Excellence in science depends on the development of scientists from all backgrounds. HHMI initiatives foster inclusive scientific environments where everyone can thrive.
The Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) is pleased to announce the 2025 Hanna H. Gray Fellows Program competition. The Hanna H. Gray Fellows Program is a transformational award for early career researchers who show exceptional promise of becoming outstanding leaders in academic science, making foundational discoveries while building an inclusive scientific culture. Through their successful careers, Hanna Gray Fellows will move science forward and will recruit, mentor, and inspire the next generation of scientists from all backgrounds.
Fellows receive funding for their postdoctoral training and during their early career years as independent faculty. Hanna Gray Fellows join the vibrant multigenerational HHMI community, where fellows learn with experts and each other how to build healthy research environments that are creative, bold, inclusive, and effective.
Competition Details
HHMI will select up to 25 fellows in the 2025 competition. Evaluation focuses on each applicant’s unique career path and scientific contributions, and what each person will bring to their role as a future leader of a scientific research lab.
The competition is open to basic researchers and physician-scientists in the basic biological and biomedical sciences in many scientific disciplines at hundreds of institutions. Following the “people, not projects” philosophy of HHMI, fellows have freedom to change their research focus and follow their own scientific curiosity for the duration of the award. No nomination is required.
Award amount: In total, fellows may receive up to $1.5 million over eight years.
Application Deadline: February 26, 2025 at 3:00 p.m. (ET). Mentor materials must be received by March 5, 2025.
Eligibility
You are eligible to apply if you:
- are a basic science researcher or physician-scientist in the biological and biomedical sciences in the many scientific disciplines that HHMI supports.
- have been accepted to join a laboratory as a postdoctoral researcher, led by a tenured or tenure-track faculty member at an eligible institution in the US, including Puerto Rico, at the time of the application deadline.
- will commit 75% of your total effort to research in a postdoctoral training position by the grant start date.
- will commit to a minimum of two years of postdoctoral training in this position after the grant start date.
- hold a PhD and/or MD (or equivalent), which is conferred by the start of the grant term.
- If your training institution for your graduate degree is located in the US, including Puerto Rico, you may be of any nationality.
- If your training institution for your graduate degree is not located in the US, you must be a US citizen or US national.
- have no more than 24 months of postdoctoral research experience by the application due date.
- If you are a PhD applicant, the date or anticipated date of conferral of your doctorate degree must be on or after February 26, 2023, and before January 15, 2026.
- If you are an MD or MD/PhD applicant in residency, clinical fellowship, or postdoctoral training you can have no more than 24 months of postdoctoral training by the application deadline on February 26, 2025.
How to apply
Submit your application: www.hhmi.org/2025-hgfellows-competition
The 2025 application includes the following components:
- A summary of your educational and research training record
- A description of your PhD research, including up to 3 selected research articles
- A questionnaire that we will send to your PhD advisor
- Narrative statements regarding y our motivation to become an academic researcher and to build an inclusive lab culture, and how your personal lived experiences relate to your values, priorities, and career goals
- Your postdoctoral research plan
- A questionnaire for you and your postdoctoral mentor about the training plan and training environment
- A curriculum vitae and lab census provided by your postdoctoral training mentor
Questions: fellows@hhmi.org
Learn more about the 2025 competition from the Hanna Gray Fellows team in these informational webinars.