Innovative Methods Fellowship (IMF)

The 2024 application cycle is closed.

The 2025 application cycle will open in early 2025. 

 

In 2023, the UTMB GSBS launched our new Innovative Methods Fellowship (IMF) Program.  The mission of this program is to invest in the career development of UTMB GSBS Ph.D. students and postdoctoral fellows by offering them a unique opportunity to learn innovative scientific methods and techniques not yet available on the UTMB campus.  The intent is to broaden and advance the research capabilities of our trainees to make them more attractive candidates for external funding and advance their job prospects while also expanding their professional and scientific networks. 

The IMF program awards four to five fellowships annually in an amount of up to $8,750 to offset costs associated with the travel and living expense of working outside of UTMB for an extended period of time (up to 2 weeks). UTMB mentors are expected to pay any costs associated with sample analysis, time for technicians or scientists to teach the new methods/techniques to trainees, data analysis, etc. the external lab may require. Fellowship money should not be utilized for payment of anything other than the trainee’s own expenses.  A budget is required as part of the application.  Applications are due in the early spring semester annually.  

Please click on the following documents for more information on eligibility, application instructions, and more:

Have questions? Please contact Claiborne Fant: cmfant@utmb.edu 

2023 IMF Program Winners

GSBS Student

UTMB Mentor

Outside Institution to be Visited

Outside Technique to be Learned

Omar JohnsonMichelle Ward, PhDStanford UniversityGene set enrichment analysis through Genome Wide Association Studies (GWAS) catalog
Christina PayneGracie Vargas, PhDNIH National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS)3D bioprinting of neurovascular environment in glioblastoma models
Sami SbeiDustin Green, PhDJohns Hopkins UniversityLive animal dorsal root ganglia imaging
Zachary Von RuffBlake Rasmussen, PhDMayo ClinicNovel "omics" approaches for differential gene expression analysis