Graduate Studies at The University of New Mexico recently secured two nomination slots for the 2023 HHMI Gilliam Fellowship for Advanced Study competition. The university is eligible to nominate two advisor-student pairs to apply for the prestigious award.
“The Gilliam is a unique fellowship,” said acting dean Jesse Alemán. “it supports the faculty advisor and the doctoral student as a pair, and it foregrounds diversity, inclusion, and excellence in doctoral scientific learning. The fact that it provides up to three years of dissertation support further strengthens the student-faculty advising relationship to ensure academic success.”
Fellows receive an annual stipend of $36,000 and a $4,000 allowance for professional development, while advisors are awarded $3,000 to support diversity and inclusion efforts. The fellowship also provides $10,000 of institutional support to defray tuition, fees, and related costs.
Advisor-student pairs must be studying scientific problems in biomedical sciences, life sciences, and biological questions in related disciplines. Also, students must be from traditionally underrepresented minority groups in the sciences, including students with recognized disabilities, and must be in their second or third year of a qualifying PhD program. Full criteria for the fellowship can be found at the HHMI Gilliam Fellowship for Advanced Study site.
There is a multi-part application process that begins with an internal, limited selection of qualifying UNM advisor-student pairs, who are then advanced to compete at the national level. The internal application window for UNM nominees is now open.
“In 2022, 51 Gilliam Fellowships were awarded to advisor-student pairs from institutions such as Duke, Brown, MIT, and Johns Hopkins, so this is an extremely competitive award, but the caliber of our faculty and the innovation of our graduate students, combined with UNM’s commitment to diversity in STEM fields, promise to put our nominees at the front of the pack,” Alemán said.
The deadline for advisor-student pairs to submit a nomination packet to Graduate Studies is Monday, September 12. Application details are here. More about the HHMI Gilliam Fellowship for Advanced Study can be found here.