NIH-NHLBI Martha Vaughan Postdoctoral Fellowship

The NIH-NHLBI Martha Vaughan Fellowship celebrates the contributions of Dr. Martha Vaughan. She was a member of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) and had a distinguished mentorship career, including mentoring a Nobel laureate and working on the NAS Committee on Human Rights.

The NIH-NHLBI Vaughan Fellowship program is designed to prepare postdoctoral researchers to be future scientific leaders. Vaughan Fellows will have the opportunity to work with accomplished NHLBI Investigators, have access to the world-class research facilities of the NIH Intramural Research Program, and be supported by a comprehensive training and mentorship structure. NHLBI encourages applications from scientists from all backgrounds with expertise in all disciplines.

Participating Investigators

Why become a Vaughan fellow?

Competitive compensation

Starting stipend of the maximum NHLBI Intramural Postdoctoral stipend plus $10,000 per year and a one-time relocation supplement (up to $3000).

Stipend Ranges

Stable funding

The Vaughan program will support fellows for the duration of their postdoctoral training at NIH (up to 5 years).

Mentorship

Vaughan fellows will be advised by their primary mentors and a mentorship committee of their choosing, consisting of researchers from inside and outside NIH.

Continuing Education

To support the scientific growth of fellows, the Vaughan Fellowship provides tuition coverage for one Foundation for the Advancement of Education in Science course per year, along with NIH-funded access to many Coursera offerings.

Networking

Fellows will have the opportunity to invite external speakers to an annual Martha Vaughan Symposium and participate in an annual Fellows' retreat

Mentoring

Beginning in their 3rd year, Martha Vaughan Fellows will have the opportunity to apply for internal funding to support a postbaccalaureate mentee.

Programs and benefits provided by NHLBI to all postdoctoral fellows

Grant writing support: NHLBI and NIH offer programs that equip postdocs to write competitive fellowship and grant applications. Fellows will be supported as they apply for external and internal postdoctoral fellowships, including a dedicated K22 Career Transition Award for Intramural Postdoctoral Fellows and Trainees.

Job market preparation: NHLBI offers intensive training for those interested in pursuing careers on the scientific tenure track. This training includes feedback on their application packages, job talks, and chalk talks from senior members of NHLBI with extensive track records of former fellows initiating independent labs.

Research support: Generous laboratory operating budgets and access to state-of-the-art core facilities support the cutting-edge research performed at NHLBI.

Computational resources: Government-furnished desktops, laptops and tablets will be provided. All Fellows have access to Biowulf, one of the largest biomedical research-focused supercomputing systems in the world.

Travel: Funding will be provided to attend at least one national or international conference per year.

Science at NHLBI: molecules to patients

Former Scientific Director Bob Balaban discusses research in the intramural program.

Meet NIH Postdoctoral Fellow: Foster Osai Baah

In this video, Postdoctoral Fellow Foster Osai Baah talks about his research and mentorship at NHLBI