Long-standing program prepares early-career Illinois faculty to submit NIH proposals.
The Interdisciplinary Health Sciences Institute (IHSI) is offering the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Grant Writing Series virtually during the 2022 spring semester. The NIH Grant Writing Series prepares faculty to submit their first R01 or other individual investigator proposals to the NIH. Each participant will write and compile an advanced draft of an NIH proposal that has been reviewed by both their peers and an experienced faculty mentor.
Twelve faculty from across campus have been selected to participate in this year’s program, including Department of Microbiology" professor Pamela Martinez. The selected participants will attend six lecture/discussion sessions and participate in a peer review workshop. They will also be matched with an experienced faculty member who will mentor the participant during the grant writing process.
IHSI Research Development Manager Maggie Berg has overseen the NIH Grant Writing Series since its inception. “We had a great response to the call for nominations this year,” said Berg. “The pool of nominees was very competitive, which made our decision more difficult—in a good way! It was exciting to see a wide range of disciplines represented, including some that may not typically come to mind for NIH funding.”
Congratulations to the 2022 cohort
Eva Fischer (she/her) is an assistant professor in the Department of Evolution, Ecology & Behavior. She was nominated by Andrew Suarez.
Chris Gaulke (he/him) is an assistant professor in the Department of Pathobiology. He was nominated by Bob Rowland.
Sarah Geiger (she/her) is an assistant professor in the Department of Kinesiology & Community Health. She was nominated by Kim Graber.
Lisa Guntzviller (she/her) is an associate professor in the Department of Communication. She was nominated by John Caughlin.
Pamela Martinez (she/her) is an assistant professor in the Department of Microbiology. She was nominated by Milan Bagchi, Deborah Paul Endowed Professor and director of the School of Molecular & Cellular Biology.
Moses Okumu (he/him) is an assistant professor in the School of Social Work. He was nominated by Liliane Windsor.
Minakshi Raj (she/her) is an assistant professor in the Department of Kinesiology & Community Health. She was nominated by Kim Graber.
Nathan Todd (he/him) is an associate professor in the Department of Psychology. He was nominated by Nicole Allen.
Vishal Verma (he/him) is an assistant professor in the Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering. He was nominated by Ana Barros.
Shulei Wang (he/him) is an assistant professor in the Department of Statistics. He was nominated by Bo Li.
Yi-Cheng Wang (he/him) is an assistant professor in the Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition. He was nominated by Nicki Engeseth.
Yang Zhao (she/her) is an assistant professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. She was nominated by Brian Cunningham.
A history of success
Since 2015, 64 junior faculty have been nominated by their departments and selected to complete the full program. These faculty have been awarded more than $57 million from the NIH to date.
Historically, the series was hosted in person every fall. In 2020 it moved to a virtual format and is now held every other year. This year is the first time it will be offered in the spring.
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