Searle Scholars Program | Office of Proposal Development

Kinship Foundation's Searle Scholars Program

All applications for this internal competition must be submitted via InfoReady. You can sign in using your Net-ID and your @stonybrook.edu email address. Please allow sufficient time to familiarize yourself with the portal prior to submitting your pre-application. Pre-application requirements are listed in the announcement below.

The Office for Research and Innovation invites applications for the Kinship Foundation's Searle Scholars Program, which supports the independent research of outstanding early-career scientists in the biomedical sciences and chemistry who have recently been appointed as assistant professors on a tenure-track appointment. Stony Brook University can nominate ONE candidate for the award.

Please see below for details. If you are interested in applying, you must submit a pre-application via the Searle Scholars Program Portal in InfoReady by Monday, June 29, 2026 at 9:00 am. Pre-applications for internal review and selection must be uploaded to the portal as a single PDF document.

KEYWORDS: Early career, biochemistry, cell biology, genetics, immunology, neuroscience, pharmacology, chemistry, medicine, biological sciences

WHAT DOES IT FUND: The Searle Scholars Program Scientific Advisory Board is primarily interested in the potential of applicants to make innovative and high-impact contributions to research over an extended period of time. Applicants are expected to be pursuing independent research careers in biochemistry, cell biology, genetics, immunology, neuroscience, pharmacology, and related areas in chemistry, medicine, and the biological sciences. The program does not ordinarily support purely clinical research but has supported research programs that include both clinical and basic components.

APPLICANT REQUIREMENTS: Applicants should have begun their appointment as an independent investigator at the assistant professor level on or after May 1, 2025. The appointment must be their first tenure-track position (or its nearest equivalent).

AWARD: $450,000 for a three-year period ($150,000 per year)

COST SHARE: Not required

SPONSOR DEADLINE: September 30, 2026

A complete pre-application should comprise of the following:

Research Program (no more than one page): Provide an overview of the specific areas of research you would like to perform in your laboratory in the next few years. Please explain why this work is particularly novel and important.
Career Goals (no more than one page): Provide a brief summary of your general career objectives over the next five years.
Project Description (no more than three pages, including figures. References can be added on additional pages): Describe, in greater detail, a part of the research that you noted in the Research Program previously. This will be evaluated on the basis of its potential for successful results, evidence of creativity as well as feasibility and clarity of thought.
CV, including publications
Other current/pending support