Sources of Postdoctoral Financial Support

There are a number of mechanisms available for financial support of postdoctoral fellows.

Support by Mentor:

Most frequently the mentor provides the support for the fellow from his/her individual research grant(s). This support is arranged through the individual mentor selected.

Individual NRSA:

The prospective mentor may ask you to prepare and submit a proposal for an individual National Research Service Award (NRSA). Preparing such a proposal requires that you have identified a mentor and that the mentor has agreed to have you come to his/her lab. You should work together with the mentor in preparing an NRSA proposal. Note that NRSAs require the trainee to sign a “payback agreement” that comes into play if the trainee does not continue in a scientific career.

Training Grants:

Many of the individual faculty in the MVM Program are participating faculty on one or more training grants. In order to be supported by a training grant the mentor must nominate you for a position to the Steering Committee of the specific grant for final selections. You may be asked by the mentor to supply information for submission to support your nomination. Note that training grants require the trainee to sign a “payback agreement” that comes into play if the trainee does not continue in a scientific career.