Ph.D. Student Funding Opportunities
Eligibility Windows of Common Funding Opportunities for Ph.D. Students in ZI Labs

Book a Service:
- Funding Search: Schedule a meeting with Arthur and Tori about grant options at your career stage or questions about funding opportunities you are considering
- Grant Kickoff Meeting: Upon request - a meeting with Arthur, Tori, and Maria or Tijana about a specific grant, to set up your Dropbox/Google Drive, receive a checklist, and plan your grant writing
- Grant Editing: Book a time for Tori to edit your grant. You can book this far ahead of time and send your documents at your editing time slot
- Summary statement review + strategy: Set up a meeting with us to discuss the next steps after receiving your summary statement
Common Grants and Fellowships for Ph.D. Students in ZI Labs
- Mechanism
- Title and Link
- Annual Deadlines
- Eligibility
- Deadline Month
- Hertz Foundation
- Hertz Fellowship
- Mid – Late October
- Pre-grad or first year
- U.S. citizen/permanent resident
- 10
- P&D Soros Fellowship
- Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowships for New Americans
- Mid – Late October
- First or second year Ph.D.; Less than 31 years old
- Must be an immigrant or child of immigrants
- U.S. citizen/permanent resident, DACA, asylee, refugee
- 10
- HHMI Gilliam Fellowship
- Gilliam Fellowships for Advanced Study
- Early December
- Second or third year with 2+ years left of Ph.D.
- U.S. citizen/permanent resident, DACA
- Adviser-student pairs must be studying scientific problems in biomedical sciences, life sciences, or biological questions in related disciplines
- Adviser-student pairs must be committed to advancing equity and inclusion in science
- 12
- AAUW Grants for Women
- AAUW Fellowships and Grants
- Early-Mid November
- Identify as a woman
- Different eligibility for different grants
- Grants available for international students
- 11
- NSF GRPF
- National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program
- Early – Mid October
- Pre-grad, first or second year Ph.D.
- U.S. citizen/permanent resident
- Have completed no more than one academic year (according to institution's academic calendar) while enrolled in a graduate degree program
- Never previously applied to GRFP while enrolled in a graduate degree program
- Individuals with prior graduate enrollment who have: (i) completed more than one academic year in any graduate degree-granting program, (ii) earned a previous master's degree of any kind (including Bachelor's-Master's degree), or (iii) earned a professional degree must meet the following requirements:
- not enrolled in a graduate degree program at application deadline
- two or more consecutive years past master's degree enrollment or completion at the application deadline
- 10
- DOD NDSEG
- National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate (NDSEG) Fellowship Program
- Late October - Early November
- First or second year Ph.D. student
- U.S. citizen/national
- 10
- NRSA F31
- NIH Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (NRSA) Individual Predoctoral Fellowship (Parent F31)
- Early December + Early April + Early August
- 1-3 years left of Ph.D.
- U.S. citizen/permanent resident
- 12 + 04 + 08
- NRSA F31-Diversity
- Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (NRSA) Individual Predoctoral Fellowship to Promote Diversity in Health-Related Research (Parent F31 - Diversity)
- Early December + Early April + Early August
- U.S. citizen/permanent resident
- Under-represented in the health sciences (race, ethnicity, disability, disadvantaged background)
- 12 + 04 + 08
- T32
- T32 Training Grant
- Mid – Late June
- Email solicitation sent end of May
- 3rd, 4th, 5th year Ph.D.
- U.S. citizen/permanent resident
- Preference for project within the stated goals/disciplines
- 06
- F99/K00 Transition to Aging
- Transition to Aging Research for Predoctoral Students (F99/K00 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
- Mid October
- U.S. citizen/permanent resident OR have a valid visa for the F99 phase
- 1-2 years from completing Ph.D.
- 10
- F99/K00 D-SPAN
- NIH Blueprint Diversity Specialized Predoctoral to Postdoctoral Advancement in Neuroscience (D-SPAN) Award (F99/K00)
- Early October + Mid March
- U.S. citizen/permanent resident
- 1-2 years from completing Ph.D.
- Under-represented in the health sciences (race, ethnicity, disability, disadvantaged background)
- 10 + 03
- ARC F99/K00
- Advancing Research Careers (ARC) Predoctoral to Postdoctoral Transition Award to Promote Diversity
- Mid-October + Mid-February + Mid-June
- U.S. citizen/permanent resident
- 1-2 years from completing Ph.D.
- Under-represented in sciences (race, ethnicity, disability, disadvantaged background)
- 10 + 02 + 06
- NIH Diversity Supplements
- Research Supplements to Promote Diversity in Health-Related Research
- Based on institute of Parent grant (usually accepted often: monthly/rolling basis, etc.)
- 1+ years of Ph.D. left
- U.S. citizen/permanent resident
- Under-represented in sciences (race, ethnicity, disability, disadvantaged background)
Additional Funding Opportunities
- Mechanism
- Title and Link
- Annual Deadlines
- Eligibility
- Deadline Month
- Google PhD Fellowship Program
- Google PhD Fellowship Program
- Internal Columbia Competition
- Call for submissions: Mid- or Late March
- Internal application due: Mid-April
- Internal submission:
- For computer science work in various fields
- Will complete all graduate coursework by the academic award year when the Fellowship begins
- Google employees, and their spouses, children, and members of their household are not eligible.
- Students that are already supported by a comparable industry award are not eligible. Government or non-profit organization funding is allowable.
- 04
- DOE Computational Science Graduate Fellowship
- DOE Computational Science Graduate Fellowship
- Mid-January
- U.S. Citizen/ Permanent resident
- Undergraduate seniors
- Current master's degree students
MUST enroll at a different institution for Ph.D. studies to begin the fall term coincident with the start of DOE CSGF funding - First-year graduate students
CANNOT have completed more than one year of coursework prior to DOE CSGF application submission - Employed individuals
- Other, including those matriculating into graduate school
- 01
- Regeneron Pharmaceuticals
- Regeneron Prize for Creative Innovation
- Internal Columbia Competition
- Call for submissions: Mid-January
- Internal application: Late January – Early February
- Internal submission:
- Morningside competition: Ph.D. student or postdoc conducting biomedical research at the Morningside campus
- VP&S competition: Ph.D. student or postdoc conducting biomedical research at CUIMC or ZMBBI, and PI must have primary appointment in VP&S
- Need at least 2 publications to submit for the competition
- 02
- NIMH Dissertation Grant
- Mental Health Research Dissertation Grant to Enhance Workforce Diversity (R36 Independent Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
- Early December, Early April, Early August
-
- U.S. Citizen/Permanent resident
- Under-represented in the health sciences (race, ethnicity, disability, disadvantaged background)
- Predoctoral student at the dissertation stage of training (must have an approved dissertation proposal at the time of award)
- 12 + 04 + 08
- NIDA Dissertation Grant
- Substance Use/Substance Use Disorder Dissertation Research Award (R36 - Clinical Trials Optional)
- New applications: Mid-October + Mid-February + Mid-June
- Renewal/Resubmission: Mid-November, Mid-March, Mid-July
- For SU/D-related dissertation research related to the study of basic, clinical, developmental, epidemiology, prevention, treatment, services, or women and sex/gender differences
- 10 + 02 + 06
- NIA Dissertation Grant
- Aging Research Dissertation Awards to Increase Diversity (R36 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
- New applications: Mid-October + Mid-February + Mid-June
- Renewal/Resubmission: Mid-November, Mid-March, Mid-July
- U.S. Citizen/Permanent resident
- Under-represented in the health sciences (race, ethnicity, disability, disadvantaged background)
- Predoctoral student at the dissertation stage of training (must have an approved dissertation proposal at the time of award)
- 10 + 02 + 06
- Schmidt Science Fellows
- Schmidt Science Fellows
- Internal Columbia Competition
- Call for submissions: Early March
- Internal application: Late March
- Must propose a career pivot -- a genuine and innovative disciplinary departure from their PhD studies with new skills to learn in the postdoc
- PhD study in the natural sciences (Astronomy, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, and Earth Sciences), Engineering, Mathematics, or Computer Science.
- Must expect to complete your PhD the upcoming spring/summer or by July the following year (1 year after application)
- 03
Transition to Post-Doc: must know your postdoc lab for all of these fellowships
- Mechanism
- Name and Link
- Annual Deadlines
- Eligibility
- Deadline Month
- Helen Hay Whitney Foundation
- Helen Hay Whitney Foundation Postdoctoral Research Fellowship
- Early – Mid June
- Final stage of Ph.D. or M.D. – or completed the degree
- Basic biomedical research post-doc
- 06
- HHMI Hanna H. Gray Fellowship
- Hanna H. Gray Fellows Program
- Late November – Early December
- Ph.D. must be conferred by start of program (okay to apply before finished)
- Accepted to join postdoc lab by application due date
- Under-represented in sciences (race, ethnicity, disability, disadvantaged background, women)
- 12
- Simons Foundation
- Simons Society of Fellows - Junior Fellow
- Early – Mid September
- By nomination
- Must have Ph.D. before August start of program (okay to apply before finished)
- 09
- Jane Coffin Childs Memorial Fund
- Jane Coffin Childs Postdoctoral Fellowship
- Late January – Early February
- Must have Ph.D. conferred before starting program (okay to apply before finished)
- Postdoctoral training in the same institution in which the applicant received their Ph.D. is not preferred
- 02
- Life Sciences Research Foundation
- Life Sciences Research Foundation Postdoctoral Research Award
- Late September – Early October
- Must have Ph.D. before August start of program (okay to apply before finished)
- Letter of acceptance from postdoc PI needed
- Post-doc must be in different lab than Ph.D.
- 10
- NSF - SBE Fellowship
- Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences Postdoctoral Research Fellowships (SPRF)
- Late October – Early November
- U.S. citizen/permanent resident
- Postdoc expected to be at a different institution than Ph.D.
- 11
- NSF - DBS Fellowship
- Postdoctoral Research Fellowships in Biology (PRFB)
- Late October – Early November
- Biology
- U.S. citizen/permanent resident
- Postdoc expected to be at a different institution than Ph.D.
- 11
- NIH - F32 BRAIN Initiative NRSA
- BRAIN Initiative Fellows: Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (NRSA) Individual Postdoctoral Fellowship (F32)
- Early December + Early April + Early August
- U.S. citizen/permanent resident
- 1 year or less left of Ph.D.
- 12 + 04 + 08
- NIH - F32 NINDS NRSA
- F32 - NINDS Postdoctoral NRSA Fellowship
- Early October + Early February + Early June
- U.S. citizen/permanent resident
- 1 year or less left of Ph.D.
- 10 + 02 + 06
- NIH - F32 Parent NRSA
- Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (NRSA) Individual Postdoctoral Fellowship (Parent F32)
- Early December + Early April + Early August
- U.S. citizen/permanent resident
- Ph.D. requirements must be completed before award activated
- 12 + 04 + 08
Transition to Faculty (skipping post-doc)
- Mechanism
- Link and Title
- Annual Deadlines
- Eligibility
- NIH DP5
- NIH Director’s Early Independence Awards (DP5 Clinical Trial Optional)
- Call for submissions: Mid June
Internal deadline: Mid July
NIH deadline: Late August – Early September - Limited submission: internal application
- Ph.D. received within ± 1 year of the application (you will finish in one year or you’ve had less than one year of postdoc)
Additional Links
- List of current and previous NB&B PhD students who were awarded fellowships
- Ph.D. - Comprehensive funding list updated monthly: Johns Hopkins University (Ph.D.)
- Post-Doc - Comprehensive funding list updated monthly: Johns Hopkins University (Post-Doc)
- Columbia PIVOT funding database
- Duke University funding database
- Graduate Women in Science National Fellowship Program