interface.  Significant participation by faculty and leadership from both behavioral and biomedical science departments is required, as is co-mentoring of trainees by faculty from both components.

Program announcement (PAR-06-503)

Bioinformatics and Computational Biology: Dr. Karin Remington -- 301-451-6446

Programs should train students in the background theory and biological application of information sciences (including computer science, statistics, and mathematics) to problems relevant to biomedical research. Of particular interest are multi-scale and large-scale problems in biology. Training should include the use of theory and computer application to the full spectrum of basic research in the biomedical sciences, including the analysis of molecular sequence and structure, molecular function, cellular function, physiology, genomics, and genetics.

List of current institutional grantees
Expanded program description

Biostatistics: Dr. Shawn Drew -- 301-594-3900

Provides support for predoctoral training that integrates biostatistical theory and evolving methodologies with basic biomedical research including, but not limited to, bioinformatics, genetics, molecular biology, cellular processes, and physiology, as well as epidemiological, clinical, and behavioral studies. The goal is to ensure that a workforce of biostatisticians with a deep understanding of statistical theory and new methodologies is available to assume leadership roles related to the nation’s biomedical, clinical, and behavioral research needs.

List of current institutional grantees

Biotechnology: Dr. Warren Jones -- 301-594-3827

Training should be multidisciplinary and focus on the applications of engineering, physics, chemistry, mathematics, and biology to areas of basic biomedical research related to biotechnology. These programs should involve the participation of faculty from several departments/schools whose research emphases are on the areas listed above. Active participation by faculty members in engineering is particularly encouraged and the development of mechanisms to give students experience in the biotechnology industry is required.

List of current institutional grantees
Expanded program description

Cellular, Biochemical, and Molecular Sciences: Dr. Marion Zatz -- 301-594-0943 and Dr. Peter Preusch -- 301-594-0828

Programs should be cross-disciplinary and involve in-depth study of biological problems at the level of the cellular and molecular sciences. The research training offered should encompass related disciplines, such as biochemistry, bioinformatics, biophysics, chemistry, cell biology, developmental biology, genetics, immunology, microbiology, molecular biology, neurobiology, and pathology. These research opportunities should be available in the represented disciplines with faculty mentors from interacting departments and/or interdisciplinary Ph.D. programs.

List of current institutional grantees
Expanded program description

Chemistry-Biology Interface: Dr. Michael E. Rogers -- 301-594-3827

Programs in this area should provide significant biological training to students receiving in-depth training in synthetic/mechanistic chemistry and provide significant training in synthetic/mechanistic chemistry to students being trained in depth in the biological sciences. It is expected that programs will consist of faculty drawn from departments of chemistry, medicinal chemistry, and/or pharmaceutical chemistry and faculty from the biological disciplines, such as biochemistry, cell biology, and immunology. Students trained at the chemistry-biology interface should be well-grounded in a core discipline and sufficiently well-trained in complementary fields to allow them to work effectively in a multidisciplinary team.

List of current institutional grantees
Expanded program description

Genetics: Dr. Susan Haynes -- 301-594-0943 and Dr. Clifton Poodry -- 301-594-3900

Programs should emphasize broad training in the principles and mechanisms of genetics and related sciences. Training in a variety of areas such as classical genetics, molecular genetics, population and behavioral genetics, and developmental genetics should be offered. Programs may also include training and research opportunities in related disciplines such as biochemistry, cell biology, and statistics. Programs are generally expected to include faculty members in disciplines other than genetics.

List of current institutional grantees
Expanded program description

Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP): Dr. Bert Shapiro -- 301-594-0828

The MSTP supports the integrated medical and graduate research training that is required for the investigation of human diseases. It assures highly selected trainees a choice of a wide range of pertinent graduate programs in the biological, chemical, and physical sciences which, when combined with training in medicine, lead to the M.D.-Ph.D. degree. Programs are encouraged to provide a breadth of doctoral research training opportunities consistent with individual institutional strengths. In addition to the above disciplines, support of trainees in other disciplines such as computer sciences, social and behavioral sciences, economics, epidemiology, public health, bioengineering, biostatistics, and bioethics is encouraged. Proposed MSTP programs should be flexible and adaptable in providing each trainee with the appropriate background in the sciences relevant to medicine, yet be rigorous enough to enable graduates to function independently in both basic research and clinical investigation.

List of current institutional grantees
Expanded program description

Molecular Biophysics: Dr. Paula Flicker -- 301-594-0828

Training in this area should be multidisciplinary and focus on the applications of physics, mathematics, and chemistry to problems of biological structure, primarily at the molecular level. These programs should bring together faculty and students from departments such as chemistry, physics, and engineering who have an interest in biologically related research with faculty and students in biological science departments whose orientation is the application of physical methods and concepts to biological systems.

List of current institutional grantees
Expanded program description 

Molecular Medicine: Dr. Marion Zatz -- 301-594-0943

Training in this area is intended to combine rigorous didactic training in the basic biomedical sciences with exposure to concepts and knowledge underlying the molecular basis of disease. The goal is to train a cadre of scientists prepared to work at the interface of basic biomedical science and clinical research, an area sometimes referred to as translational research. Training faculty should be broadly drawn from multiple departments and disciplines and thesis research topics should reflect a broad range of interdisciplinary opportunities in the basic biomedical sciences. This training opportunity should be primarily designed for Ph.D. candidates.

List of current institutional grantees
Expanded program description

Pharmacological Sciences: Dr. Richard Okita -- 301-594-3827

Training in this area should be multidisciplinary and should emphasize exposure to the broad field of pharmacological sciences. Individuals should receive training that will enable them to conduct research on the biological phenomena and related chemical and molecular processes involved in the actions of therapeutic drugs and their metabolites. Thesis research opportunities should be available with faculty members in a variety of disciplines, such as biochemistry, physiology, molecular biology, cell biology, chemistry, medicinal chemistry, and toxicology, as well as pharmacology. Students trained in this program should be able to contribute to the design and evaluation of therapeutic strategies based upon the competence they have acquired through specialized training in the pharmacological sciences.

List of current institutional grantees
Expanded program description

Systems and Integrative Biology: Dr. Alison E. Cole -- 301-594-3827

Training in this area should be directed toward building the broad research competence required to investigate the integrative, regulatory, and developmental processes of higher organisms and the functional components of these processes. The training program should bring together varied resources, approaches, and thesis research opportunities with faculty mentors of such disciplines/departments as physiology, biomedical engineering, the neurosciences, the behavioral sciences, biochemistry, and cell and developmental biology. Graduates of the program should be well versed in quantitative approaches to biology.

List of current institutional grantees
Expanded program description

Postdoctoral Institutional Training Grants

NIGMS funds 46 grants that support more than 150 trainees in four clinically related areas of research training. These programs emphasize the selection of M.D. degree holders as trainees and encourage at least 2 years of rigorous research training in basic science and clinical departments.  Funds are provided to the institutions, which then administer the training programs. Trainees apply directly to these programs and are appointed by the program directors.  Trainees receive a base stipend that usually is further supplemented by the institution. In addition, each trainee receives an allowance for tuition and fees, travel, and training-related expenses.

Requests for general information about postdoctoral institutional training grants should be directed to:

Dr. John Norvell
301-594-0533
norvellj@nigms.nih.gov

Postdoctoral Research Training Areas

Anesthesiology: Dr. Alison E. Cole -- 301-594-3827

Programs should provide multidisciplinary research training to help develop individuals with the skills and expertise to explore problems relevant to anesthesiology, including the fundamental mechanisms of anesthetic action. The goal is to provide rigorous postdoctoral research training with an emphasis on hypothesis-driven laboratory or clinical research. Trainees, most of whom would hold the M.D. degree, will be expected to spend at least 2 years in the training program and should have the opportunity to acquire fundamental knowledge and research techniques in such disciplines as biochemistry, biophysics, cell biology, molecular biology, neurobiology, pharmacology, or physiology. For trainees with the Ph.D. degree, the research and training should be specifically designed to promote a research career addressing problems in anesthesiology.

List of current institutional grantees
Expanded program description

Clinical Pharmacology: Dr. Richard T. Okita -- 301-594-3827

Individuals in these programs should receive experience in the methodology and conduct of basic and clinical research to qualify them to investigate the effects and mechanisms of drug actions in humans. Trainees, most of whom would have the M.D. degree, will be expected to spend at least 2 years in the training program and should have the opportunity to acquire fundamental scientific knowledge and research techniques in such areas as basic pharmacology, biochemistry, physiology, molecular medicine and gene therapy, biostatistics, and other biomedical subdisciplines. For trainees with an M.D. degree or other professional degree, this experience should emphasize rigorous research training and complement their clinical backgrounds. For trainees with a Ph.D. degree, the research and training should be specifically designed to promote a career in clinical pharmacology research.

List of current institutional grantees
Expanded program description

Medical Genetics: Dr. Susan Haynes -- 301-594-0943

Programs should provide advanced and specialized research training in the principles of genetics, with the goal of understanding human genetic disorders. Trainees, who will normally hold the M.D. degree, should be drawn from diverse backgrounds and should be offered opportunities for conducting research with faculty who represent a variety of approaches to genetics, ranging from molecular genetics to human population genetics. Programs should provide rigorous training in basic or applied research, with an emphasis on human or medical genetic problems. For holders of the M.D. or other professional degree, the program should provide training and research opportunities in areas of basic genetics that will build on, and complement, the trainee’s clinical background. For holders of the Ph.D. degree, the research and training should be specifically designed to foster a career in human and medical genetics.

List of current institutional grantees
Expanded program description

Trauma, Burn, and Peri-operative Injury: Dr. Scott D. Somers -- 301-594-3827

Programs should provide multidisciplinary research training for postdoctoral scientists who seek to improve the understanding of the body’s systemic responses to major injury and to foster the more rapid application of this knowledge to the treatment of trauma and burn injury victims. The supervisory staff should include trauma surgeons and/or burn specialists, as well as basic scientists. Trainees, most of whom would hold the M.D. degree, will be expected to spend at least 2 years in the training program and to apply such basic disciplines as biochemistry, physiology, immunology, microbiology, cell biology, molecular biology, biomedical engineering, or behavioral sciences to the study of trauma.

List of current institutional grantees
Expanded program description


Individual Fellowships (F31, F32)

In contrast to institutional training grant programs, candidates apply directly to NIGMS for individual pre- and postdoctoral fellowship awards.  For more information on how to apply for these awards, go to the NIGMS Training and Careers Web site

Predoctoral Fellowships (F31)

NIGMS participates in an NIH-wide program of individual predoctoral fellowship awards for minority students and for students with disabilities. These awards provide up to 5 years of support for research training leading to a Ph.D. or equivalent research degree, a combined M.D.-Ph.D. degree, or another combined professional doctorate-research Ph.D. degree in the biomedical or behavioral sciences. The fellowship provides an annual stipend of $20,772; tuition and fee allowance; and an annual institutional allowance of $2,750, which may be used for travel to scientific meetings and for laboratory and other training expenses.

  • Minority Students: The intent of this fellowship program is to encourage students from minority groups that are underrepresented in the biomedical and behavioral sciences to seek graduate degrees, and thus further the goal of increasing the number of minority scientists who are prepared to pursue careers in biomedical and behavioral research.  Highly qualified students who are members of minority groups that are underrepresented in the biomedical or behavioral sciences in the United States are eligible for these awards.

  • Students with Disabilities: The intent of this fellowship program is to encourage and enable students with disabilities to seek graduate degrees, and thus further the goal of increasing the number of scientists with disabilities who are prepared to pursue careers in biomedical and behavioral research.

Requests for general information about predoctoral fellowships should be directed to:

Dr. Adolphus P. Toliver 
301-594-3900
tolivera@nigms.nih.gov

Fellowship Awards for Minority StudentsDr. Adolphus P. Toliver -- 301-594-3900

Fellowship Awards for Students with DisabilitiesDr. John Whitmarsh -- 301-451-6446

Postdoctoral Fellowships (F32)

NIGMS supports more than 400 individual postdoctoral fellowships each year at more than 100 universities and institutions across the United States.  These fellowships support highly diverse areas of basic science relevant to the scientific programs of NIGMS.  For applicants holding the Ph.D. degree, this award is designed to provide support for advanced and specialized training in basic research, in basic research associated with clinical problems, or in clinical research. For applicants holding the M.D. or other clinical-professional degree, this program is intended to provide at least 2 years of rigorous basic or clinical research training.  Fellows receive a stipend and an institutional allowance of $5,500 (to defray costs of health insurance, travel, supplies, etc.).  They may also receive some funds for tuition and fees.  Prior to submitting an application, a candidate must arrange for acceptance at an appropriate training institution by a responsible sponsor. The institutional setting may be domestic or foreign, private or public.

Requests for general information about individual postdoctoral fellowships should be directed to:

Dr. Alison E. Cole
301-594-3827
colea@nigms.nih.gov

For postdoctoral fellowship information specific to the program areas listed below, contact the indicated staff member:

AnesthesiologyDr. Richard T. Okita
301-594-3827
okitar@nigms.nih.gov
Biochemistry and Biorelated ChemistryDr. Michael E. Rogers
301-594-3827
rogersm@nigms.nih.gov

Dr. Pamela Marino
301-594-3827
marinop@nigms.nih.gov
Biomedical EngineeringDr. Paula Flicker
301-594-0828
flickerp@nigms.nih.gov
Cell BiologyDr. Paula Flicker
301-594-0828
flickerp@nigms.nih.gov
Clinical PharmacologyDr. Richard T. Okita
301-594-3827
okitar@nigms.nih.gov
Genetics and
Developmental Biology
Dr. Matthew Portnoy
301-594-0943
portnoym@nigms.nih.gov

Dr. Laurie Tompkins
301-594-0943
tompkinl@nigms.nih.gov
GenomicsDr. Matthew Portnoy
301-594-0943
portnoym@nigms.nih.gov
Molecular BiophysicsDr. Paula Flicker
301-594-0828
flickerp@nigms.nih.gov
Pharmacological SciencesDr. Michael E. Rogers
301-594-3827
rogersm@nigms.nih.gov

Dr. Pamela Marino
301-594-3827
marinop@nigms.nih.gov
Quantitative BiologyDr. Paula Flicker
301-594-0828
flickerp@nigms.nih.gov
Trauma, Burn, and
Peri-operative Injury
Dr. Richard T. Okita
301-594-3827
okitar@nigms.nih.gov
This page last updated December 5, 2008