Research

• C. Roman Palacios  (School of Information)
• R. Schomer (Plant Sciences)
• S. Sullivan (Chemical & Environmental Engineering)
• J.Green (Environmental Science)
• A. Mallik (Geosciences)
• M. Taylor (Chemistry & Biochemistry)

UA may submit up to three candidates per eligible department. Please note the Department of Astronomy will hold its internal competition. Please contact the department head for more information.

The Sloan Research Fellowships seek to stimulate fundamental research by early-career scientists and scholars of outstanding promise. These $75,000, two-year fellowships are awarded to researchers in recognition of distinguished performance and a unique potential to make substantial contributions to their field. Successful candidates for a Fellowship generally have a strong record of significant independent research accomplishments that demonstrate creativity and the potential to become future leaders in the scientific community.

Eligibility:

• Candidates must hold a Ph.D. or equivalent degree in chemistry, computer science, Earth system science, economics, mathematics, neuroscience, physics, or a related field.
• Candidates must be tenure-track, though untenured, as of September 15, 2023.
• Candidate’s faculty position must carry a regular teaching obligation.

In keeping with the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation's longstanding support of underrepresented minorities in the sciences, the Foundation strongly encourages the nomination of qualified women and minority candidates.

No applicants // Limit: 1 // Tickets Available: 1 

The PhRMA Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship in Drug Discovery Targets and Pathways supports individuals engaged in a multidisciplinary, collaborative research training program at an accredited U.S. university that will extend their credentials in drug discovery research. 

Successful drug discovery involves the innovative application and integration of multiple scientific disciplines to create efficacious, safe, and differentiated treatment options for patients. The PhRMA Foundation seeks to fund novel early-stage, exploratory drug discovery research with the potential for translation to humans, including biological validation of potential drug targets, signaling pathways, or mechanisms of disease.  
Research topics could include, but are not limited to:   

• Genomics and Proteomics  
• Cellular and Molecular Biology  
• Design and Generation of Pharmacological Tools   
• In Vitro and/or In Vivo Pharmacology  
• Protein Biochemistry  
• Molecular Modelling  
• Structural Biology  
• Cell Imaging  
• Single Cell Analysis  
• Artificial Intelligence and Computational Approaches  

Projects that focus exclusively on single aspects such as identification of and development of assays for single targets, chemical probes, biomarkers, chemical library screening, or diagnostics will not be considered for review. Project aims should have a high likelihood of completion in the award timeframe.

Eligibility

• Applicants (U.S. and non-U.S. citizens) must be based at a PhD and/or MS degree-granting accredited U.S. university. 
• Applicants have a firm commitment from a research supervisor or sponsor at their university.  
• Applicants must hold a PhD, PharmD, MD, or appropriate terminal research doctorate. If you do not hold one at the time of application submission, please state in your extended letter when you expect to receive it, as it must be received before funding can begin. Funding can begin as early as January 1, 2024, or as late as August 1, 2024.  
• Applicants must be within their first five years of postdoctoral study at the time of award activation. 
• Applicants who are applying for funds to support postdoctoral work in the laboratory where their graduate work was performed will be given lower preference. One of the objectives of this fellowship is to gain new skills, and therefore, an ideal candidate will be conducting their research in a new laboratory and not where their graduate work was performed. 
• The Foundation will not consider multiple applications for similar efforts on the same project. For instance, if a predoc, postdoc, and faculty member from the same lab are all submitting applications for proposed efforts on the same project, the efforts must be separate activities and not duplicative.

No applicants // Limit: 1 // Tickets Available: 1 

UArizona may submit one application per lab may apply for this award. 

The PhRMA Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship in Drug Delivery supports individuals engaged in a multidisciplinary, collaborative research training program at an accredited U.S. university that will extend their credentials in drug delivery research, including basic pharmaceutics, biopharmaceutics, pharmaceutical technology, pharmaceutical biotechnology, or biomedical engineering.  Successful proposals in Drug Delivery emphasize the quantitative understanding of the principles, pathways, and/or mechanisms underlying improved or optimized: 

• formulation composition and delivery modalities/technologies that enable more favorable transport (absorption, targeting, elimination) of drugs; and/or 
• drug dosage forms that can be manufactured to achieve higher quality, lower cost, and greater stability or flexibility. 

Today’s drugs include biologics, small molecules, and cell and gene therapy. Delivering increasingly complex drugs demands thorough understanding of technologies and formulation approaches. 
Research that focuses on findings that can be generalized to other systems will be prioritized. Testing the delivery of a single drug by one approach is less preferred. 

Eligibility

• Applicants (U.S. and non-U.S. citizens) must be based at a PhD and/or MS degree-granting accredited U.S. university. 
• Applicants have a firm commitment from a research supervisor or sponsor at their university.  
• Applicants must hold a PhD, PharmD, MD, or appropriate terminal research doctorate. If you do not hold one at the time of application submission, please state in your extended letter when you expect to receive it, as it must be received before funding can begin. Funding can begin as early as January 1, 2024, or as late as August 1, 2024.  
• Applicants must be within their first five years of postdoctoral study at the time of award activation. 
• Applicants who are applying for funds to support postdoctoral work in the laboratory where their graduate work was performed will be given lower preference. One of the objectives of this fellowship is to gain new skills, and therefore, an ideal candidate will be conducting their research in a new laboratory and not where their graduate work was performed. 
• The Foundation will not consider multiple applications for similar efforts on the same project. For instance, if a predoc, postdoc, and faculty member from the same lab are all submitting applications for proposed efforts on the same project, the efforts must be separate activities and not duplicative.  

1. H.J. Kim (Civil Engineering-Engineering Mechanics)
2. M. Tfail (Environmental Science) 
3. M. Chertkov (Applied Mathematics)

UA may submit three pre-proposals to this funding program.
 

Applications must focus on addressing basic research challenges motivated by the Energy Earthshots listed above. The scope of the Energy Earthshots are described below. This FOA is a collaborative effort across three SC research programs: Advanced Scientific Computing Research, Basic Energy Sciences, and Biological and Environmental Research. Program descriptions follow below. Multi-disciplinary applications are encouraged, addressing more than one SC research program. Additionally, the following common considerations apply to all Energy Earthshots:

Applicants should consider how innovative high-performance and scientific-computing techniques can contribute to advancing the goals of the proposed research. Applicants should also leverage the applications and software technologies developed by DOE’s Exascale Computing Project (ECP)10 to make use of computing at all scales. Applicants should also consider how to leverage data, software, models, and other information from recent and concurrent activities, including those funded by SC, other DOE departmental elements, and other agencies. SC resources include, but are not limited to, those with the Public Reusable Research (PuRe) Data designation11. Applicants are encouraged to consult the references posted on each Energy Earthshot’s webpage for information on other potentially-leverageable resources. 

R. Hossein ( Aerospace-Mechanical Engineering)

NIOSH organizes its research program under the framework of the National Occupational Research Agenda (NORA). NORA is a partnership program to stimulate innovative research and improved workplace practices. Unveiled in 1996, NORA entered its third decade (2016-2026) with an enhanced structure. It now consists of ten industry sectors based on major areas of the U.S. economy, and seven health and safety cross-sectors organized according to the major health and safety issues affecting the U.S. working population. The national agenda is developed and implemented through the NORA Sector and Cross-Sector Councils. Each council develops and maintains an Agenda for its sector or cross-sector. The collection of agendascomprises the agenda for the nation for improvements in occupational safety and health. The agenda also provides a vehicle for stakeholders to describe the most relevant safety and health issues, research gaps, and needs.

Protecting the health and safety of mine workers by preventing diseases, injuries, and fatalities is a NIOSH priority, along with making certain that workers are qualified, trained, and properly equipped. The NORA Mining Agenda was developed and implemented through NORA Sector Councils and is guidance for the nation as a whole, while the 2019-2023  Mining Program Strategic Plan is specific to NIOSH and its capabilities and resources. 
 

The NIOSH Mining Program has established three overarching strategic goals for this plan:

Strategic Goal 1: Reduce mine workers’ risk of occupational illness

Strategic Goal 2: Reduce mine workers’ risk of traumatic injuries and fatalities

Strategic Goal 3: Reduce the risk of mine disasters and improve post-disaster survivability of mine workers.

This is a collaborative grant and applicants should outline their expected interactions with NIOSH researchers and subject matter experts.

Objectives

The objective of this cooperative agreement is to address research initiatives in automation, robotics, and intelligent mining systems to improve workplace safety and health in U.S. mining operations. 

The impact of research conducted by recipients should focus on advances in assured autonomy, i.e., assuring autonomous mining equipment and robotics achieve improved workplace safety and health for mine workers while meeting efficiency and productivity goals.

Interactions with mining stakeholders have shown that the U.S. industry is lagging behind other parts of the world in the implementation of automation technologies due to a lack of guidance in implementing new technology, questions about technology readiness, a lack of guidance and tools for effectively dealing with the migration from human-operated equipment to autonomous equipment, and concerns about the potential unsafe interactions between autonomous equipment and workers. Impacts could include but are not limited to:

Applicants are encouraged to consider those aspects of their graduate degree program in mining and explosives engineering, including unique facilities, that could best support their proposed research related to automation, robotics, and intelligent mining systems.

Clearly state your proposed goals and objectives, and directly link these to the occupational health and safety burdens you are addressing.

Provide data to support your selection of the proposed work, such as morbidity or mortality rates and indicators of the size of the population at risk (including estimates of the target population’s potential risk of exposure to the hazard, frequency of exposure, or sociodemographic factors such as age, gender, and race/ethnicity). Similarly, provide qualitative data that describe exposures, the magnitude of the problem, and potential benefits and impacts of addressing the issue. Qualitative data may be necessary when the nature of the exposure or population at risk makes it difficult to collect large-scale, representative quantitative data.

1. • Advances in and implementation of human-centered design principles for automated equipment and the systems used to monitor or interact with them.
   • New methods, guidance, and best practices in change management, training/retraining workers, technology integration, and safety evaluation.
   • New methods and evaluation techniques for safe design that consider the entire mining operation as a system.
   • Advances and availability of enabling technologies for assured autonomy including sensors, data fusion and processing, artificial intelligence, and systems for improved machine and operator situational awareness.
   • Availability of new miner rescue and post-disaster surveillance technologies.

No applicants // Limit: 1 // Tickets Available: 1 

Brain Research Foundation is inviting UArizona to nominate one senior faculty member to submit a Letter of Intent for the 2023 Scientific Innovations Award (SIA). The objective of the program is to support projects that may be too innovative and speculative for traditional funding sources but still have a high likelihood of producing important findings. It is expected that investigations supported by these grants will yield high impact findings and result in major grant applications and funding as well as significant publications in high impact journals.

To be eligible, the nominee must be a full-time associate professor/full professor working in the area of neuroscience and brain function in health and disease. Current major NIH or other peer-reviewed funding is preferred but evidence of such funding in the past three years is essential. The grant period is for two years totaling $150,000. The support focus is for new research projects of the highest scientific merit. 

Brain Research Foundation’s Scientific Innovations Award Program provides funding for innovative science in both basic and clinical neuroscience. This funding mechanism is designed to support creative, exploratory, cutting edge research in well-established research laboratories, under the direction of established investigators.

The objective of the SIA is to support projects that may be too innovative and speculative for traditional funding sources but still have a high likelihood of producing important findings. It is expected that investigations supported by these grants will yield high impact findings and result in major grant applications and significant publications in high impact journals.

Funding Preferences:

• Funding is to be directed at projects that may be too innovative and speculative for traditional funding sources but still have a high likelihood of producing important findings. This should be a unique project for senior investigators who are encouraged to stretch their imagination into areas that can substantially change an area of research.
• Funding of research projects that will likely lead to successful grant applications with NIH and other public and private funding entities.

• G. Sutphin (Molecular and Cellular Biology)  - Medical Research Track
• The physical Sciences and Engineering slot is available

UA may submit one concept paper in Physical Sciences and Engineering and one concept paper in Medical Sciences in this cycle.
The selected projects must participate in the concept counseling session with the W.M. Keck Foundation between July 1 and August 15 to determine if they can proceed to the Phase I submission.

The W.M. Keck Foundation Research Program uses a three-step process for this opportunity. The first step is a Concept paper. The Undergraduate Education program is currently not accepting concept papers. The next steps are by the foundation’s invitation. UArizona review criteria reflect previous interactions with the W.M. Keck Foundation. Proposals should focus on basic, fundamental science with broad applications.

The proposed work should show a significant leap forward rather than an extension of existing work.  

To be considered by Keck, applicants must have a statement from a federal program officer expressing that the project is not a good fit due to risk (rather than technical or theoretical fit) or a decline from a federal program where the summary statement or individual reviews highlight the incredible novelty, but the high-risk nature that makes it difficult to fund at the federal level.

S. Song (Biomedical Engineering)

UA may submit one nomination. 

The Pew Scholars Program in the Biomedical Sciences provides funding to young investigators of outstanding promise in science relevant to the advancement of human health. The program makes grants to selected academic institutions to support the independent research of outstanding individuals who are in their first few years of their appointment at the assistant professor level. The current grant level is $300,000; $75,000 per year for a four-year period.

Candidates must hold a doctorate in biomedical sciences, medicine, or a related field, including engineering or the physical sciences.

Based on their performance during their education and training, candidates should demonstrate outstanding promise as contributors in science relevant to human health. This program does not fund clinical trials research. Strong proposals will incorporate particularly creative and pioneering approaches to basic, translational, and applied biomedical research. Candidates whose work is based on biomedical principles but who bring in concepts and theories from more diverse fields are encouraged to apply.

S. Song (Biomedical Engineering)


The internal deadline has been extended to June 07, 2023.

Due to the competitive nature of this funding program, this selection process is running with an anticipated deadline.
We will keep all applicants informed of relevant updates in the guidelines, submission deadlines, and eligibility as soon as more information becomes available.

The Searle Scholars Program supports research of outstanding individuals who have recently begun their appointment at the assistant professor level, and whose appointment is their first tenure-track position at a participating academic or research institution. Today, 168 institutions are invited to participate in the Program.

The Program was established at The Chicago Community Trust in 1980 and has been administered by Kinship Foundation since 1996. The Program is funded from the estates of Mr. and Mrs. John G. Searle. Mr. Searle was the grandson of the founder of the world-wide pharmaceutical company, G.D. Searle & Company. It was Mr. Searle's wish that certain funds be used to support "...research in medicine, chemistry, and the biological sciences."

Each year 15 new individuals are named Searle Scholars. Awards are currently set at $100,000 per year for three years. Since its inception, 617 Scholars have been named and over $174 million has been awarded.

The Searle Scholars Program Scientific Advisory Board is primarily interested in the potential of applicants to make innovative and high-impact contributions to research over an extended period of time. 

Applicants for the 2024 competition (awards which will be activated on July 1, 2024) are expected to be pursuing independent research careers in biochemistry, cell biology, genetics, immunology, neuroscience, pharmacology, and related areas in chemistry, medicine, and the biological sciences. 

Applicants should have begun their appointment as an independent investigator at the assistant professor level on or after July 1, 2022. The appointment must be their first tenure-track position (or its nearest equivalent) at an invited institution. 

Institutions which do not have tenure-track appointments should consult with the Scientific Director of the Program regarding eligibility of selected applicants PRIOR to nominating such individuals. 

The Searle Scholars Program does not ordinarily support purely clinical research but has supported research programs that include both clinical and basic components. Potential applicants who are unsure if their research is appropriate for our Program are encouraged to examine the research interests of present and former Searle Scholars on this website. 

Applicants who were nominated for awards in the previous competition year but were not awarded may still meet the eligibility criteria for the current competition. Institutions should consult with the Scientific Director of the Program regarding renomination of such individuals.

The Searle Scholars Program Scientific Advisory Board is primarily interested in the potential of applicants to make innovative and high-impact contributions to research over an extended period of time.

Amount per Award: $300,000
Duration of Award: 3 Years

V. Yurkiv ( Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering)

The DOE SC program in Basic Energy Sciences (BES) hereby announces its interest in receiving new applications for Energy Innovation Hub projects pursuing multi-investigator, crossdisciplinary fundamental research to address emerging new directions as well as long-standing challenges for the next generation of rechargeable batteries and related electrochemical energy storage technologies. Electrochemical energy storage is typically viewed as the bidirectional interconversion of electricity and chemical potential energy using electrochemistry for the purpose of storing electrical energy for later use, with lithium (Li)-ion and lead acid batteries being representative of the current generation of electrochemical energy storage. Discovery and scientific exploration of new battery chemistries, materials, and architectures for energy storage are encouraged. Research on electrolyzer/fuel cell combinations using hydrogen or hydrocarbons as the chemical storage media are supported elsewhere within DOE programs and are specifically excluded from this FOA. Regardless of materials and electrochemical processes involved, the focus must be on fundamental scientific concepts and understanding for the next generation of batteries and electrochemical energy storage.