ASN: Pre-Doctoral Fellowship Award Program Grant

ASN: Pre-Doctoral Fellowship Award Program Grant

Status: ACTIVE
Funder: American Society of Nephrology Foundation
Amount: Up to US $60,000
Last Updated: October 18, 2025

Summary

The ASN Pre-Doctoral Fellowship Award Program aims to support PhD students conducting original research in kidney biology and disease. Each fellowship provides $30,000 annually for two years, contingent upon satisfactory progress reports. Eligible candidates must be graduate students in accredited programs, committed to kidney-focused research, and must engage with ASN as members. The program encourages applications from underrepresented groups in medicine, fostering diversity and innovation in nephrology research.

Overview

NOTE: KidneyCure will accept extension requests on a case-by-case basis to be applied to the eligibility window during a candidate's doctoral training period. Applicants must submit supporting documentation for requests, which can include family care responsibilities, medical concerns, disability, natural disasters, and active-duty military service. An automatic 12-month extension will be applied per childbirth during the candidate's doctoral training. All parents, including those who adopt, are eligible for this particular extension.Pre-Doctoral Fellowship Award Program Pre-Doctoral Fellowship Award Program Purpose The goal of the ASN Pre-Doctoral Fellowship Award Program is to fund PhD students to conduct original, meritorious research projects. This program will foster early career-stage PhD students, under the direction of a sponsor, who are highly motivated to make contributions to the understanding of kidney biology and disease. Funding The KidneyCure Pre-Doctoral Fellowship Program provides each nephrology pre-doctoral fellow with $30,000 per year for up to two years, to begin on the specified date of the award year. Funds must be used only for salary support. Each recipient must submit a progress and financial report by the specified date of the first year. Second-year funding is contingent on a satisfactory progress report. A final progress and financial report must be submitted at the end of the second year. In addition, the recipient will attend the ASN Annual Meeting in both years as part of the ASN Kidney STARS program; in the second year the recipient will submit an abstract for presentation at ASN Kidney Week.

Eligibility

You can learn more about this opportunity by visiting the funder's website. Doctoral students may submit a proposal that examines any aspect of the entire spectrum of kidney biology and disease.  A maximum of two applications per sponsor/mentor/principal investigator will be accepted during any given application cycle.To apply for a KidneyCure Pre-Doctoral Fellowship, a candidate:Must be a current graduate student in an accredited doctoral (PhD) program, and have passed his or her qualifying exam, if applicable. A 12-month extension will be considered per childbirth during the candidate's doctoral training. Women, men, and those who adopt are eligible for the extension. Must propose a research topic that is kidney-directed. Must complete research under the direction and mentorship of a sponsor.Must be a member of ASN at the time of the fellowship application (Membership type: Student). The sponsor of the candidate must also be an ASN member at the time of the fellowship application.Must be working in North or Central America during the fellowship period. Must commit a miniumum of 75% time to research during the fellowship period. Must have a mentor who demonstrates sufficient funding to support the proposed study of the mentee throughout the fellowship period. You must be a member of this organization to apply for this award - become a member. The candidate must be a member of ASN at the time of the fellowship application (Membership type: Student). The sponsor of the candidate must also be an ASN member at the time of the fellowship application.

Ineligibility

To apply for a KidneyCure Pre-Doctoral Fellowship, a candidate:May not hold an MD, PhD, DO, or equivalent terminal degree.Can hold other external grant support, but cannot have support totaling more than the National Institutes of Health guidelines for doctoral students, including KidneyCure funds, at the time of the award activation. However, a candidate's institution may supplement the support provided by ASN.Must not exceed the maximum number of two applications from a single sponsor/mentor/principal investigator during any given application cycle.Funds cannot be used for fringe benefits, project costs, travel expenses, or overhead costs.