APS Postdoctoral Fellowship

To enhance the benefits of our early-career members and to develop careers in physiological research worldwide, APS created the Postdoctoral Fellowship Program in 2018. The fellowship provides funding to five fellows for one year, starting on July 1 and ending on the following June 30. Funds can be used for stipend and/or travel to APS-sponsored conferences, not to exceed $50,000 total. No indirect costs allowed. This fellowship program is contingent upon available funding. 

Timeline and Deadlines:

• Letter of intent deadline: November 15 
• Decisions on letter of intent to be notified: January 15
• Full applications deadline: February 15 
• Grantees to be notified: April 15 
• Start date for funding: July 

APS postdoctoral members worldwide are eligible to apply for this award.

Fellow applicants must:

• be a current APS Postdoctoral member;
• hold a PhD, MD or equivalent degree and a postdoctoral research position at their institution by the November 15 deadline;
• applicant is eligible up to three years after obtaining terminal degree or completion of clinical training at the time of full application;

Note: The program is limited to one application from the same mentor/sponsor within each program cycle.

Applicants' mentor/sponsor must:

• have a minimum of three consecutive years of APS membership at the time of application (please verify your membership);
• have past experience as a mentor/sponsor; and
• If assistant professor or equivalent, the application is required to include an established co-mentor/sponsor or a mentoring team of experienced investigators.

The program incorporates a two-phase application process. The first phase is the submission of a Letter of Intent.

Applicants must submit the following:

1. One-page cover letter that includes brief description of career goals. The cover letter should also state applicants' primary section, if it is different from the mentor's primary section. 
2. One-page overview of project proposal, which includes overall goal and very brief approach; and
3. National Institutes of Health (NIH)-style biosketch format from applicant and mentor(s) (five-page maximum).

Applicants primary APS section and respective award committee will conduct the peer review process. Applicants should review and confirm their primary section affiliation in their APS member profile before submitting their application. 

The letters will be reviewed for:

• eligibility in the program;
• applicant’s potential for career in physiology research; and
• project proposal.

Up to three applicants from each APS section will be invited to submit a full application.

In the second phase, the APS will invite select applicants to submit a full application. 

Fellow applicants must submit:

1. a one-page description of applicant’s scholastic performance at the graduate level;
2. a one-page personal statement that identifies any APS modules or professional development courses that the applicant is interested in taking, and include an outline of their career goals and attest to applicants' potential and desire to be a physiologist. 
3. a two page maximum copy of their individual development plan (IDP) that has been reviewed by their mentor/sponsor (IDP template)
4. a Five-page scientific proposal including specific aims, significance, innovation and research approach in NIH format (i.e., Arial 11, 0.5 inches margins; bibliography is not counted towards page limit); and
5. two letters of recommendation from investigators with substantial knowledge of the applicants' potential as a physiologist. One recommendation letter should be from the primary mentor.

 

Applicants' mentors/sponsors must submit the following:

1. funds available for completion of proposed studies;
2. research infrastructure and environment needed for the completion of proposed studies;
3. provide information about other trainees and research staff;
4. details on plans for rigor and reproducibility of research and completion of responsible conduct of research;
5. provide assurance that fellow will include an APS professional opportunity in their fellowship year;
6. assessment of applicant’s potential as a physiologist; and
7. details of training activities to be conducted during the fellowship year.

Full application to be reviewed based on these criteria:

1. Applicant’s potential;
2. Merit of scientific proposal; and
3. Training and career development plans (which includes assessment of mentor(s) and institutional environment).

The applicant’s potential is to be assessed from the applicant’s biosketch, applicant’s progress in academics and letters of reference.

The merit of the scientific proposal will be assessed with regards to:

• significance;
• innovation; and
• research approach.

Applicants' career development will be assessed from the personal statement and career goals, IDP, mentor’s (co-mentors) biosketch and training experience. Funds available for conducting research and training plan including potential APS professional development plans will also be considered.

Applicants are also encouraged to provide information on their advisory committee/co-mentor on their IDP, enroll in relevant educational courses offered by APS, such as APS manuscript prep course and identify the conferences at which they intend to present their research data in the coming year. 

Full applications to be reviewed by APS Awards Committee using the NIH scale (1-9). No revisions are allowed from nonfunded grants. There is no mandate that each APS section receives a grant awardee; fellowships will be awarded based on assessment of the applicants' merit. A maximum of two awardees per section will be allowed annually.

Professional Development/Training Opportunities

Applicant and mentor/sponsor must agree to a professional development component that will advance the applicant’s career by participation in one internship or professional development opportunity during the fellowship year. APS has many opportunities for postdoctoral fellow internships (less than 1 month or longer). These include a variety of fellowships in areas such as advocacy, teaching and other opportunities.

APS staff and/or Career Opportunities in Physiology Committee (COPC) members will provide individualized feedback and consultation with the selected fellows. We expect applicant and mentor(s) to include a brief statement of the potential for the APS professional development opportunity in the training plan section of the application.

Stipend Payments and Progress Report

Stipend payments will be made to the fellows' institution. Institutions are expected to supplement stipends to match that of comparable level fellows according to seniority. APS understands that the fellowship stipend may need to be supplemented. Fellows are expected to commit a majority of their effort on the project outlined in the proposal. 

Fellow may not accept private employment or another similar fellowship stipend simultaneously. At the end of the fellowship year. Fellows are required to submit a complete description of progress and a letter from their advisor or institutional representative certifying that they are making satisfactory progress.

The COPC will have a brief virtual meeting with each Fellow to discuss their IDP. We will conduct two brief surveys of past fellows: one after three years and another at five years post-fellowship.

This award was created with a three year approval. APS reserves the right to cancel the award funding at anytime.