A. P. Giannini Foundation: Postdoctoral Research Fellowship and Leadership Award Grant

A. P. Giannini Foundation: Postdoctoral Research Fellowship and Leadership Award Grant

Status: ACTIVE
Funder: A P Giannini Foundation
Amount: Up to US $210,000
Last Updated: September 23, 2025

Summary

The A.P. Giannini Foundation offers a Postdoctoral Research Fellowship and Leadership Award to support innovative biomedical research. Since 1945, the Foundation has funded nearly $50 million in research aimed at translating scientific discoveries into effective treatments for various diseases. This fellowship program not only provides financial support but also includes leadership training and a collaborative learning community, preparing fellows for impactful careers in academia and industry.

Overview

Postdoctoral Research Fellowship and Leadership Award Overview of the Award The A.P. Giannini Foundation has played an important role in science philanthropy since its inception in 1945. The Foundation has distributed nearly $50 million to fund innovative research that advances the translation of biomedical sciences into treatments, preventions and cures for human diseases. Recent fellowship awards have supported research into heart disease, leukemia, Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, autism, cystic fibrosis, melanoma, Hepatitis B, kidney disease and more. A.P. Giannini Fellows are among the most highly respected medical and scientific investigators in their respective fields and have served as mentors to succeeding generations of young scientists. Fellows have held leadership positions at schools of medicine, in the public sector and in industry, including at Roche, Gilead, the National Institutes of Health, the White House, UCSF, Harvard University, and University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, to name a few. In addition to supporting research, the A.P. Giannini Foundation provides an integrated communications and leadership training program. Fellows form a cohort in the first year of the fellowship to create a learning community and to support one another’s professional development. In Year 1, fellows receive individualized and group communications training and learn the essential components of delivering engaging scientific presentations. In Year 2, fellows participate in leadership workshops and receive one-on-one coaching to learn how to enhance their professional effectiveness. In Year 3, fellows meet with Foundation postdoctoral alumni to discuss topics such as starting a lab and writing Specific Aims statements. Fellows are also provided guidance in identifying mentors outside of their current principal investigators. Objectives of the Award The A.P. Giannini Foundation invites physician-scientists and junior researchers with 3 to 36 months of postdoctoral research experience to apply to the 2024 Postdoctoral Research Fellowship & Leadership Award. The Fellowship and Leadership Award supports innovative research in the basic sciences and applied fields and trains fellows to become established investigators and to pursue scientific leadership positions in academia, industry, public and non-traditional career pathways. Research projects should advance the translation of biomedical science into preventions, treatments, and cures for human diseases. Leadership Program Fellows receive leadership training and support to maximize their postdoctoral experience. Fellows participate in workshops and receive one-on-one coaching to foster their communication and leadership skills. The Foundation requires that fellows participate in the Leadership Program. Fellowship Stipends Fellows receive a competitive stipend for their research training. Stipend payments are sent directly to the sponsoring medical school and can be used only for salary support. No deductions are allowed for benefits, departmental or institutional overhead. The current stipends are $60,000 in Year 1, $62,000 in Year 2 and $64,000 in Year 3. Candidates may be eligible to obtain additional salary support from their sponsoring institution. Other income will not preclude favorable consideration.

Eligibility

You can learn more about this opportunity by visiting the funder's website. Postdoctoral researchers are eligible to apply for the current program if they have completed no less than 3 months and no more than 3 years in their mentor’s laboratory as of the specified date. The starting date of postdoctoral studies should be well-documented and easily verifiable.Applicants must be United States citizens or permanent alien residents. They must hold or complete an MD; MD/PhD; PhD or equivalent degree before they activate the fellowship. Applicants must arrange their research training before they apply to the program. The research program must be sponsored by an accredited California medical school and performed under the mentorship of a principal investigator who holds a full-time faculty or primary appointment at the applicant’s sponsoring medical school.

Ineligibility

Applicants with tenure-track research positions or faculty appointments are ineligible.Fellows cannot concurrently hold a full fellowship from another source or a federally funded career development award.