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The Chu Family Foundation Scholarships
for Early Career Women in Science
–
Eligibility and Application

Applications are no longer being accepted for 2024.

The Chu Family Scholarships were initiated by The Chu Family Foundation (TCFF) and IS3NA to support the professional development of early-career level women with the potential for significant contribution in the field of nucleoside/tide and/or nucleic acid research by providing funds to attend a specialized workshop, visit/work in another laboratory to obtain new skills, take a course or acquire specialized training.

 

Up to three scholarships from The Chu Family Foundation (TCFF) will be given biannually to advance the careers of early career level women with potential for significant contributions in the field of Nucleosides/tides and/or Nucleic Acid Research. Each award will consist of a $3,000 stipend, a complimentary IS3NA membership and a commemorative plaque. The stipend must be used within a year of its award and the winners will be invited to receive their award at the next International Roundtable (IRT). As a result, the award should be used for both the proposed external training and attending the IRT. However, if the total cost exceeds the $3,000 limit, applicants are still eligible to apply for the IS3NA travel award funds. The funds are not meant, however, just to attend the IRT.

ELIGIBILITY

To be eligible to apply for The Chu Family Foundation (TCFF) award, the early career level woman scientist must currently be either a:

​

  • PhD seeking graduate student or

  • hold a doctoral degree and have no more than five years of cumulative postdoctoral experience

 

Applicants must currently be doing graduate (PhD) or postdoctoral (or the equivalent in industry) research in the field of nucleoside/tide and/or nucleic acid research and be a member of IS3NA.  A letter of support must be provided by a nominator, who may be the candidate’s research project director, Department Chair, or Center Director; the nominator must also be a current member of IS3NA.

 

The criteria for selection includes, but is not limited to:

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  • the level of interest in nucleoside/tide and/or nucleic acid research

  • the ability to do independent scientific work

  • the potential for a high level of scientific endeavor in nucleoside/tide and/or nucleic acid research

  • the extent of scientific accomplishments and scientific leadership/mentoring skills

APPLICATION PROCESS

All grant applications must be submitted electronically by April 15, 2024. Once submitted, nomination materials become the property of the Selection Committee and will not be returned. Winners will be selected by the Chu Family Award Selection Committee by May 15, 2024 and will be informed of their status by email. The winners are invited to attend the next International Roundtable (IRT) meeting to receive their award. (Note: winners are still eligible for IS3NA travel awards to attend the IRT)

Each candidate must submit:

  • A Candidate Statement that describes her academic accomplishments and future career goals. The candidate should include an explanation of how the planned use of the award (workshop, training, specialized course, external lab visit, etc.) will help her career. The length of the Statement may not exceed 2 pages, single spaced.

  • A Curriculum Vitae of any length.

  • A letter of support from the candidate’s research project director, Department Chair, or Center Director. Recommenders should describe how the planned use of the award (meeting, course, lab visit, etc.) will benefit the candidate's scientific and career development.

  • Any candidate who wishes to use the award money to visit another scientist's laboratory must also submit a letter from the head of the laboratory indicating that the proposed visit is permissible.

  • Any candidate who wishes to use the award money to attend a specialized course or workshop or course must provide a detailed description of the conference/course including the date, location, and other pertinent details, including a link to online information.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Candidates may apply more than one time but women who have previously won the award are not eligible for a second award. In addition, any candidate that has won a TCFF Scholarship from the International Society of Antiviral Research (ISAR) is ineligible to apply. In general, the career development activity should not be one for which the applicant's advisor is already funded. After completion of the training or course, etc., the recipient must provide a brief report of the work that was supported by the award to IS3NA. This report will then be sent to The Chu Family Foundation.

Questions? 
Contact us at info@i3na.org

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