We invite applications in any research area of brain science. Applicants must have chosen their dissertation advisor, passed their qualifying examinations and advanced to candidacy for the Ph.D. 

International students are eligible to apply. 

We accept applications from all Brown University graduate students in brain science, including those with external funding. External funding includes, but is not limited to, individual fellowships and support through the Brown Graduate Partnership Program. Students supported by external funding will only be eligible for the $2,000 professional development component of the Carney Graduate Award. They should indicate this on the application form and complete the full application requirements. Any questions about what qualifies as external funding should contact the Carney Institute’s Associate Director of Training and Development, Kristin Webster. 

The deadline for applications is Monday, March 2, 2026, at 5 p.m. EST.

Applications will be accepted through UFunds. Search for “Carney Graduate Awards” – “Academic Year 2026/2027.” Applicants must complete the application form, including:

• Applicant information – The UFunds form will request the applicant’s name, graduate program, mentor’s name and department, and whether the student has an external source of support, such as a fellowship.
• Project – Upload a two-page pdf document describing the candidate’s research project. This document should be accessible to a general scientific audience. Please include a project title, relevance to brain science, specific goals, approach, progress to date, and anticipated progress during the fellowship year. Any figures or references must be included within the two-page limit. As a general guideline, applicants should allocate roughly one page to the full scope of their research project and one page to their specific plans for their 12 months as a Carney Graduate Awardee.
• CV – Upload a two-page pdf document including publications, abstracts, educational history and other professional experience.
• Contributions to Brown’s brain science community – Describe (400 word limit) how the candidate and their research will contribute to the collaborative environment at the Carney Institute. Examples include, but are not limited to: the nature of the research project itself (interdisciplinarity of the research, collaboration across fields, etc.), educational and outreach activities or efforts to create a more inclusive and welcoming brain science community.
• Contributions to mentoring  – Describe (400 word limit) the candidate’s experience and approach to mentoring less-experienced/more junior scientists.
• Career impact – Describe (400 word limit)  how the candidate envisions the impact of their research and career. Applicants should describe not simply what they will do (i.e. type of position) but how their work, regardless of sector, will benefit science and society. 

Applicants must also arrange for two letters of support to address the candidate’s academic record, scientific maturity and independence, and provide field-specific context for the applicant’s scientific productivity. Applicants should provide the email address and name of the recommenders through UFunds; a request will be sent to recommenders with a link to fill out a separate form and upload their letter. 

Faculty Mentors

• One-page statement of support, including source of funding for the candidate’s project (mentor funding levels will be considered only to the extent that they allow the candidate to perform their research).
• Assessment of the student’s productivity relative to other students at the same point in training in the same or similar field.
• The source of funding for student tuition (if the school applies tuition to internal awards). If the source of tuition funding is from the Graduate Program, also append a letter from the appropriate Director of Graduate Studies that the graduate program will cover the tuition fees.

Member of the student’s thesis or advisory committee at Brown University  

• One-page statement of support. 

Please note that following submission, we will contact directors of graduate studies to confirm that applicants are in good academic standing.

Responsive applications will be evaluated based on the following review criteria:

• Scientific merit (Project)
• Research productivity and independence (CV and letters of support) . This could include, for example, number and quality of papers and presentations, generation of shared datasets and research tools, evidence of intellectual contribution to the applicant’s own project as well as other projects in the laboratory.
• Potential contributions to the Carney community
• Potential contributions to mentoring
• Independence and scientific vision (career impact and letters of support)

Reviewers will be asked to review and score each candidate according to the evaluation criteria, as well as provide an overall ranking. Final rankings and funding decisions will be based on a holistic assessment of the student’s scientific accomplishments and future career potential, rather than a sum of scores of the individual criteria. Where appropriate, we will also consider how applications meet the goals and purposes stipulated for specific funds that support Carney graduate awards.

Questions?

Questions about the Graduate Awards in Brain Science should be directed to Kristin Webster, Associate Director of Training & Development at the Carney Institute.