Home Contact Us
Welcome Current Students & Faculty Jump to:
Overview Students Faculty Academics Career Development Directories
GSBS AWARDS AND FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES

Scholarships and Fellowships

Application deadlines for these awards will be announced.

Aaron Blanchard Research Award In Medical Physics

  • This $300 cash award recognizes a Medical Physics graduate (M.S. or Ph.D.) for completion of an outstanding thesis or dissertation, which is judged to make a significant contribution to cancer therapy or diagnosis.
  • A student may be nominated for the award by any faculty member who has served on the
    student's Supervisory Committee.
  • The Medical Physics Program Steering Committee will administer the call for nominations and
    the selection process.
  • For more information, contact Georgeanne Moore (713-563-2548).
  • Current Award Recipient:
    • Stephen Kry

American Legion Auxiliary Fellowships

  • Fellowships (currently in the amount of $5,000 each) are awarded to pre-doctoral GSBS students working on cancer-related projects.
  • These fellowships are considered supplements to the standard GRA assistantship.
  • Applicants must be U.S. citizens.
  • These Fellowships may be competitively renewed for up to three years.
  • Recipients of this fellowship acknowledge this award on publications resulting from work done, all or in part, during the year of the award.
  • Application cover sheet and instructions
  • Current Award Recipients :
    • Kendra Carmon
    • Dawn Christianson
    • Sarah Dunlap
    • Brian Grabiner
    • Shannon Kidd
    • Sabine Lange
    • John Latham
    • Nicole Bohnenstiehl Pinaire
    • Joseph Taube
    • Regina Weaks

City Federation of Women's Clubs Endowed Scholarship in the Biomedical Sciences

  • This $2,000 Scholarship is for an exceptional GSBS student with financial need who is working in an area vital to the biomedical sciences and of particular current significance in that year's national research arena.
  • Each year the Dean of the GSBS will define the area of research for this Scholarship
  • Applicants must be a GSBS Ph.D. (or M.D./Ph.D. or D.D.S./Ph.D.) student who will soon take or recently passed the candidacy exams and is in good academic standing with GSBS.
  • Application coversheet and instructions
  • Current Award Recipient:
    • Cameron Jeter

Dee S. and Patricia Osborne Endowed Scholarship In The Neurosciences

  • Provides $1,000 to the winning presenter in the graduate student category at the
    Neuroscience Poster Session, as well as a $500 travel allotment.
  • This award is formally presented during Brain Awareness Week in March.
  • For more information, contact Dr. Thomas Goka, 713-500-9868, Thomas.J.Goka@uth.tmc.edu
  • Current Award Recipient:
    • Diego Gutnisky
    • Jing Zhao

Harry S. and Isabel C. Cameron Foundation Fellowship

  • This Fellowship will be awarded annually to a GSBS student who has recently advanced to Ph.D. candidacy and whose research is related to either Alzheimer's or cardiovascular disease.
  • This is a $20,000 Fellowship for one year; the recipient's advisor will supplement this Fellowship to ensure that the recipient receives a total amount at least equal to the amount of the standard GSBS Graduate Research Assistantship.
  • The recipient of this Fellowship is eligible to have his/her advisor supplement this Fellowship up to 130% of the GSBS Graduate Research Assistantship.
  • Recipients of this Fellowship should acknowledge the support of the Cameron Foundation Fellowship on publications resulting from work done, all or in part, during the year of the award.
  • Application cover sheet and instructions
  • Current Award Recipient:
    • Patrick Gibney

Barbara L. Kennedy Memorial Scholarship

  • This scholarship was established in 2002 for a female student in the Specialized Masters Program in Genetic Counseling.
  • Students must be in their second year of the Program.
  • Preference is given to a student demonstrating financial need.
  • The recipient is selected by a review committee appointed by the WINGS Chapter of the American Business Women's Association.
  • Application coversheet and instructions
  • Current Award Recipient:
    • Lauren Ann Mcnair

Robert W. and Pearl Wallis Knox Charitable Foundation Scholarship

  • Established in 2007, this is a $2,500 Scholarship to honor a student whose research is in the area of infectious disease in humans.
  • Applicants must be GSBS doctoral students in good academic standing, and no more than a year from taking their candidacy exam.
  • Application coversheet and instructions
  • Current Award Recipient:
    • Yen-Michael Hsu


    Presidents' Scholarships

The Presidents of the University of Texas-Houston and the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center have provided funding for two kinds of awards for GSBS students.

  • Presidents' Merit Scholarship -- Awards of $3,000 are made to outstanding applicants as a supplement to the standard GSBS Assistantship of $23,000. The scholarship will be continued for four years, provided the recipient's academic performance is satisfactory. Nominations for the award are made by the GSBS Admissions Committee and are based on the applicants' academic and research achievements and scholarly potential. The Dean of the Graduate School awards the scholarship in the offer of admission to the applicant.

  • Presidents' Research Scholarship -- Presidents' Research Scholarship -- One-year scholarships in the amount of $5,000 are awarded to outstanding students who have advanced to Ph.D. candidacy and who have achieved distinction in research while a GSBS student. Past-presidents of the GSBS faculty review applications and make recommendations to the Dean.
  • Application cover sheet and instructions
  • Current Award Recipients:
    • Dung-Fang Lee
    • Xi Mo
    • Dunyaporn Trachootham
    • Jing Zhao

Roberta M. And Jean M. Worsham Endowed Scholarship

  • This award of $500 (matched by GSBS for a total of $1,000) fosters exceptional students working in the fields of the Behavioral or Neurosciences, primarily addiction or obsessive/compulsive behavior
  • This award is formally presented during Brain Awareness Week in March.
  • For more information, contact Dr. Thomas Goka
  • Application cover sheet and instructions
  • Current Award Recipient:
    • Katherine Barker

Rosalie B. Hite Fellowships

  • Fellowships include a stipend, tuition and fees, single travel allowance to a national meeting
  • Fellowships are awarded to GSBS students whose research project is in the area of cancer research and who have not advanced to Ph.D. candidacy at the time of application
  • Fellowships are eligilble for competitive renewal for up to three years
  • Selection of Fellows by the Hite Fellowship Committee is on the basis of academic excellence and applicability of the proposed research program to problems of cancer research
  • Deadlines are generally around March of each year
  • For more information, contact the Office of Education Programs at M. D. Anderson Cancer Center (713-745-1205).
  • Current Award Recipients:
    • Hannah Cheung
    • Yumin Hu
    • Shannon Kidd
    • Stephen Kry
    • Taichun Qin

R. W. Butcher Achievement Award

  • An award of $2,500 is awarded annually to an advanced GSBS student in any degree program who has achieved both excellence in research and contributions to GSBS and society as a whole. Successful candidates will have demonstrated: a) productivity and promise in biomedical research, b) adherence to the highest standards of scientific conduct and integrity; c) commitment to a career in biomedical research, d) involvement in community and/or outreach activities, e) contributions to the GSBS faculty/student community, f) perseverance in overcoming obstacles in the path to success
  • Application cover sheet and instructions
  • Current Award Recipient:
    • Patrick Gibney
    • Claudia Miller

Sam Taub and Beatrice Burton Endowed Fellowship in Vision Disease

  • This is a $2,000 Scholarship established in 2004 to recognize a GSBS student whose research is in the area of vision and vision disease
  • Applicants must be degree seeking students in good academic standing at GSBS
  • Applicants must be advanced to Ph.D. candidacy prior to rewarding of the Scholarship
  • Application coversheet and instructions
  • Current Award Recipient:
    • W. Wade Kothmann

Schissler Foundation Fellowships in the Genetics of Human Disease

  • Fellowships provide full stipend and fringe benefits for one year to GSBS students whose proposed research is in the broad field of the genetics of human disease.
  • Applicants must be recently advanced, or within 1 semester be advanced, to Ph.D. candidacy
  • The recipient of this Fellowship is eligible to have his/her advisor supplement this Fellowship up to 130% of the GSBS Graduate Research Assistantship.
  • Recipients of this fellowship are asked to acknowledge this award on publications resulting from work done, all or in part, during the year of the award.
  • Application cover sheet and instructions
  • Current Award Recipient:
    • Catherine Spellicy
    • Christina Papke
    • Dong-Joo Cheon

Schissler Foundation M.D. Anderson Cancer Center Fellowship

  • This full Fellowship with benefits is awarded to a GSBS Ph.D. or M.D./Ph.D. student whose research is being conducted at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center.
  • Students must have recently (within the last academic year) advanced to Ph.D. candidacy or be advanced to candidacy within one semester.
  • Students must be conducting research that is directed towards a cure for some type of cancer.
  • The recipient of this Fellowship is eligible to have his/her advisor supplement this Fellowship up to 130% of the GSBS Graduate Research Assistantship.
  • Recipients of this fellowship are asked to acknowledge this award on publications resulting from work done, all or in part, during the year of the award.
  • Application cover sheet and instructions
  • Current Award Recipient:
    • Adam Riegel

Sowell-Huggins Scholarships

  • A $3,000 Scholarship supplementing the standard GRA assistantship awarded to a GSBS student.
  • Applicants must have recently advanced to Ph.D. candidacy and must be conducting cancer related research as part of the applicant's degree program.
  • One recipient of this Scholarship is designated the Sylvan Rodriguez/Cancer Answers Award Scholar. This honor is bestowed upon the student who, besides scientifically qualifying for the
    Scholarship, also best exemplifies the qualities of the late Sylvan Rodriguez, a beloved Houston journalist, well known for his community spirit.
  • Application cover sheet and instructions
  • Current Award Recipients:
    • Taichun Qin
    • Jheri Dupart
    • Hsu-Ping Kuo
    • Brian Grabiner
  • Sylvan Rodriguez/Cancer Answers Award Scholar
    • Claudia Miller

Sowell-Huggins Professorship and Graduate Fellowship in Cancer Research

  • A novel recognition that is awarded to both a GSBS student and his/her supervisory professor
  • The Sowell-Huggins Graduate Fellow receives a full stipend (plus fringe benefits), which may be renewed for up to three years. This Fellow is eligible to have his/her advisor supplement this
    Fellowship up to 130% of the GSBS Graduate Research Assistantship
  • Award is based on the academic performance of the student, the quality of his/her research proposal, and his/her potential for future contributions in the area of cancer research; plus the
    overall contributions of the student's supervisory professor to the area of cancer research and to graduate education at the GSBS
  • Student must be advanced to Ph.D. candidacy
  • Faculty advisor must hold a Regular appointment on the GSBS faculty and must have directed at least two GSBS students to their Ph.D. degree
  • Recipients of this Fellowship acknowledge this award on publications resulting from work done, all or in part, during the year of the award.
  • Joint application must be filed by the student and advisor
  • Application instructions
  • Current Award Recipients:
    • 2007-2008: Nicole Bohnenstiehl Pinaire & Timothy J. McDonnell, M.D., Ph.D.
    • 2005-2006: Jing Zhang & Gary Gallick, Ph.D.
    • 2002-2004: Yovnne Evrard & Sharon Dent, Ph.D.
    • 2001-2002: Jane Shi & William Plunkett, Ph.D.

The T. C. Hsu Endowed Memorial Scholarship

  • This award of $6,000 recognizes a GSBS graduate student whose graduate studies and research are in the area of genetics or cell biology.
  • The Scholarship was established in 2004 in memory of Dr. T. C. Hsu who was a renowned scientist, leader in cytogenetics, and a long time member of the GSBS faculty.
  • Applicants must be a GSBS student in good academic standing and must be advanced to Ph.D. candidacy
  • Application coversheet and instructions
  • Current Award Recipients:
    • Brian Grabiner

Marilyn and Frederick R. Lummis, Jr., M.D., Fellowship in the Biomedical Sciences

  • This $25,000 Award is for a post-candidacy Ph.D. GSBS student in good academic standing with at least one year remaining to complete the dissertation.
  • Intended to support novel research with a high impact potential in the discipline of study and ultimately human health.
  • The primary selection criteria are scientific excellence and innovation in any area of biomedical research.
  • Applicants must be nominated by their program or the Office of Academic Affairs, if not a member of a GSBS Program.
  • Please contact Dr. Thomas J. Goka for more information.
  • Current Award Recipients:
    • Dunyaporn Trachootham

Michael Farley Moyers Heavy Particle Therapy Graduate Student Travel Endowed Award

  • This is a $500 Award to be applied towards travel to AAPM for a GSBS student in the Program in Medical Physics
  • Student must submit a presentation to the Young Investigator’s Symposium at the AAPM meeting
  • Presentation should concern the treatment of patients with a particle heavier than an electron
  • For more information, contact Georgeanne Moore (713-563-2548)

William A. and Madelyn Welder Smith Foundation Fellowship

  • The Smiths have provided this Fellowship to encourage and to reward GSBS doctoral students who conduct research with stem cells
  • This Fellowship pays the first $10,000 of the graduate assistantship; the recipient's advisor will supplement this Fellowship to ensure that the recipient receives a total amount at least equal to the amount of the standard GSBS Graduate Research Assistantship.
  • Applicants must be GSBS pre-doctoral students in good academic standing who will be taking their candidacy exam during the academic year that this Fellowship is being offered.
  • Please contact Dr. Thomas J. Goka for more information.
  • Current Award Recipients:
    • Brandi Baird

Training Grants (top)

Positions may be available on training grants in the areas listed below. Requests for funding are usually made by a faculty member of the training grant on behalf of a student. For more information, contact the director of the training grant.

Current MDACC Training Grants:

  • Training Program in Molecular Genetics of Cancer (2009)
    Guillermina Lozano, Ph.D., Department of Molecular Genetics

  • Medical Physics Training Grant for Image-Guided Therapy Research (2011)
    Edward F. Jackson, Ph.D., Imaging Physics

  • Cancer Immunology
    Brad McIntyre, Ph.D., Department of Immunology
    Grant Program Coordinator: Cheryl Thompson, 713-563-3207

  • Molecular Basis of Differentiation and Development (2012)
    William H. Klein, Ph.D., Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
    Administrative Coordinator: Ruby Desiderio 713-834-6276

  • Education Program in Cancer Prevention (2008)
    Robert M. Chamberlain, PhD
    Shine Chang, PhD
    www.CancerPreventionTraining.org
  • Cancer Prevention Education: Student Research Experiences (2008)
    Robert M. Chamberlain, PhD

Current HSC Training Grants:

  • Training in Neuroscience (2008)
    M. Neal Waxham, Ph.D., Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy, Medical School
    Administrative: Danita Gallegos, 713-500-5193, MSB 7.250
  • Houston Area Vision Training Program (2010)
    Steve Massey, Ph.D., Department of Ophthalmology, Medical School
    Administrator: Fredi Bleeker, 713-500-6005, MSB 7.024
  • Molecular Basis of Infectious Disease (2010)
    Steven Norris, Ph.D., Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Medical School
  • Center for Clinical and Translational Sciences [CCTS] (2011)
    George M. Stancel, Ph.D., Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences
    Administrator: TBA, 713-500-9874, BSRB S3.8408
  • Training in Pharmacoinformatics (2009)
    George M. Stancel, Ph.D., Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences
    Administrator: TBA, 713-500-9874, BSRB S3.8408
  • The University of Texas Training Program in Craniofacial-Oral Biology Research that is Comprehensive and Integrated with the Health Science Center at Houston [UT-TORCH] (2008)
    George M. Stancel, Ph.D., Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences
    Administrator: Krystal Toups, 713-500-4362, DBB 4.133

Teaching Assistantships (top)

The GSBS provides its students the opportunity to obtain teaching experience in a collegiate or graduate academic setting by offering Teaching Assistantships (TAs).

Eligibility:

  • Must be a GSBS degree seeking student in good academic standing

  • Must have completed a minimum of 18 graduate semester hours in biomedical sciences (or have a master’s in biomedical sciences plus have completed a minimum of 1 year at GSBS)

  • Must have passed the course, or an acceptable equivalent, in which you will teach

  • Must have approval of your advisor

Two types of TA positions are available:

  1. GSBS TAs: Teaching opportunities are available in graduate GSBS courses which could be considered introductory and have been approved by the Curriculum Committee. Students who are awarded Teaching Assistantships will have the opportunity to assist a faculty member in preparing for, and teaching in, a graduate level GSBS course. A limited number of GSBS-funded Teaching Assistant positions are available each semester of the academic curriculum. Course directors may apply for a TA the semester preceding the offering of their course. Applications are reviewed by the GSBS Curriculum Committee. Course directors will select a TA for their course and will be responsible for training and evaluation of the TA throughout the course. Applications and further information may be obtained from Dean Goka at 713-500-9868 or Thomas.J.Goka@uth.tmc.edu.

  2. UH-D TAs: The University of Houston-Downtown Teaching Mentorship Program offers Teaching Assistantships for the Fall and Spring semesters. The Teaching Mentorship Program allows GSBS students to serve as TAs in an undergraduate course in the Department of Natural Sciences at UH-D. [Information on the UH-D faculty and courses can be obtained from their Web site at http://www.uhd.edu/academic/colleges/sciences/naturalscience/.]

Students selected for this Program will be appointed for one semester. The Teaching Mentorship Program will provide GSBS students the opportunity to gain valuable experience in undergraduate teaching under the guidance of outstanding educators at UH-D. TAs selected for this program will receive instructions on teaching and evaluation of their teaching throughout the semester. Further information and applications may be obtained from Dean Goka at 713-500-9868 or Thomas.J.Goka@uth.tmc.edu.

Internships (top)

The GSBS encourages and supports internship programs for its students. In the past GSBS students have been able to participate in internships in Patent Law; Comparative Health Care and Research; Public Health and Homeland Security; and Communications and Public Affairs. Students who are in good academic standing and post-candidacy in their respective GSBS degree program, with approval and support of their advisor, may seek to have an internship. At this time there is only one established internship, Internship in Communications and Public Affairs, which is described below. Students and their advisors are welcome to establish other internships and should contact Dean Goka for guidance.

Internship in Communications and Public Affairs

The UT Health Science Center Office of Public Affairs and the GSBS will offer a one semester Internship in Communications and Public Affairs. The intern will assist the Public Affairs Offices of the Health Science Center and Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences with background research and the preparation of material for press releases, internal and external publications, web site information, and various other communications and media materials. The intern may also function in part as a liaison between public affairs offices and other units of the Health Science Center and/or component schools.

The internship is intended for students interested in gaining perspective on possible careers such as scientific writing, technical advising, or related activities in biomedical administration. This is a half-time position (10-20 hours per week), and the intern is expected to continue to make substantial progress in his/her thesis/dissertation research. The intern is expected to maintain full time student status and must therefore register for at least nine hours of combined thesis/dissertation research and special projects to be determined by the student’s advisor and Assistant Dean Tom Goka.

Candidates must be in good academic standing, have successfully passed candidacy, and have the approval of their advisor. A full stipend (including fringe benefits) will be provided by the GSBS during the semester of the internship. Applicants must possess excellent written and oral communications skills and a genuine interest in learning about one of the careers noted above. Interested students should contact Dr. Goka, Assistant Dean, for further information.

Travel Awards (top)

Each year GSBS provides funding to help students defray the costs of attending scientific meetings. These Travel Awards, approved by the Student Affairs Committee, are in the following amounts:

  • M.S. & pre-candidacy Ph.D. students - $350
  • Post-candidacy Ph.D. students -- $500

The Student Affairs Committee considers the following criteria when reviewing a request for travel funds:

  1. The student has completed the Application for Student Travel Award and has submitted the Application and Abstract at least four weeks before requested travel date.

  2. The student must be first-author of a presentation (talk or poster) at a regional, national or international meeting.*
    or
  3. The student has been invited to attend a prestigious meeting, e.g., a Gordon Conference.

  4. The student must be in good academic standing.

  5. The student must not have received travel funding from the Student Affairs Committee during the current academic year.

*Students are encouraged to submit the Travel Award Application as soon as possible, even if acceptance of abstract is pending. Air fare and/or registration fees can be prepaid upon acceptance of abstract.

Please note that in order to receive the money awarded, the student must give accurate departure/return dates and times to GSBS before leaving on the trip, and the student must bring original receipts and a copy of the cover of the event's brochure to GSBS after the trip.

External Funding Opportunities (top)

These fellowships are intended for students at or near the beginning of their graduate study. Contact Dr. Thomas J. Goka (Thomas.J.Goka@uth.tmc.edu; 713-500-9868) for application information and deadlines.

  • The National Science Foundation. These are three-year graduate research fellowships in science, mathematics, and engineering. Fellowships are awarded for graduate study leading to research-based master's or doctoral degrees in the mathematical, physical, biological, engineering, and behavioral and social sciences, including the history of science and the philosophy of science, and to research-based Ph.D. degrees in science education. Applicants must be U.S. citizens or nationals, or permanent resident aliens of the United States. College seniors, first-year graduate students, and others who have completed a limited amount of graduate study in science, mathematics, or engineering are eligible to apply.

  • Ford Foundation. These fellowships are awarded to those individuals, who in the judgment of the review panels, have demonstrated superior scholarship and show the greatest promise for future achievement as scholars, researchers, and teachers in institutions of higher education. Applicants must be U.S. citizens and a member of an under-represented minority as defined by the Foundation. The award includes a stipend plus tuition and fee allowance for up to three years and expenses paid for three Ford Fellows Conferences, held each fall.

  • Individual National Research Service Awards (Predoctoral Fellowships). These fellowships were created by the Congress of the United States to help ensure highly trained scientists would be available in adequate numbers in appropriate research areas to carry out the nation’s biomedical research agenda. Some specialized individual fellowships are available in Mental Health, Underrepresented Ethnic Minority, Cancer Biology, and Neurobiology. Students must be U.S. citizens and in good academic standing.

  • Fulbright Program for U.S. Students. Sponsored by the U.S. Department of State, this program provides U.S. graduate students the opportunity to conduct a portion of their studies/research internationally. Grants are awarded to support one academic year of study/research abroad. To be eligible applicants must be U.S. citizens with a baccalaureate degree, in good health, and proficient in the written/spoken language of the intended host country. The Fulbright Program Advisor for the Health Science Center is Dr. Thomas J. Goka. Contact Dr. Goka for more information.

Long-term Student Loans (top)

Regular, long-term student loans are available through the UT-Houston Student Financial Aid Office, located on the 22nd floor of the University Center Tower at 7000 Fannin. All applications for student loans are processed through this office. Application forms for student loans may be obtained from the Student Financial Aid Office (713-500-3860) or at the GSBS reception desk.

Emergency Loan Funds (top)

GSBS students may receive short-term (120 day) interest-free loans up to $750 from the Jason Roy Beach, Jeannie B. Arnold, or Mary Beth Macek Funds. Call the Office of Academic Affairs (713-500-9870) for more information.

 

 Search GSBS