Support for Postdoctoral Researchers
The Research Administration and Development Unit in the Charlie Dunlop School of Biological Sciences provides comprehensive research development, pre-award, and post-award support to postdoctoral researchers. We assist with navigating funding opportunities, developing and submitting competitive proposals, and managing the resulting awards. New postdoctoral researchers are automatically subscribed to Research Bulletin — our bi-weekly newsletter in which we post announcements, funding opportunities, events, and workshops! Visit our archive to browse past announcements and opportunities. In addition, learn more about how the RAD Unit helps Dunlop School researchers.
Common Funding Opportunities
Below is a list common funding opportunities for postdoctoral researchers in the biological sciences. For even more opportunities, we recommend hopping over to Graduate Division’s fellowships webpage.
| Sponsor | Program | Program Description | Eligibility | U.S. Citizenship Required |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alzheimer’s Association | Research Fellowship (AARF) | Supports exceptional researchers who are engaged in their post-graduate work (i.e. postdoctoral fellows) and before they have their first independent faculty positions (i.e. Assistant Professor) and working in diverse areas of research, including basic, translational, clinical, functional and social-behavioral research. | Applications will be accepted from postdoctoral fellows (or an equivalent level position) with full-time positions at their respective academic institution and less than 10 years of research experience after receipt of their doctorate (Ph.D.) or terminal degree. Individuals currently enrolled as a student in an undergraduate, a master or a doctoral program are not eligible, regardless of prior degree status. | No |
| American Cancer Society (ACS) | Postdoctoral Fellowships (PF) | Supports new investigators in research training programs to position them for independent careers in cancer research. As part of their evaluation, peer reviewers consider how well the fellowship will broaden the applicant’s research training and experience. | Applicants must work at a U.S. academic institution or eligible non-profit. Applicants must have had their doctoral degree for less than 4 years; time spent in clinical-only training is not counted. Applicants must not hold a faculty appointment (e.g., Instructor, Research Assistant Professor). | No |
| A.P. Giannini Foundation | 2025 Postdoctoral Research Fellowship and Leadership Award | Supports innovative research in the basic sciences and applied fields and trains fellows to become established investigators and to pursue scientific leadership positions in academia, industry, public and non-traditional career pathways. Research projects should advance the translation of biomedical science into preventions, treatments, and cures for human diseases. | They must hold or complete an MD; MD/PhD; PhD or equivalent degree before they activate the fellowship. Applicants must arrange their research training before they apply to the 2025 program. | Yes |
| Damian Runyon Cancer Research Foundation | Damon Runyon Fellowship Award | Supports the training of the brightest postdoctoral scientists as they embark upon their research careers. This funding enables them to be mentored by established investigators in leading research laboratories across the country. | Basic and physician-scientists must have received their degrees no more than 18 months prior to the application deadline date. Applicants must not have been in their Sponsors’ labs for more than one year prior to the application deadline date and are expected to devote 100% of their time to Damon Runyon-supported research activities. | No |
| Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) | Hanna H. Gray Fellows Program | Supports early career scientists as they launch careers in academic science, and equipping them to recruit, mentor, and inspire future generations. Fellows join a cohort of peers and receive funding up to $1.5 million. | Applicants may not have more than 24 months of postdoctoral research experience by the application due date. | No |
| Jane Coffin Childs Fund for Medical Research | Postdoctoral Fellowships | Provides three years of salary support to the best and brightest postdoctoral fellows, as selected by the esteemed Board of Scientific Advisors (BSA), pursuing fundamental biomedical research to advance human health. | Applicants should have no more than 18 months of postdoctoral research experience at the time of the application. | No |
| Life Sciences Research Foundation (LSRF) | Postdoctoral Fellowships | Provides three years of support to a named postdoctoral researcher at a non-profit university or research institution. | Applicants must apply within 5 years of receiving their PhD (or MD/DVM, whichever was awarded later). Applicants must complete their postdoctoral training in a lab different from that of their graduate (thesis) lab. | No |
| National Institutes of Health (NIH) | Kirschstein-NRSA Postdoctoral Fellowship (F32) | Enhances the research training of promising postdoctoral candidates who have the potential to become productive, independent investigators in scientific health-related research fields relevant to the missions of the participating NIH Institutes and Centers. | Yes | |
| National Institutes of Health (NIH) | Pathway to Independence Award (K99) | Designed to facilitate a timely transition of outstanding postdoctoral researchers or clinician-scientists from mentored research positions to independent, tenure-track or equivalent faculty positions, and to provide independent NIH research support during the transition that will help these individuals launch competitive, independent research careers. | Applicants may have no more than 4 years of postdoctoral research experience. | No |
| National Institutes of Health (NIH) | Career Transition Award (K22) | Facilitates the transition of investigators to independent, productive research careers. One or two phase award; an initial period of mentored research, followed by a period of independent research at an extramural institution. | Yes | |
| National Institutes of Health (NIH) | Mentored Research Scientist Career Development Award (K01) | Provides support and protected time for an intensive, supervised career development experience in the biomedical, behavioral, or clinical sciences leading to research independence. Some NIH Institutes use the K01 to enhance workforce diversity, or for individuals who propose to train in a new field, or for individuals who have had a hiatus in their research career. | Yes | |
| National Science Foundation (NSF) | Postdoctoral Research Fellowships in Biology | Supports postdoctoral fellows in selected areas of the life sciences who focus on broadening participation of underrepresented groups in biology; study the rules governing interactions between genomes, environments and phenotypes; or study plant genomes. | Applicants must have earned their doctoral degree in an appropriate field prior to beginning the fellowship. | Yes |
| United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) | Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) Postdoctoral Fellowships | Supports post-graduate education in agriculture and related disciplines. Fellowship awards can also enable interested postdoctoral trainees to obtain training in industry and international research on issues relevant to U.S. agriculture. | Yes | |
| University of California | President’s Postdoctoral Fellowship Program | Encourages outstanding women and minority Ph.D. recipients to pursue academic careers at the University of California. The current program offers postdoctoral research fellowships, professional development, and faculty mentoring to outstanding scholars in all fields whose research, teaching, and service will contribute to diversity and equal opportunity at UC. | Applicants must hold or have received a Ph.D. or terminal degree in their discipline (JD, MD, MFA, DVM, EdD, etc.) from an accredited university before the start of their fellowship. | No |
| University of California, Irvine | Chancellor’s Postdoctoral Fellowship Program | Offers postdoctoral research fellowships and faculty mentoring to qualified scholars in all fields whose research, teaching, and service will contribute to the diversity and equal opportunity at the University of California. | Applicants must hold or have received a Ph.D. or terminal degree in their discipline (JD, MD, MFA, DVM, EdD, etc.) from an accredited university before the start of their fellowship. | No |
| University of California, Los Angeles | LIFT-UP | Aims to diversify the California and the Pacific Islands scientific research workforce who are pursuing careers in biomedical research, behavioral research or health services research in nutrition, obesity, diabetes, and/or related conditions. | Applicants must be post-doctoral scholars, UCLA Specialty Training and Advanced Research (STAR) program fellows or junior faculty members at the Clinical Instructor, Assistant Professor, or Associate Professor level. | No |
| Hevolution | Hevolution Foundation Postdoctoral Training in Geroscience Program (HF-PTG) | Provides funding for PhD and MD/PhD students who want to pursue postdoctoral research training in the biology of aging or geroscience. | Doctoral students who will complete their doctorate (PhD or MD/PhD) before the award start date (March 2025) or be recent PhD or MD/PhD graduates (earliest graduation date: May 2024, as stated on the certificate of doctorate) transitioning into postdoctoral training positions in the US, Canada, UK, or Europe. | No |
| National Institutes of Health (NIH) | Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (NRSA) for Training of Postdoctoral Fellows | Supports outstanding scientific training of highly promising postdoctoral candidates with outstanding mentors that will facilitate the development of the postdoctoral fellow into an outstanding scientist. | Candidates are eligible to apply for support from this program from ~12 months prior to the start of the proposed postdoctoral position to within 12 months (or 18 months of resubmissions) after starting in the proposed postdoctoral position. | No |
| Sleep Research Society | SRSF Small Research Grant | Supports the research of trainees and early career investigators who otherwise do not have the institutional resources to support new studies and/or do not have a sustained record of external funding. Intended to provide seed funding to support training and research to ultimately allow individuals to successfully apply for or complete career development grants (e.g. K-awards). | Applicants must be a member of the Sleep Research Society, the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, or hold a dual membership. | No |
| American Diabetes Association | Pathway to Stop Diabetes® | Attracts brilliant scientists approaching the peak of their careers in diabetes research, and to accelerate their research progress by providing the necessary resources and support for conducting transformative science. | Applicants must hold independent faculty positions and have demonstrated independent productivity in diabetes research. Applicants may currently hold independent NIH funding (K or R awards, including an initial NIH R01) but must not have applied for, or received, an NIH R01 renewal or a second R01 award. | Yes |
| Larry L. Hillbloom Foundation | Fellowship Grant | Enables Qualified Institutions to provide post-doctoral research fellowship training to qualified applicants in one of the two areas of stated interest to the Hillblom Foundation. | The PI’s lab must be affiliated with an institution within the state of California. Funding Areas must include Diabetes or Aging | No |
| National Institutes of Health (NIH) | Academic Career Excellence (ACE) Award (K32) | Supports early postdoctoral training in cancer research that will expand the scientific research and career development experience of the applicant from their predoctoral training. | The candidates for this award must be within 12 months of transitioning to their postdoctoral position, or within the first two years of their postdoctoral training to apply for this award | No |
| Parkinson’s Foundation | Postdoctoral Fellowships | Supports training at major research institutions to help these scientists become independent Parkinson’s disease researchers. The Parkinson’s Foundation seeks research proposals from promising early career scientists that will directly impact the understanding of Parkinson’s disease or its treatment. | Applicants must be within five years of receiving their Ph.D. at the time the award starts (i.e., on or after August 1, 2020). The Clinical Neurologists must possess an M.D. or equivalent and be within three years of having completed a residency in neurology at the time the award starts (i.e., on or after August 1, 2022). | No |
| Dana Foundation | Professional Development Award | Aims to strengthen neuroscience’s positive role in the world by preparing the next generation of scholars to think reflexively and responsibly apply neuroscience knowledge to benefit society by supporting innovative training opportunities, workforce development, and collaboration across disciplines. | To be eligible for a professional development award, you must meet both of the following conditions: Currently affiliated with an academic or non-profit institution in the United States. Currently enrolled in a training program, or employed by a non-profit organization, as an undergraduate, postbaccalaureate, graduate, or post-doctoral trainee. | No |
| Alexis’ Lemonade Stand | Early Career Research Programs | Attracting and retaining the best and brightest early career scientists is critical to the future of childhood cancer research. Funding at this stage will encourage and steer promising researchers toward long-term careers in pediatric oncology investigation. | Alexis’ Lemonade Stand has multiple programs that fund postdoctoral scholars. Their focus is on pediatric oncology investigation | No |
| Brain & Behavior Research Foundaton | BBRF Young Investigator Grant | Provides support for the most promising young scientists conducting neurobiological research. Two-year awards up to $70,000, or $35,000 per year are provided to enable promising investigators to either extend research fellowship training or begin careers as independent research faculty. Basic and/or clinical investigators are supported, but research must be relevant to serious brain and behavior disorders such as schizophrenia, mood disorders, anxiety disorders or child and adolescent mental illnesses. | Applicants must have a doctoral level degree (e.g., M.D. with [minimum PGY-IV training, Ph.D., Psy.D., Pharm.D., etc.) and already be employed in research training or a faculty research position. The YI Grant is intended to support advanced post-doctoral fellows, instructors and assistant professors (or equivalent). Anyone who has served, or is serving, as a principal investigator (PI) on a NIH R01 grant or the equivalent (e.g., VA Merit Review grant) is not eligible. | No |
| American Cancer Foundation | Postdoctoral Fellowships | Supports new investigators in research training programs to position them for independent careers in cancer research. As part of their evaluation, peer reviewers consider how well the fellowship will broaden the applicant’s research training and experience. | Applicants must: Work at a US academic institution or eligible non-profit. Are a US citizen or a non-citizen holding an appropriate visa when you submit your application. Have had your doctoral degree for LESS than 4 years; time spent in clinical-only training is not counted. Do not have a faculty appointment (e.g., Instructor, Research Assistant Professor) | No |
| Thrasher Research Fund | Early Career Awards | Encourages the development of researchers in child health by awarding small grants to new researchers, helping them gain a foothold in this important area. The goal is to fund applicants who will go on to be independent investigators. | Physicians who are in a residency/fellowship training program, or who completed that program no more than one year before the Concept Paper deadline. Post-doctoral researchers who received the doctoral level degree no more than three years before the Concept Paper deadline. | No |
| National Multiple Sclerosis Society | Postdoctoral Fellowships | Seeks to attract and train promising young investigators and doctors into the field of MS by supporting the training of postdoctoral fellows in studies related to MS in its efforts to end MS forever. The Society supports fundamental as well as applied studies, non-clinical or clinical in nature, including projects in patient management, care and rehabilitation. | Information on submissions for 2025 is not yet available. | |
| Beckman Foundation | Arnold O. Beckman Postdoctoral Fellowship | Supports advanced research by postdoctoral scholars within the core areas of fundamental chemistry or the development and build of chemical instrumentation. | At a U.S. college, university or institution which offers postdoctoral fellowships and holds a 501(c)(3), or similarly qualifying, IRS designation; Current postdoctoral researcher with agranted/conferred PhD in the chemical sciences with no more than 18 months cumulative postdoctoral research experience (at time of application due date); and Must pursue postdoctoral training in an area of chemical sciences. | Yes |
| Breakthrough T1D | Postdoctoral Fellowships | Designed to attract qualified, promising scientists entering their professional career in the T1D research field; intended for those in a relatively early state in their career | MD, DMD, DVM, PhD, or equivalent. Must not be simultaneously serving an internship or residency | No |
| Susan G. Komen | Career Transition Awards (CTA) | Aims to help outstanding senior postdoctoral fellows and clinical fellows, working under the guidance of a mentor, to launch their competitive, independent breast cancer research careers. These awards provide up to five years of funding in two phases: Phase 1 supports the final years of mentored, postdoctoral training and Phase 2 supports the independent research of the early career, tenure-track investigators. | ndividuals pursuing independent breast cancer research careers who are in the final years of mentored postdoctoral research training positions with no more than five years of total postdoctoral research experience at the time of Letter of Intent submission. | No |
| American Federation for Aging Research | Glenn Foundation for Medical Research Postdoctoral Fellowships in Aging Research | Provides support for postdoctoral fellows (MD, MD/PhD and PhD) who specifically direct their research towards basic aging mechanisms and/or translational findings that have direct benefits to human aging and healthspan. Postdoctoral fellows at all levels of training are eligible. Up to twelve one-year fellowships of $75,000 will be awarded in 2025. | The applicant must be a postdoctoral fellow (MD and/or PhD degree or equivalent) at the start date of the award (July 1, 2025). The proposed research must be conducted at a qualified not-for-profit setting in the United States. Individuals who are employees in the NIH Intramural program are not eligible. Postdoctoral fellows in laboratories that receive support as part of a Paul F. Glenn Center for Biology of Aging Research are not eligible to apply. Applicants who have received more than 5 years of postdoctoral training at the time of the start of the award must provide a justification for the additional training period. | No |
| Klingenstein Philantropies | Klingenstein Third Generation Foundation Fellowship Program | Awards fellowship grants annually to outstanding post-doctoral or junior faculty candidates who are investigating the causes, prevention, and treatment of children and adolescents with ADHD or depression, especially those from low-income families and under-resourced communities, or other minoritized populations that may have limited supports and resources. | Candidates must hold a Ph.D. or M.D. and have completed all clinical training in their field. Candidates should be at the junior faculty level or on a trajectory for attaining faculty status. The Foundation will consider investigators who are in T32 or other designated research training programs. Investigators must reside within institutions based in the United States, where all research on the project will be completed. The investigator should have demonstrated evidence of strong research promise and ability, and a commitment to the field of children’s mental health. | No |
| Cure Epilepsy | CURE Epilepsy Award | Reflects CURE Epilepsy’s continued focus on scientific advances that have the potential to truly transform the lives of those affected by epilepsy, with prevention and disease modification as critical goals. Key priority areas for the award include: Basic mechanisms of epilepsy Acquired epilepsies Pediatric epilepsies SUDEP Treatment-resistant epilepsies Sleep & epilepsy | This award is available to both established and early career investigators. Researchers who serve on CURE Epilepsy’s Scientific Advisory Council are ineligible to apply for or sponsor a grant for the duration of their term. International applicants are welcome. All materials must be submitted in English. | No |
| American Federation for Aging Research | Glenn Foundation for Medical Research Postdoctoral Fellowships in Aging Research | Provides support for postdoctoral fellows (MD, MD/PhD and PhD) who specifically direct their research towards basic aging mechanisms and/or translational findings that have direct benefits to human aging and healthspan. Postdoctoral fellows at all levels of training are eligible. Up to twelve one-year fellowships of $75,000 will be awarded in 2025. | The applicant must be a postdoctoral fellow (MD and/or PhD degree or equivalent) at the start date of the award (July 1, 2025).The proposed research must be conducted at a qualified not-for-profit setting in the United States. | No |
| American Heart Association | 2025 AHA Postdoctoral Fellowship | Enhances the training of postdoctoral applicants who are not yet independent. The applicant must be embedded in an appropriate investigative group with the mentorship, support, and relevant scientific guidance of a research mentor. Recognizing the unique challenges that clinicians, in particular, experience in balancing research and clinical activity, this award mechanism aims to be as flexible as possible to enable applicants to develop academic careers in research alongside fulfilling clinical service commitments. | At the time of award activation, the applicant must hold a post-baccalaureate PhD degree or equivalent, or a doctoral-level clinical degree such as MD, DO, DVM, PharMD, DDS, DPh, or PhD in nursing, public health or other clinical health science. At the time of award activation, the awardee may not be pursuing a doctoral degree. At the time of award activation, the applicant may have no more than five years of research training or experience since obtaining a post-baccalaureate doctoral-level degree (excluding clinical training). | No |
| American Heart Association | 2025 Research Supplement to Promote Diversity in Science | Enables current AHA awardees to identify and serve as mentors of predoctoral and postdoctoral fellows from underrepresented groups in science and medicine: Individuals from one or more racial or ethnic groups underrepresented in science, including: Black/African American, Hispanic/Latino, American Indian/Alaskan Native, and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander LGBTQ+ individuals Individuals with disabilities, who are defined as those with a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities. Individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds, defined as those who meet two or more of the following criteria: Were or currently are homeless Were or currently are in the foster care system Were eligible for the Federal Free and Reduced Lunch Program for two or more years Have/had no parents or legal guardians who completed a bachelor’s degree Were or currently are eligible for Federal Pell grants | Must be a full-time student working towards their degree and enrolled in a post-baccalaureate Ph.D., M.D., D.O., D.V.M., Pharm.D., D.D.S., Dr.PH., or Ph.D. in nursing or equivalent clinical health science doctoral degree program, who seeks research training with a mentor prior to embarking upon a research career. At the time of award activation, the fellow must have completed initial coursework and be at the stage of the program where they can devote full-time effort to research or activities related to the development into an independent researcher or a related career aimed at improving global cardiovascular health | No |
| American Heart Association | 2025 Ralph L. Sacco Scholarships in Brain Health | Emphasizes preventive approaches across the lifespan and encompasses a wide range of areas, including healthy brain development and aging; attaining and maintaining optimal cognitive function and mental well-being; cognitive aging, decline, and dementia; and primordial, primary and secondary prevention of neurological and mental health disorders. Scientific domains eligible for funding include translational, clinical and population sciences. The following areas are examples of areas of interest: epidemiology, health services research, community awareness and education, psychiatry, mental health and well-being, pediatrics, and adverse childhood experiences. Projects may apply to any age of the lifespan, from fetal/childhood development to adulthood and late life. | At the time of award activation, the applicant must hold a post-baccalaureate PhD degree or equivalent, or a doctoral-level clinical degree such as MD, DO, DVM, PharmD, DDS, DrPH, or PhD in nursing, public health or other clinical health science. At the time of award activation, the applicant may have had no more than five years of research training or experience since obtaining a post-baccalaureate doctoral-level degree (excluding clinical training).The awardee will be expected to devote at least 80 percent of full-time work either to research or to activities pursuant to independent research | No |
| Parkinson’s Foundation | Postdoctoral Fellowships | Supports training at major research institutions to help these scientists become independent Parkinson’s disease researchers. The Parkinson’s Foundation seeks research proposals from promising early career scientists that will directly impact the understanding of Parkinson’s disease or its treatment. Applicants must name an individual who will serve as their research mentor and supervisor. Please include a clear indication of mentor involvement in the proposed project. | The Basic Scientists applicants must be within five years of receiving their Ph.D. at the time the award starts (i.e., on or after August 1, 2020). The Clinical Neurologists must possess an M.D. or equivalent and be within three years of having completed a residency in neurology at the time the award starts (i.e., on or after August 1, 2022). | No |
| Parkinson’s Foundation | Launch Award | Provides research support to outstanding postdoctoral researchers that will enable them to complete needed mentored training and transition promptly to independent research careers in the PD field. This award is a two-stage program consisting of a Mentored Stage (1-2 years) and an Independent Stage (up to 2 years). The strongest applicants will propose a well-conceived plan for 1-2 years of mentored research training and career development to help them become competitive candidates for independent faculty positions, preparing them to launch robust, separate research programs studying PD. | Applicant must possess a PhD, MD, or equivalent degree and be within 18 months to 6 years of completing that degree or clinical training at the time of application, including resubmission. Applicant must currently be in a postdoctoral or other mentored position and must name and provide a letter of support from an established investigator who will serve as the mentor and supervisor. Applicants requiring less than 12 months of mentored research training and career development are not eligible for this award. Applicants may not have their own lab or equivalent. | No |
Campus Resources
Click on a resource below to visit its website for more information.
Graduate & Postdoctoral Scholar Resource Center (GPSRC)
As part of Graduate Division, GPSRC offers workshops and programs designed to support professional development, communication, preparation of grant and fellowship funding applications, wellness and work-life balance, mentoring and much more. Programs are free and open to all domestic and international graduate students and postdoctoral researchers.
Corporate and Foundation Relations
The Corporate and Foundation Relations team works with foundations, nonprofit organizations, and corporations to build partnerships and advance UC Irvine’s teaching, research, and public services mission. They also help faculty and other researchers, including postdoctoral researchers, identify suitable funding opportunities and prepare competitive applications.
Institute for Clinical and Translational Science (ICTS) K-Club Grant Writing Series
This structured workshop series is designed to assist junior faculty and fellows in preparing competitive career development grant applications for NIH submission. K awards aim to bring candidates to the point where they can conduct their research independently and are competitive for major grant support. K-Club typically begins in the spring, and candidates work toward the October NIH deadline. Visit the K-Club website to find slides and recorded presentations from past sessions.
Postdoctoral Association (PDA)
The PDA board is a group of enthusiastic volunteer postdoctoral researchers dedicated to supporting the postdoc community by providing professional development programs as well as social/networking events. Visit the PDA website to learn more and view upcoming events.
Center for Excellence in Writing and Communication (CEWC)
CEWC offers support at all levels of the writing process. Located in the Science Library, the center offers one-on-one appointments with peer tutors and writing specialists, workshops, and asynchronous feedback options. They assist with various writing tasks, from brainstorming to final drafts. The center aims to promote effective writing and communication as essential lifelong skills. Visit their website for helpful handouts and resources on writing.
Office of Research Funding Search Tools
Take charge of your funding search by using recommended funding search services and databases. Links and descriptions of these tools are found on the Office of Research’s website. You can also consult the Research Development Team for assistance.
The Graduate Writing Hub
Graduate students can book 50-minute appointments with our Graduate Writing Consultants (GWCs). Our GWCs are experienced graduate students who are able to help you work on a variety of writing concerns and genres, including articles for publication, grant and fellowship application materials, job market materials, and dissertation/theses. Graduate Writing Consultants have both in-person (at Science Library 193) and remote appointments available.
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