Sternlicht Director's Fund Fellowship 2015

August 28, 2015
Call for 2015 Nominations: Sternlicht Director's Fund Fellowship 

Nomination Deadline: September 25th, 2015

With generous support from Barry Sternlicht, the Harvard Stem Cell Institute (HSCI) announces the continuation of the Sternlicht Director's Fund Fellowship Program. Harvard University graduate students with 2-4 years remaining in their program who are working in the field of type 1 diabetes-related stem cell research within the laboratories of HSCI Faculty are eligible to apply. The purpose of the Sternlicht Fellowship is to support young investigators who have been identified by their mentors as promising new researchers, but who have limited access to resources. 

In order to be considered for a Sternlicht Fellowship, interested students must have a faculty sponsor in whose lab they are currently working submit a nomination package on their behalf. Each nomination package should include the following: 1) a letter of recommendation from the nominating faculty sponsor, 2) a second letter of recommendation from another faculty sponsor, 3) biosketches for the student and sponsor, 4) and proof of the nominee's status as a Harvard University graduate student (including program information, enrollment dates, and anticipated program completion date). Nomination letters should indicate the number of years of funding requested, 1 or 2 years. 

Fellowship recipients will be selected through a competitive review process; nominations will be reviewed by a Sternlicht Award review committee convened and chaired by Chad Cowan, Associate Professor in the Harvard Dept. of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology. Finalists will be presented to the HSCI Executive Committee, including HSCI Scientific Director Douglas Melton, Harvard University, for a final decision. Selection criteria will include; the nominee's promise as a researcher in the field of diabetes and stem cell science, the recommendation letter of the faculty sponson, the nominee's graduate program status, and the nominee's current or intended research. 

The fellowship will provide up to 60,000/yr of funding towards the recipients' graduate program costs (tuition and stipend). HSCI may award up to 2 Sternlicht Awards in 2015, depending upon the applicant pool and duration of awards. The HSCI reserves the right to not award a Sternlicht Fellowship in 2015. Recipients may  be invited to attend an annual meeting in New York City, arranged by the Sternlicht Director's Fund, at which the student will report on their progress, and will be asked to write brief semi-annual progress reports for submission to Barry Sternlicht. Recipients will also be made Affiliates of the Harvard Stem Cell Institute. 

Please send nomination materials in PDF format to Robert Perez, HSCI Grants Officer, at robert_perez@harvard.edu. Application packages must be received by 5 PM, Friday, September 25, 2015.