IRACDA Application Details

Eligibility

All applicants must have received a PhD or PhD - equivalent in relevant areas of engineering or biology and have no longer than two years of prior postdoctoral training when their program cycle begins. For this NIH-sponsored program, candidates need to be US citizens or have permanent residency. We especially encourage people belonging to groups that are typically underrepresented in stem cell research to apply. Postdocs who already work at UCSC are eligible, provided that they are still within the first 2 years of their postdoc tenure.

Application Process

Candidates need to identify a primary research laboratory at UCSC and work with that PI on their research plan for the application. The planned research needs to fall within the scope of the NIH, National Institute of General Medical Sciences, who sponsors the IRACDA program. Please contact the IBSC if you require guidance to identify an appropriate laboratory (ibsc@ucsc.edu). Please submit the application form, the demographic form and the research plan to the IBSC and have your prospective UCSC mentor and two former advisors send their letters directly to the IBSC (ibsc@ucsc.edu) by the application deadline.

Selection Process

An independent, non-UCSC selection committee will review all applications. Professors on this committee have a large variety of research interests, including stem cell and non-stem cell biology in human and model organisms (Mouse, Drosophila, Planaria, C. elegans) in the fields of of developmental biology, genomics, molecular biology, and cell biology.

Applications will be scored using the following criteria:

1) Research: Reviewers will evaluate the research ability of the applicants, and their potential to develop an independent career.

2) Teaching/mentoring: Reviewers will evaluate the applicant's experience in, and desire to acquire teaching and mentoring skills and their drive to embark on a career in academia. All applicants should detail why they are applying to the IRACDA program.

3) Mentoring environment: Reviewers will evaluate the UCSC sponsor's mentoring plan and preparedness to receive mentoring training.

4) Research proposal: Is the proposal well thought out and researched? Is the proposal appropriate for a 4-year training period? Does the research proposal fall within the research interest of the NIH/NIGMS? What is the potential impact of the proposed research?

The UCSC/CSUMB IRACDA program does not discriminate in admissions and activities on the basis of race/color, ethnicity, national origin, religion/creed, disability, age, marital status, sex, sexual orientation or veteran’s status.