Student Research Funding Opportunities

Below you can find a listing of potential sources of  funding to support your doctoral research. Agencies will give awards that cover research expenses as well as stipends. Discuss these possibilities with your mentor and keep these in mind when you are getting to the research proposal phase in your program. You can likely utilize portions of your proposal and preliminary data in numerous application.  Keep tabs on the timeframes and submission deadlines for the grants/scholarships you are interested in , some are variable some remain the same every year.

Ford Foundation

These awards will be made to individuals committed to a career in teaching and research at the college or university level, who show promise of future achievement as scholars and teachers, and who are well prepared to use diversity as a resource for enriching the education of all students.

Predoctoral Fellowships

The program has previously awarded approximately 60 predoctoral fellowships each year. The predoctoral fellowships provide three years of support for individuals engaged in graduate study leading to a doctor of philosophy (PhD) or doctor of science (ScD) degree. Predoctoral fellowships will be awarded in a national competition administered by the National Research Council (NRC) on behalf of the Ford Foundation. The annual stipend of $20,000 and $2,000 institution award can be renewed annually for up to three years.

Dissertation Fellowships

The program has previously awarded approximately 35 dissertation fellowships a year. The dissertation fellowships provide one year of support for individuals working to complete a dissertation leading to a doctor of philosophy (PhD) or doctor of science (ScD) degree. Dissertation fellowships will be awarded in a national competition administered by the National Research Council (NRC) on behalf of the Ford Foundation. The one-year stipend of $21,000 is offered in addition to conference expenses.

Howard Hughes Medical Institute Predoctoral Fellowships in Biological Sciences

The Howard Hughes Medical Institute will award at least 80 five-year fellowships for full-time study toward a PhD or ScD degree in the biological sciences. The fellowships are intended for students who have completed less than one year of graduate study toward an MS, PhD or ScD degree in the biological sciences. Students who hold or are pursuing medical or dental degrees (MD, DO, DVM, DS) may also be eligible to apply for fellowship support for study toward a PhD or ScD.

ORISE STEM Workforce Development Followships

The Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE) administers a wide range of fellowships and internships that are STEM based. ORISE manages fellowships for the US Department of Energy and over a dozen other Federal agencies. If you are interested in STEM based research at the graduate level then ORISE has many options with you in mind. The full spectrum of opportunities spans undergraduate through postdocs and even university faculty members.

U.S. National Institutes of Health Predoctoral Graduate Fellowship Awards for Minority Students

This program encourages students from underrepresented racial and ethnic groups, individuals with disabilities and individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds to seek graduate degrees in the biomedical and behavioral sciences to help increase the number of well-trained scientists from underrepresented groups. The fellowship provides up to five years of support for research training leading to the PhD or equivalent research degree, the combined MD/PhD degree or other combined degrees in the biomedical or behavioral sciences.

NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program

The NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program recognizes and supports outstanding graduate students in NSF-supported science, technology, engineering, and mathematics disciplines who are pursuing research-based Master’s and doctoral degrees at accredited United States institutions.

DeLill Nasser Award

Genetics Society of America established The DeLill Nasser Award for Professional Development in Genetics, an award for graduate students and postdoctoral trainees, to support travel costs for young geneticists to attend national and international meetings and enroll in laboratory courses.

Good Neighbor Scholarship

The College for all Texans program administered by the Texas Board of Higher Education has established this scholarship to provide assistance for tuition to students from other nations of the Western Hemisphere (other than Cuba). Nonresident students from an eligible country who have been born in and are current residents of a nation of the Western hemisphere other than Cuba or the United States and who intend to return to the eligible country upon completion of the program of study are eligible to apply.  Contact  the Student Financial Aid Office and/or the International Student Affairs Office for assistance with the application.