Funding and Career Opportunities

Funding Opportunities

  • A list of Vanderbilt University upcoming limited submission opportunities can be found at https://www.vanderbilt.edu/rds/limitedsubmission/.
  • A list of Vanderbilt University Medical Center upcoming limited submission opportunities can be found at https://www.vumc.org/oor/limited-and-external-funding-opportunities.
  • Visit the Edge Bulletin Board to check their current list of national research funding opportunities with upcoming deadlines, updated often. To submit national opportunities, email Edge for Scholars. Additionally, the Edge for Scholars Funded Grants Library has over 200 grants in the library including more than two dozen examples of NRSA fellowship applications (F30, F31, F32) written by Vanderbilt trainees that include original submissions, resubmissions, and summary statements. There are also a few AHA fellowship applications in the library. If a trainee is in the process of writing an application, they may review these shared grants by requesting access to the EFS Funded Grants Library. To gain access to the Funded Grants Library email Adrienne Babcock. Postdocs should copy their primary mentor on the request so the mentor can confirm the need for access.
  • Visit the SPIN Database of Sponsored Funding Opportunities and search their database of over 40,000 funding opportunities from more than 10,000 global sponsors.
  • Visit Grant Forward and search their database of over 9,000 sponsors and funding opportunities. 

Upcoming Funding Opportunities

  • NAEd/Spencer Postdoctoral Fellowship - Deadline: November 7, 2024

    The NAEd/Spencer Postdoctoral Fellowship supports early-career scholars working in critical areas of educational scholarship. Fellows will receive $70,000 for one academic year of research, or $35,000 for each of two contiguous years, working half-time. Fellows attend professional development retreats and receive mentorship from NAEd members and other senior scholars in their field. 

    Find more information on the fellowship here

    NAEd staff and the Chair of the selection committee are holding a webinar on September 2024 at 12:00 CST. Applicants are urged to attend and ask their questions. Register for the webinar here. 

    Application deadline: November 7, 2024

  • Maximizing Opportunities for Scientific and Academic Independent Careers (MOSAIC) (K99/ R00 and UE5)

    The Maximizing Opportunities for Scientific and Academic Independent Careers (MOSAIC) program is part of NIH’s efforts to enhance diversity within the academic biomedical research workforce, and is designed to facilitate the transition of promising postdoctoral researchers from diverse backgrounds, for example individuals from groups underrepresented in the biomedical research workforce at the faculty level, into independent, tenure-track or equivalent research-intensive faculty positions. The program has two components: an institutionally-focused research education cooperative agreement (UE5) and an individual postdoctoral career transition award (K99/R00) to enhance diversity. The objective of the MOSAIC Postdoctoral Career Transition Award to Promote Diversity (K99/R00) is to enhance workforce diversity by facilitating a timely transition of promising postdoctoral researchers from diverse backgrounds (e.g., see Notice of NIH’s Interest in Diversity) from their mentored, postdoctoral research positions to independent, tenure-track or equivalent research-intensive faculty positions.

  • MOSAIC Institutionally-Focused Research Education Award (UE5)

    MOSAIC UE5 Funding Opportunity Announcement, PAR-21-277

    The MOSAIC UE5 program supports awards to independent organizations (e.g., scientific societies). MOSAIC UE5 awardees will support educational activities that equip MOSAIC K99/R00 scholars with professional skills and provide them with the appropriate mentoring and professional networks to allow them to transition into, advance, and succeed in independent, tenure-track or equivalent research-intensive faculty positions. MOSAIC UE5 awardees will:

    • Develop cohorts of MOSAIC K99/R00 scholars based on scientific areas;
    • Provide opportunities for MOSAIC scholars to engage in career development activities that will foster their progression to and success in independent academic research careers (e.g. courses for skills development);
    • Enhance the scientific and professional networks of MOSAIC scholars beyond their local institutions;
    • Identify and connect scholars with additional mentors who can facilitate appropriate career advancement;
    • Organize regular meetings that provide appropriate leaders at the institutions where MOSAIC scholars conduct research (e.g., postdoctoral research advisors or postdoctoral affairs deans during the mentored research phase; department chairs, deans, or provosts during the independent phase) a forum to exchange ideas, and share evidence-informed approaches to improve mentoring relationships, promote inclusion and equity in the biomedical research enterprise, and enhance diversity;
    • Enhance institutional accountability for the scholars’ career advancement; and
    • Track and publicize outcomes (e.g., publicly available websites).

    Current MOSAIC UE5 Awardees are The American Society for Cell Biology (ASCB), The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (ASBMB), and The Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC).

    Awardee organizations must provide career development and mentoring activities aligned with and appropriate for the disciplinary backgrounds of scholars supported through the MOSAIC K99/R00 program. Areas of programmatic need will be indicated through Notices of Special Interest (NOSIs) released annually by NIH. Applications that do not address the program areas of need specified in the NOSI will be considered non-responsive and will not be reviewed.

    The NOSI for the November 2022 receipt date is NOT-GM-22-038.

    MOSAIC Postdoctoral Career Transition Award to Promote Diversity (K99/R00)

    MOSAIC K99/R00 Funding Opportunity Announcements

    The MOSAIC K99/R00 program is designed to facilitate a timely transition of promising postdoctoral researchers from diverse backgrounds (e.g., see NIH’s Interest in Diversity) from their mentored, postdoctoral research positions to independent, tenure-track or equivalent research-intensive faculty positions. The MOSAIC K99/R00 program will provide independent NIH research support before and after this transition to help awardees launch successful, independent research careers. Additionally, MOSAIC K99/R00 scholars will be part of organized scientific cohorts and will be expected to participate in mentoring, networking, and professional development activities coordinated by MOSAIC Institutionally-Focused Research Education Award to Promote Diversity (UE5) grantees.

    MOSAIC K99/R00 Program Goals and Considerations

    The MOSAIC K99/R00 program is intended to foster the development of creative, innovative, independent researchers who will be competitive for subsequent independent biomedical research funding, and who will enhance diversity in the biomedical research workforce. Additionally, it is widely recognized that scientists from underrepresented groups often assume disproportionate academic service and outreach loads, even during their training, and that these contributions to the research environment are generally not appropriately recognized and rewarded in the measures of career advancement (i.e., “the diversity tax”). The MOSAIC K99/R00 program seeks to support early career scientists with demonstrated and compelling commitments and contributions to enhancing diversity in the biomedical sciences..

    Individuals must be in mentored, postdoctoral training positions to be eligible to apply to the K99/R00 program. The K99 is not intended to extend time in the postdoctoral lab while an individual is on the job market. If an applicant achieves independence (any faculty or non-mentored research position) before a K99 award is made, neither the K99, nor the R00 award, will be made.

    The K99/R00 award will provide up to 5 years of support in two phases. The initial (K99) phase will provide support for up to 2 years of mentored postdoctoral career development. The second (R00) phase will provide up to 3 years of independent research support, which is contingent on satisfactory progress during the K99 phase and an approved, independent, tenure-track (or equivalent) faculty position. The two award phases are intended to be continuous in time. Although exceptions may be possible in limited circumstances, R00 awards will generally only be made to those K99 PDs/PIs who accept independent, tenure-track (or equivalent) faculty positions by the end of the K99 award period.

    Applicants must have no more than 4 years of postdoctoral research experience at the time of the initial or the subsequent Resubmission application. Candidates are strongly encouraged to apply no later than the third year of their postdoctoral training to ensure awardees receive maximum benefit from both the K99 phase of the award, and to facilitate a timely transition to independence. Because the program aims to support the career development of scholars early in their postdoctoral training, candidates who have not yet published a first-author manuscript during their postdoctoral training, but whose previous and current studies and future plans are likely to support a successful independent research career are encouraged to apply.

    The K99/R00 award is intended for individuals who require at least 12 months of mentored career development (K99 phase) before transitioning to the R00 award phase of the program. Consequently, the strongest applicants will require and propose a well-conceived plan for 1–2 years of substantive mentored career development that will help them become competitive candidates for tenure-track faculty positions and prepare them to launch robust, independent research programs. An individual who cannot provide a compelling rationale for at least one year of additional mentored career development at the time of award is not a strong candidate for this award. If an applicant achieves independence (any faculty or non-mentored research position) before a K99 award is made, neither the K99, nor the R00 award, will be made.

    MOSAIC K99/R00 Applicant Eligibility

    Candidates for the K99/R00 award must have a clinical or research doctorate (including PhD, MD, DO, DC, ND, DDS, DMD, DVM, ScD, DNS, PharmD or equivalent doctoral degrees). Clinicians (including those with MD, DDS, DVM and other licensed health professionals) in a clinical faculty position that denotes independence in clinical responsibilities but not in research may also be eligible for the K99/R00 award.

    By the time of award, the individual must be a citizen or a non-citizen national of the United States or have been lawfully admitted for permanent residence (i.e., possess a currently valid Permanent Resident Card USCIS Form I-551, or other legal verification of such status). K99/R00 applicants must have no more than 4 years of postdoctoral research experience as of the relevant application due date regardless of whether it is a New or Resubmission application. Individuals must be in mentored, postdoctoral training positions to be eligible to apply to the K99/R00 program. If an applicant achieves independence (i.e., any faculty or non-mentored research position) before a K99 award is made, neither the K99 award, nor the R00 award, will be issued.

    Consistent with the NIH Extension Policy for Early Stage Investigator Status (ESI), NIH will approve an extension of one year for childbirth within the 4-year K99 eligibility window. Applicants who will be PD/PIs on a K99 application must provide the child’s date of birth in the extension request justification submitted to IC program officials and/or scientific/research contacts listed in the FOA at least 12 weeks before submitting an application.

    Parental, medical, or other well-justified leave for personal or family situations is not included in the 4-year eligibility limit, nor is clinical training with no research involvement (e.g., full-time residency training). Part-time postdoctoral research training, related to personal or family situations or occurring during a research residency or fellowship, will be pro-rated accordingly. In addition, time spent conducting postgraduate clinical training that does not involve research is not considered as part of the 4-year research training eligibility limit. Only time dedicated to research activities counts toward the 4-year limit. Please refer to the NIH Extension Policy for Eligibility Window for Pathway to Independence Awards (K99/R00).

    For more information about the MOSAIC UE5 and K99/R00 Programs, please read the FOAs, Answers to Frequently Asked Questions, and contact Dr. Kenneth Gibbs or Dr. Kalynda Gonzales Stokes.

    For more information and to apply, visit their website here.

  • Atmospheric and Geospace Sciences Postdoctoral Research Fellowships (AGS – PRF) - Proposals Accepted Anytime

    Supports postdoctoral researchers in performing work that will broaden their perspectives, facilitate interdisciplinary interactions, and help establish them in leadership positions within the atmospheric and geospace sciences communities.

    Synopsis

    The Division of Atmospheric and Geospace Sciences (AGS), awards Postdoctoral Research Fellowships (PRF) to highly qualified early career investigators to carry out an independent research program. The research plan of each Fellowship must address scientific questions within the scope of AGS disciplines. These disciplines include Atmospheric Chemistry (ATC), Climate and Large-Scale Dynamics (CLD), Paleoclimate (PC), and Physical and Dynamic Meteorology (PDM) in the Atmospheric Sciences, and Aeronomy (AER), Magnetospheric Physics (MAG), Solar Terrestrial (ST), and Space Weather Research (SWR) in the Geospace Sciences.

    The AGS-PRF program supports researchers (also known as Fellows) for a period of up to 24 months with Fellowships that can be taken to the institution of their choice. The program is intended to recognize beginning investigators of significant potential and provide them with experiences in research that will broaden perspectives, facilitate interdisciplinary interactions, and help establish them in leadership positions within the Atmospheric and Geospace Sciences community. Fellowships are awarded to individual Fellows, not institutions, and are administered by the Fellows.

    AGS has made it a priority to address challenges in creating an inclusive geoscience discipline through activities that increase belonging, accessibility, justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion (BAJEDI). Proposers are encouraged to explicitly address this priority in their proposed activities. Proposers who are women, veterans, persons with disabilities, and underrepresented minorities in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), or who have attended two-year colleges and minority-serving institutions for undergraduate or graduate school, or plan to conduct their Fellowship activities at one of these institutions (e.g. Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Tribal Colleges and Universities, Hispanic Serving Institutions, Alaska Native Serving Institutions, and Hawaiian Native and Pacific Islander Serving Institutions) are especially encouraged to apply.

    Program Notice: https://new.nsf.gov/funding/opportunities/atmospheric-geospace-sciences-postdoctoral

  • Avenir Award Program for Genetics or Epigenetics of Substance Use Disorders (DP1 Clinical Trial Optional) - Next Deadline: September 25, 2024

    Avenir means future in French, and this award looks toward the future by supporting early stage investigators proposing highly innovative studies. The award will support those in an early stage of their career who may lack the preliminary data required for an R01 grant, but who propose high impact research and who show promise of being tomorrow's leaders in the field of genetics or epigenetics of substance use disorders.

    The Genetics or Epigenetics of Substance Use Disorders Avenir Award program supports early stage investigators proposing highly innovative studies that open new areas of research for the genetics or epigenetics of addiction. These may be novel methods or approaches that can potentially be applied to the analysis of the genetics or epigenetics of addiction. Investigators outside the field of addiction interested in applying their novel approaches to the genetics or epigenetics of addiction are encouraged to apply.

    For more information see:

    https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PAR-23-021.html

    Frequently asked questions (FAQs)

    Satterlee JS, Pollock JD, Volkow ND. The NIDA Avenir award in genetics or epigenetics of substance use disorders. Mol Cell Neurosci. 2023 Dec;127:103899. doi: 10.1016/j.mcn.2023.103899. Epub 2023 Sep 20.

     

    Past Awardees:

     

    Contacts:

    Scientific/Research Contact(s)

    Jonathan D. Pollock, Ph.D

    National Institute on Drug Abuse

    Telephone: 301-435-1309

    Email: jpollock@mail.nih.gov

     

    John Satterlee, Ph.D.

    National Institute on Drug Abuse

    Telephone: 301-435-1020

    Email: satterleej@nida.nih.gov

     

    Peer Review Contact(s)

    Dharmendar Rathore, PhD

    National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)

    Telephone: 301-402-6965

    Email: dharmendar.rathore@nih.gov

     

    Financial/Grants Management Contact(s)

    Pam Fleming

    National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)

    Telephone:301-480-1159

    Email: pfleming@mail.nih.gov


Job Opportunities

A full listing of Vanderbilt career resources can be found on the OPA Resources website.

Visit the National Postdoc Association (NPA) Career Center for up-to-date listings of job opportunities and the career portal, a one-stop career resource center to prepare you for your next opportunity. 

  • Check back soon for more job opportunities.

    Check back soon for more job opportunities.


Grant Submission Resources & Guidelines

All proposals submitted for external funding require the review and approval of the Sponsored Program Administration (SPA) for Vanderbilt University (VU) and the Office of Sponsored Programs (OSP) for Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC). SPA and OSP are responsible for providing the official signature, electronic or physical, for all proposals submitted on behalf of VU and VUMC respectively. With very few exceptions faculty members/principal investigators, or their designee, are not authorized to sign or submit any form of a request for external funding that does not also include SPA or OSP’s official approval since awards are made to the institution and not the individual.

Direct-to-individual funding mechanisms (such as NSF postdoctoral fellowships), while not submitted through SPA or OSP, require VU or VUMC to be notified of the submission. The link to submit such a notification is provided below.

Before beginning the grant writing process, postdocs should consult with the relevant departmental/program administrator to determine if their current funding source enables effort to be expended on writing and preparing grant applications. Postdocs funded 100% on a federal research grant cannot devote effort to grant writing and should work with their faculty mentor to determine if alternative funds are available during the proposal preparation period to support a percentage of their effort.

Please submit the Fellowship/Grant Submission Form before the application is submitted to the funding agency.

In preparing your grant application please note:

  • A postdoc may serve as the principal investigator (PI) of a grant, upon written approval of the faculty mentor and the department chair (VUMC) or the relevant dean (VU). There should be clear evidence that the postdoc has the experience and expertise to function as PI and manage the responsibilities to direct the proposed research program, direct the budgeted personnel, manage the budget, and ensure that the research is carried in compliance with all applicable University rules and regulations as well as those of the sponsoring agency.
  • A postdoc may serve as a co-PI without prior approval, as long as another Vanderbilt faculty member (typically their mentor) is the PI.  Should a postdoc leave the University, any awarded grant funds would remain at Vanderbilt unless otherwise negotiated between the PI, co-PI and funding agency.
  • If an externally funded program requires that a postdoc be listed as a principal investigator (PI) or co-PI, no specific approval is required. SPA or OSP notification of the submission is required.

For NRSA Individual Fellowships, childcare supplements may be requested. Visit NIH Notice NOT-OD-21-074 for more information.