Brain Institute Professional Development Award

The Brain Institute Professional Development Award supports postdoctoral scholars who seek funds for conference travel and/or professional development opportunities that support their long-term career goals. 

Eligible Expenses

• Professional development workshops or short courses
• Registration, travel, and lodging to participate in research conferences and symposia
• Any other reasonable activity that complements your training and supports your professional and career objectives

The award maximum value is $2500. Applications must be submitted prior to the upcoming travel or opportunity for which funding is requested.

Eligibility Criteria

• Must be a current UVA postdoctoral scholar
  • In alignment with our current funding, these awards will support postdoctoral scholars (postdoctoral research associates and postdoctoral fellows).
• Must be conducting neuroscience research
• Must have not received a Brain Institute Professional Development Award within the previous year

 Application

• Short Description of the Conference or Professional Development opportunity, including date, location, and any plans for active participation, e.g., presentation, interviews (300 words max)
• Short Statement, answering the following prompts (500 words max):
  • What are your long-term career goals?
  • How do you envision the proposed activity impacting your goal?
  • How do you envision the proposed activity impacting the UVA neuroscience community?
• CV or Resume
• Budget with justifications for proposed expenditures

Evaluation Criteria

Applications will be reviewed by the Brain Institute. We anticipate funding up to thirty (30) awards per year. Reviewers will assess applications based on merit, considering impact of this opportunity on the applicant’s career, reasonableness of request (including budget), and applicant’s prior participation in the UVA neuroscience and/or postdoctoral community.

Deadlines

2025 Deadlines: July 15, December 1 

In future years, we anticipate two deadlines annually: June 1 and December 1.

Notifications will be sent within a month of the application deadline. Funds will be dispersed to each awardee’s primary department, and awardees should follow their department’s standard reimbursement processes.

Questions?

Please reach out to Fatima Saldaña at fzp7aq@virginia.edu with any questions.