BIO5 Postdoctoral Fellowship

BIO5 Postdoctoral Fellowship

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Group of people pose in front of BIO5 Institute signs

2025 recipients were announced in mid-December 2024. 


About

This fellowship is an internal funding mechanism through the BIO5 Institute for outstanding postdoctoral researchers who are engaging in interdisciplinary research with a BIO5 member at the University of Arizona. 

These small grants are designed to support and enhance the independent research goals of postdoctoral researchers working with BIO5 members.

To strengthen a forward-thinking mindset, each fellow will form a three-person mentoring committee intended to intellectually and technically support the fellow's research projects and provide career guidance. Fellows will also present their research at an annual research showcase at the BIO5 Institute.

Recipients of the fellowship can use their awards to purchase research supplies and engage in professional development to encourage their pursuit of becoming independent researchers.

Applications open each fall with the new cohorts announced in January. 


Application Overview

Any questions can be directed to the BIO5 administration office at applications@bio5.org

Applicants for the BIO5 Postdoctoral Fellowship must: 

  • Have been a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Arizona for at least 6 months but no more than five years since earning a doctoral degree. However, if there are extenuating circumstances due to COVID or other hardships please inquire eligibility with BIO5 administrative staff at applications@bio5.org.  

  • Have a Postdoctoral Research Associate (PRA) appointment with a BIO5 Institute member at the time the application is submitted.  

  • Be in good standing with University of Arizona (safety training, ethics training, etc.). 

  • Cannot have previously been awarded the BIO5 Postdoctoral Fellowship. 

The BIO5 Postdoctoral Fellowship application should be written for a general scientific audience. Avoid the use of technical language when possible so that reviewers from a broad range of disciplines can understand the content. The application has three main components: 

  • Narrative (800 word maximum) that explains: Proposed research training or project (nature, duration, logistics, etc.) that the funds will be used to support; how the research training or project will enhance your independence; how the successful completion of the research training or project will advance your career; suggested mentoring plan, including the three-person mentoring committee 

  • Biosketch : Use NSF, NIH, or agency style suitable to your area of research. 

  • Letter of Support from applicant’s primary U of A mentor This letter must include confirmation of the PRA through the full period of the BIO5 Postdoctoral Fellowship and be aware that this letter and the relationship between mentee, mentor, and mentor team is part of the judged criteria. 

Review of the BIO5 Postdoctoral Fellowship applications will be based on: 

  • Overall merit of the proposal for enhancing the applicants research skills 

  • Strength of advancement of applicants independence and career goals 

  • Described mentoring plan 

  • Mentor’s letter of support/recommendation 

The budget for the BIO5 Postdoctoral Fellowship is up to $5,000 and can be used for: 

  • Workshop/Conference registration fee 

  • Travel expenses (airfare, lodging, meals) 

  • Software or hardware (as allowable by University of Arizona policy, note that no laptops or inventoried items are allowed on these funds) 

  • Society dues (as allowable by University of Arizona policy) 

  • Research and project supplies 

History

To better support the success of early career researchers, Michael D.L. Johnson, assistant professor in the Department of Immunobiology and inaugural Keating Family BIO5 Professor, wanted to create a program to support postdoctoral researchers at the University of Arizona. After brainstorming, he collaborated with BIO5 leadership, who readily agreed and provided funding.

In 2019, the BIO5 Postdoctoral Fellowship was established. Since then, the program supports up to eight postdoctoral researchers each year who work with a BIO5 member.


Fellowship FAQ

All applications must be submitted through the internal University of Arizona system, Arizona Cultivate. We suggest submitting your application well before the deadline to avoid any technical difficulties. Emailed applications will not be accepted. 

Applications usually open in late August and close the end of September of each year.

Two requirements are 1) The applicant must be a postdoctoral research associate (PRA) at the University of Arizona and 2) their principal investigator (PI) is a member of the BIO5 Institute.

Yes, the requirement is six months in a postdoctoral research associate (PRA) position at the University of Arizona at the start of the award (January).

Your PI must be a member of the BIO5 Institute by the start date of the award (January). They can become a member by following the steps on the BIO5 website.

Please visit the Become A Member to see benefits and start the membership process.

Your mentoring committee should be three people, one being your PI who must be a member of the BIO5 Institute. The other two mentors are people who will help you shape and deliver your research idea (providing feedback, counterpoints, and/or encouragement). These mentors do not necessarily need to BIO5 members, nor be associated with the University of Arizona. You can have more than three people if you wish. 

It is in your best interest to explain your mentoring committee in the narrative section of your application, including their names and how they will aid you in your project and/or professional development.

The fellowship is $5,000.

The $5,000 will be available from January to December of the year of the fellowship. It must be used by the postdoctoral fellow only, not by other lab members or the PI.

The funds can be used for: 

  • Workshop/conference registration fees
  • Travel expense reimbursement (airfare, lodging, meals)
  • Software or hardware (as allowable by University of Arizona policy)
  • Society dues (as allowable by University of Arizona policy)
  •  Research and project supplies

Funds cannot be used for:

  • Equipment
  • Travel advances
  • Personnel expense

BIO5 Postdoctoral Fellow Cohorts

2024 Cohort

BIO5 Postdoctoral Fellows – Mentors

  • Marjan Aghajani – Shirin Doroudgar
  • Angela Greenman – Samantha Harris
  • Atsushi Ishii – Lalitha Madhavan
  • David Jordan – Zong-Ming Li
  • Zoe Lyski – Deepta Bhattacharya
  • Gemma Purser – Laura Meredith
  • Philip Yost – Michael Kuhns
  • Ran Zhang - Hongmin Li

2023 Cohort

BIO5 Postdoctoral Fellows – Mentors

  • Holly Andrews – Laura Meredith
  • Martha Dua-Awereh – Alfred Bothwell
  • Jay Goldberg – Judith Bronstein
  • Nicole Jimenez – Melissa Herbst-Kralovetz
  • Joost Mansour – Solange Duhamel
  • Ekta Minocha – Jason Wertheim
  • Rebekah Mokry – John Purdy

2022 Cohort

BIO5 Postdoctoral Fellows – Mentors

  • Erik Blackwood – Christopher Glembotski
  • Katelyn Carothers – Gayatri Vedantam
  • Joel James – Ruslan Rafikov
  • Linnea Linde-Krieger – Alicia Allen
  • Sanna Loppi – Kristian Doyle
  • Jeffrey Melzer – Euan McLeod
  • Michelle Persich – William Killgore
  • Henry Sanders – Michael Marty

2021 Cohort

BIO5 Postdoctoral Fellows – Mentors

  • Morgan Carter – David Baltrus
  • Robert Jackson – Koenraad Van Doorslaer
  • Estela Jauregui – Zelieann Craig
  • Nitesh Kumar Khandelwal – Thomas Tomasiak
  • Shio Kobayashi – Michael Kuhns
  • Michael Plank – Andrew Capaldi
  • Katherine Rhodes – Magdalene So
  • Hui Yang – Solange Duhamel

2020 Cohort

BIO5 Postdoctoral Fellows – Mentors

  • Meghan Balk – Ramona Walls
  • Avery DeVries – Donata Vercelli
  • Suzann Duan – Juanita Merchant
  • Mario Emilio Ernesto Franco – Jana U’Ren
  • Linnea Honeker – Laura Meredith
  • Grace Niemiro – Richard Simpson & Emmanuel Katsanis
  • Yana Roka-Moiia – Marvin Slepian
  • Jennifer Roxas – Gayatri Vedantam

2019 Cohort

BIO5 Postdoctoral Fellows – Mentors

  • Joseph Alvin – Michael Johnson
  • Emma Bowers – Kenneth Ramos
  • Shaun Davis – Todd Schlenke
  • Lucas D'Souza – Deepta Bhattacharya
  • Diana Ferro – Daniela Zarnescu
  • Koeun Lim – Ying-Hui Chou
  • Katherine Rhodes – Maggie So
  • Chandrasekaran Sambamurthy – Anita Koshy


BIO5 Postdoctoral Fellow News

Meet BIO5 Postdoctoral Fellows