Funding

Source: https://biology.mit.edu/postdoctoral/funding/ Parent: https://biology.mit.edu/

Types of Postdoctoral Researchers

A postdoctoral researcher, or “postdoc,” in our department is a scholar who holds a doctoral degree and is pursuing a program of research and training under the direction of one of our faculty members. We typically host more than 100 active postdocs, all appointed on the recommendation of a faculty sponsor.

Postdoctoral Associates receive salaries funded by research grants and are employed as academic staff sponsored by a faculty member.

Postdoctoral Fellows receive stipends funded by individual research fellowships for independent research and training. Depending on the terms of the fellowship, the stipend will either be paid directly by the agency or organization supplying the fellowship, or it will be funneled through MIT’s Payroll Office.

Transitioning from a Postdoc Associate to Fellow (or vice versa)

When transitioning between Fellow and Associate, there are several changes related to payroll, taxes, benefits, and costs to the scholar that come into play. To learn more about the process, contact the Department’s HR Office. You should request a new orientation from HR at the departmental level before you make this sort of transition in order to fully understand the changes that will take place.

Questions regarding individual fellowship or appointment conditions should be directed to the Biology Human Resources Administrator or the .

Fellowships and grants

Most frequently funded

• American Cancer Society
• The Burroughs Wellcome Fund **
• Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation **
• European Molecular Biology Organization **
• Helen Hay Whitney Foundation **
• Human Frontier Science Program
• Jane Coffin Childs Fund **
• Leukemia & Lymphoma Society **
• Life Sciences Research Foundation **
• National Institutes of Health **

Additional funding opportunities

• A.P. Gianinni Foundation – Open to US citizens or permanent residents
• Alexander Von Humboldt Foundation – Applicants must be from Germany
• American Association for Cancer Research **
• American Association for the Advancement of Science **
• American Association of University Women – Open to women scholars
• American Australian Association – Open to US citizens or permanent residents
• American Brain Tumor Association **
• American Diabetes Association **
• American Federation for Aging Research**
• American Lung Association **
• American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Fellowships – Open to US citizens
• American-Scandinavian Foundation – Open to US or Scandinavian citizens
• Arthritis Foundation**
• Binational Agricultural Research and Development Fund**
• British Council – Applicants must be US citizens**
• Cancer Research Institute, Irvington Postdoctoral Fellowship**
• Columbia University, the Earth Institute Postdoctoral Fellows Program **
• Cooley’s Anemia Foundation, Inc. **
• Council of American Overseas Research Center Fellowships for Advanced Multi-Country Research **
• Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists **
• Dystonia Medical Research Foundation **
• Emory University, Research and Science Teaching Fellowship **
• Epilepsy Foundation of America **
• Ford Foundation Diversity Postdoctoral Fellowships**
• Fox Chase Cancer Center **
• Fraxa Research Foundation **
• Fulbright Postdoctoral Scholar Awards/Core Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program – Open to US citizens
• German Academic Exchange Program **
• Grass Fellowship Program at the Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole, MA
• ​Japan Society for the Promotion of Science **
• John E. Fogarty International Center – Open to US citizens or permanent residents**
• L.S.B. Leakey Foundation General Research Grants **
• The Lady Davis Fellowship Trust/Hebrew University and the Technion – Israel Institute **
• Lane Fellows Program, Carnegie Mellon University **
• Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory **
• Leukemia and Lymphoma Society **
• Los Alamos National Laboratory**
• Michigan Society of Fellows**
• National Hemophilia Foundation **
• Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, Visiting Fellowships **
• Pasteur Foundation **
• Prevent Cancer Foundation **
• Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study Fellowship Program for Natural Scientists and Mathematicians
• Rand Postdoctoral Research Program In the Study of Aging
• Resources for the Future, Gilbert F. White Fellowship
• Rosalind Franklin Fellowships at the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences – Open to female researchers
• Royal Society USA Research Fellowships
• Sigma Delta Epsilon/Graduate Women In Science, SDE Fellowships – Open to women scientists
• Singapore National Research Foundation Research Fellowship
• Stanford Molecular Imaging Scholars Program
• Stanford University Medical School, Research Fellowship In Cardiovascular Disease Prevention
• STEM Future Faculty Fellowship, Northeastern University – Open to US citizens or permanent residents
• UC Global Health Institute University of California, GloCal Health Fellowship
• UCLA Center for Society and Genetics Postdoctoral Fellowship
• UNCF-Merck Postdoctoral Science Research Fellowships – Open to African American scholars
• United States-Israel Educational Foundation (USIEF), Fulbright Postdoctoral Fellowships
• University of California President’s Postdoctoral Fellowship Program
• University of Michigan National Center for Institutional Diversity (NCID) Postdoctoral Fellowship Program
• University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Carolina Postdoctoral Program for Faculty Diversity
• University of Pennsylvania, Postdoctoral Fellowships for Academic Diversity – Open to US citizens or permanent residents
• Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution

Other funding databases

• Cornell University Graduate School Fellowships Database
• UCLA Graduate and Postdoctoral Extramural Support Database

For additional information regarding fellowships, contact the BioFinance Office at 617-253-7924.

Getting Paid

If you receive a paycheck from MIT, you will paid twice-monthly, on the 15th of the month and on the last business day of the month by direct deposit to a US bank account. You will sign up for direct deposit at New Employee Orientation. Any Postdoc Fellow whose award does not come through MIT will be paid directly by their funders as per the stipulation of their award agreement.

You can learn more about payroll and benefits on the Office of the Vice President for Finance website.

Paid Time Off

As MIT employees, Postdoctoral Associates are eligible for paid time off. You can learn more about vacation and other staff benefits on the HR website. Postdoctoral Fellows are not employees and are not eligible for staff benefits.

Health Benefits

Postdoctoral Associates may be eligible for MIT-subsidized benefits depending on the length and the percent effort of the appointment. Please visit the Human Resources Benefits page for specific information regarding eligibility. You may also contact the department’s Human Resources Administrator in Headquarters, 68-132, 617-253-4701.

Postdoctoral Fellows qualify for the MIT Student Health Insurance Plan: MIT SHIP. More information about eligibility for MIT SHIP is available here. For more information contact 617-253-1322 or e-mail.

Travel Grants

All our postdocs have the opportunity to apply for funding to support travel. The process for obtaining grant funding varies:

Building 68

Postdocs working with a Biology faculty member in Building 68 may apply for financial assistance for professional conferences that enrich career development (including those outside your scope of current research). Support is intended to supplement other sources, such as fellowship or faculty funds, or provide assistance where no other support is available. Eligible expenses (up to $1,000) include transportation, accommodations, registration fee, and meals. You are eligible to apply for travel support for one conference/meeting during your tenure. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis.

To apply, submit an at least two weeks prior to travel. For more information, contact Aurora Carberry.

Koch Institute

Postdocs working with a Biology faculty member at the Koch Institute for Cancer Research have the opportunity to apply for a KI Research Travel Award that supports cancer-focused research and conference-related travel. A call for proposals is issued twice per year. For more information, contact Andreea O’Connell.

Whitehead Institute

Postdocs working with a Biology faculty member at the Whitehead Institute who obtain external fellowship funding to support their research will be provided with a Director’s Fellowship Allowance. For more information, contact Jeanine Sapere by phone (617-258-0818) or email in Whitehead’s Office of Sponsored Programs.