The Biomedical Sciences Cluster | The University of Chicago

Two distinct fellowship programs have openings throughout the year. A Steering Committee jointly oversees both programs, and meets twice yearly to rank postdoctoral fellowship applicants. Postdoctoral fellowships are thereupon awarded as the slots come open. Please note the following application requirements: Priority will be given to candidates in their first postdoctoral training period. No senior candidates will be considered for these fellowships (a senior candidate is defined as having greater than or equal to 3 years of postdoctoral experience at application time). Applications will be no more than two (2) total pages in length, and will consist of Specific Aims, Significance of the Proposed Research, and Relevance of the Proposal to Cancer Research. Applicants may apply to only one faculty member at a time; if you are unsuccessful in soliciting one faculty member to sponsor you, you can thereupon contact another faculty member. But you cannot be sponsored by more than one faculty member.

The Committee on Cancer Biology offers three postdoctoral fellowship positions. Fellowships will be awarded only to postdocs working in labs of Committee on Cancer Biology faculty. These fellowships are open to non-U.S. citizens. To apply, you must contact a Committee on Cancer Biology faculty member directly by sending him/her a cover letter, the two-page application described above, a copy of your C.V., and arranging to have three letters of recommendation sent. The address for each faculty member can be determined by looking at his or her research description (login as "guest" and use "guest" as your password) to find the primary department (large letters; highlighted in blue) and then using the departmental address list. If the faculty member agrees to sponsor you, he or she will contact you, and the faculty member will then submit your application to this office.

The Cancer Biology Training Program is funded by a training grant from the NIH and has three postdoctoral fellowship slots. These fellowships are open only to U.S. Citizens or Permanent Residents; please note that U.S. Citizens or Permanent Residents who are sponsored by a faculty trainer will be automatically considered for the Committee Fellowships described above as well. Fellowships normally will be awarded to postdocs working in the laboratories of faculty members given on the Cancer Biology Training Program list; however, candidates will be considered from any faculty member in the Biological Sciences Division at the University of Chicago as long as the project has direct relevance to cancer research. To apply, you must contact a Cancer Biology Training Program trainer or other University of Chicago faculty member in the Biological Sciences Division, directly by sending him/her a cover letter, the two-page application described above, a copy of your C.V., and arranging to have three letters of recommendation sent. The address for each faculty member can be determined as described above; for other faculty members in the Biological Sciences Division, please browse the on-line research descriptions available on the World Wide Web at http://www.bsd.uchicago.edu. If the faculty member agrees to sponsor you, he or she will inform you of what is needed for the application, and the faculty member will submit your application to this office.

CBTG/CCB Application Instructions (please provide the following):

1. A cover letter, in which the sponsor puts forth the applicant as a candidate; the date the applicant can start in the sponsor's lab (or if the applicant is already there); the amount of previous postdoc experience the candidate has; and a brief description of the project the postdoc will pursue in the lab, highlighting the relevance of the research to cancer biology. Please note that this cover letter does not count as a letter of recommendation.

2. An application package submitted to the sponsor by the applicant (also required from candidates already in the lab). Please note that it is expected that the applicant, and not the sponsor You, will write the proposal, and that applicants are urged to use this proposal package as the basis for additional (external) funding applications:

                                    a.         a cover letter asking to join your lab;
b.        a two-page project description consisting of specific aims, description of the proposed research,
              and the relevance of the proposal to cancer research;
c.            a one-half to one-page career statement;
d.            a one-half to one-page Ph.D. thesis description including thesis title
e.        the candidate's curriculum vita;
f.         three letters of recommendation.

3. Copies of papers published, in press or submitted by the applicant.

4. Please hand-deliver the original and eight (8) copies of the application packet to the Biomedical Sciences Cluster Office, AMB N704.

Criteria for Postdoc Selection (CBTG and CCB)

1. All postdoctoral fellowships should be determined by merit and relevance to cancer biology.

2. Postdoctoral fellows must have received their Ph.D. within 3 years of the start of the CCB/CBTG fellowship term, and cannot have worked in the sponsor's laboratory for more than 2 years prior to the start of the CCB/CBTG fellowship term.

3. Postdoctoral fellows must be citizens/permanent residents of the US to be eligible for NIH Training Grant support. Foreign applicants are eligible for CCB support.

4. Postdoctoral applicants are eligible for fellowship appointment if their sponsors are faculty members at The University of Chicago and if their sponsors will not have a postdoctoral fellow supported by either the CCB or the CBTG within 6 months of the proposed start date of their fellowship.

5. Postdoctoral fellows are eligible for the first year of support if they remain in the sponsor's laboratory for the duration of the year, and if they are in good‑standing in the estimation of the sponsor.

6. Postdoctoral fellows are eligible for a second year of support if they meet the following criteria: (a) they remain in the sponsor's laboratory for the 2nd year of support; (b) they either provide documentation that they have applied to at least two outside fellowship funding agencies within 10 months of their appointment or they request and receive approval from the Steering Committee to extend their deadline for application for such funds. Requests for an extension must be made within 10 months of their appointment, and are only granted under very special circumstances. (c) they remain in good standing as judged by the Steering Committee. To receive such status, fellows must within 10 months of their appointment, submit to the Steering Committee a progress report, publications or manuscripts, and a cover letter signed by both sponsor and fellow as to why a second year of support is being requested and is deserved.

7. Postdoctoral appointments are contingent upon a guarantee by the fellow that if appointed, he/she will submit regular progress reports/updates as required by either the CCB or the CBTG. This is particularly important for the CBTG, where it is necessary to track progress after a trainee has left the sponsor's lab. In addition, if the trainee is funded by the training grant, they must participate in all functions/courses required by the CBTG.

Women and underrepresented minorities are encouraged to submit applications. Our training program is committed to enabling qualified minority trainees for future careers in teaching, researach and industry. Opportunities are available for both pre- and postdoctoral trainees.

Please be sure to indicate in your letter to the faculty member your citizenship status, so the faculty member can determine your eligibility for one or both of the fellowship programs. If you have any questions about the fellowship programs and/or about the application process, please do not hesitate to contact Tracie DeMack by phone (773-834-3899), fax (773-702-6864), or email.

Training Grants - Cancer Biology