Burroughs Wellcome Fund: Investigators in the Pathogenesis of Infectious Disease

This Burroughs Wellcome Fund award is a limited funding opportunity for assistant professors from Case, UH, Metro and the Cleveland Clinic. See submission guidelines below.

This award provides $500,000 over a period of five years to support accomplished investigators at the assistant professor level to study pathogenesis, with a focus on the interplay between human and microbial biology, shedding light on how human and microbial systems are affected by their encounters. The awards are intended to give recipients the freedom and flexibility to pursue new avenues of inquiry and higher-risk research projects that hold potential for significantly advancing the biochemical, pharmacological, immunological, and molecular biological understanding of how microbes and the human body interact.

The Investigators in the Pathogenesis of Infectious Disease program provides opportunities for assistant professors to bring multidisciplinary approaches to the study of human infectious diseases.

The goal of the program is to provide opportunities for accomplished investigators still early in their careers to study what happens at the points where human and microbial systems connect. The program supports research that sheds light on the fundamentals that affect the outcomes of this encounter: how colonization, infection, commensalism and other relationships play out at levels ranging from molecular interactions to systemic ones.

Researchers who start from the human host are encouraged to apply, as are those whose focus has been more often trained on microbes and macrobes that are sometimes pathogens. Throughout this announcement, when we talk about "microbes," we also include the sometimes large, sometimes multicellular pathogens including protists and worms.

Amount of Funding

The award provides $500,000 over a period of five years ($100,000 per year)

Eligibility

Applicants are encouraged to consult with their Associate Deans for Research prior to internal submission to assure they meet eligibility criteria and their projects meet stated program objectives.

  • Candidates will generally have an M.D., D.V.M., or Ph.D. degree. References to degrees include all types of medical and scientific doctoral level degrees.
  • Candidates must have an established record of independent research and hold a tenure-track position as an assistant professor or equivalent at the time of application at a degree-granting institution.
  • Candidates must be nominated by accredited, degree-granting institutions in the United States or Canada.
  • Applications from non-tenure track investigators at tenure-offering, degree-granting institutions will not be accepted.
  • Applications from institutions or departments that do not offer tenure may or may not be accepted and must demonstrate an extremely strong institutional commitment, congruent to the level of commitment that is traditionally dedicated to tenure-track hires.
  • Candidates must be citizens or permanent residents of the United States or Canada at the time of application. Documentation of permanent resident status must be provided with the application.
  • Candidates at the appropriate career stage who have held or are currently holding a Burroughs Wellcome Fund award must contact BWF in advance to determine eligibility for this program.

Submission Process

Step 1

Anyone wishing to pursue nomination for the Burroughs Wellcome Fund Award should submit the application materials detailed below as one PDF email attachment to Dr. Suzanne Rivera no later than 5:00 p.m. on Monday, September 22, 2014.

 

  1. Cover letter addressing the eligibility criteria
  2. Full C.V. with funding history
  3. One-page scientific abstract
Step 2

Final nominees will be notified of their selection by October 6, 2014.

Step 3

Funding agency deadline is November 3, 2014.

Deadlines

Abstract or LOI to ORA Chosen Proposal Announced ORA Final Proposal Due Date Sponsor Submission Deadline Days Until Due
09/22/2014 10/06/2014 10/27/2014 11/03/2014 CLOSED