NIH award data PhD Postdoc Lab/Bench Research United States PhD/Postdoc Vacancy (Funded Position)
Initiative for Maximizing Student Development (IMSD) (T32) at Rutgers University-Newark National Institutes of Health (NIH) — RUTGERS THE STATE UNIV OF NJ NEWARK
Last verified Jul 27, 2026
PROJECT SUMMARY
The mission of the proposed IMSD Program is to increase the number of PhDs underrepresented
in the diverse fields of Biology, Chemistry, Earth and Environmental Sciences, Neuroscience and
Psychology who will proceed to postdoctoral research fellowships/positions, on a trajectory to
enter the biomedical/behavioral research workforce. To accomplish this goal, our main program
objectives are: 1) to foster in each of our IMSD trainees, efficacy in their chosen specialty, self-
identification as a research scientist, and the self-confidence that they are integral, contributing
members of their scientific community; 2) to develop our trainees’ technical and professional skills
required to conduct research in an ethically responsible and rigorous manner; 3) to provide
didactic, research, mentoring, and career development elements in preparation for a
biomedical/behavioral research career; 4) to promote our trainees’ timely fulfillment of the
institutional requirements for the Ph.D.; 5) to foster and facilitate every IMSD trainees’
appointment to a postdoctoral or scientific position in their specialty. The rationale for the current
proposal is to build on the success of our prior IMSD/G-RISE training programs (33 PhDs in the
last 15 years) and establish a new IMSD program that will seek to enrich and broaden training
opportunities and diverse representation in biomedical sciences. A total of 10 students, primarily
in their first years of graduate training, will be recruited from a broad pool of candidates. The
following key activities comprise part of the design of the proposed IMSD Program: 1) Research
Communication Workshop to develop the trainees’ skills in communicating their scientific
research to a multidisciplinary audience, 2) Fellowship Writing Workshop to foster a knowledge
base to develop a fellowship application, 3) Research Career Preparation seminar series and 4)
Responsible Conduct of Research and Research Reproducibility seminar series. A mentor-
training component is included in the proposed IMSD program with a balance between
established and early career investigators. The proposed program measurable outcomes are:
1) Earning the PhD degree; 2) Applying for at least one predoctoral fellowship, 3) Successfully
vying for a postdoctoral position or related biomedical position by the completion of the doctorate.
Taken together, the proposed IMSD Program will continue the development of a successful
training program aimed at fostering the entrance of the trainees into fields of
behavioral/biomedical research in which they have been traditionally underrepresented.
