Postdoctoral Fellowship Program for Young Biologists

The Dynasty Foundation opened this support program for young biologists specializing in molecular and cellular biology in 2011.
The basis of the program is the annual Russia-wide grant competition.

Competition goals:

• targeted support of young candidates of science specializing in molecular and cellular biology
• increasing the mobility within Russia and scientific level of young biologists
• preparing actively working young biologists for creating scientific groups of their own
• involving young biologists in the international system of science organization

Who can participate?

Candidates of science and holders of equivalent degrees (PhD, MD) who defended their dissertation not earlier than three years before the date of the competition opening can participate in the competition.
Participants must be younger than 35 on the date of the competition opening.

Biologists working in the following fields (according to classificatory codes Expert Corpus (in Russian) can participate in the competition:

• 301 Biophysics
• 302 Biochemistry
• 303 Enzymology
• 304 Molecular biology
• 305 Bioinformatics (computational molecular biology)
• 306 System biology
• 307 Structural biology
• 308 Cellular biology and cytology
• 309 Immunology
• 312 Biotechnology
• 314 Molecular medicine
• 3152 Population genetics
• 3153 Medical genetics
• 3154 Molecular genetics
• 3163 Cellular neurophysiology
• 3165 Biophysical physiology of plants
• 3202 Molecular evolution
• 3211 Molecular microbiology
• 3221 Molecular virology

Competition winners must perform grant-paid scientific activity at the premises of Russian scientific and/or educational organizations.

How will selection occur?

There will be two levels of expert review:

• The first expert review will be by experts from among leading Russian and foreign scientists, who as a rule are members of the Expert Corpus; each application will be considered by three experts.
• The final expert review will be by the Expert Council.

Expert Council:

• Dr. Peter Geiduschek, Distinguished Professor Emeritus, Section of Molecular Biology, University of California, San Diego
• Dr. Joachim Messing, Professor of Molecular Biology and Director, Waksman Institute of Microbiology at Rutgers University
• Dr. Ferid Murad, American physician and pharmacologist, co-winner of the 1998 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, and Professor, George Washington University
• Dr. Thomas Steitz, American crystallographer, co-winner of the 2009 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, a Sterling Professor of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Yale University
• Dr. Jack W. Szostak, American cytogeneticist, co-winner of the 2009 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, Professor, Harvard Medical School

What will the experts consider?

• novelty and relevance of the research
• well-developed research plan including alternative ways of problem solving in the event of difficulties
• scientific level of competition participants (previous results, publication rating)
• scientific level of the host laboratory and availability of necessary infrastructure

All else equal, applicants intending to change institute/laboratory will have a priority (i.e., the grant recipient will perform scientific activity covered by the grant at a institute/laboratory other than the one where the dissertation for a candidate of science degree was prepared).

What will the winners receive?

The grant is given for a period of three years with a possibility of a one-year extension.

The grant amount is 600000 rubles a year. The grant recipient's salary must be no more than 300000 rubles of this amount, and the rest of the money should be directed toward purchasing expendables, additional equipment, and utilities (including computers), as well as using necessary services, participating in conferences, and paying for publications.

Not more than 25% of the grant amount unused in the current year is allowed to be used during the next budget year.

Accountability

Grant recipients must submit reports including substantive and financial parts to the Dynasty Foundation after each grant year.

Guidelines for the Dynasty Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship Program (molecular and cellular biology)