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2012 Postdoctoral Research Fellowship Award

The American Liver Foundation Postdoctoral Research Fellowship Award encourages the career development of individuals with research potential who require additional research training and experience. The award supports investigational work related to liver physiology and disease in order to prepare the recipient for a career in independent research.

The Postdoctoral Research Fellowship Award is a one year award to supplement NIH or non-federal fellowship stipends and will not be awarded to an applicant who has no other source of research salary support.

Eligibility
Terms of Award and Requirements
> Funding
> Institutional/Requirements
> Publications
> Reports
Preparing Your Application
> Checklist
Submitting Your Application
Frequently Asked Questions
Application Form

ELIGIBILITY

Applicants must meet the following guidelines in order to be eligible for an American Liver Foundation Postdoctoral Research Fellowship Award:

• Applicant must be sponsored by a public or private non-profit institution accredited in the United States, Canada or Mexico engaged in health care and health-related research.

• Applicant must be in his/her first or second year of his/her first Postdoctoral Research Fellowship at the time of application. Individuals with more than two years of postdoctoral research training are ineligible.

• Applicant must be an AASLD member in good standing by the award start date and maintain active membership for the duration of the award period (July 1, 2012 – June 30, 2013). If applicant is not a member at the time of application, a membership application must be submitted with application.

• Applicant must be sponsored by a research mentor. The mentor must be an AASLD member in good standing at the time of application and maintain active membership for the duration of the award period (July 1, 2012 – June 30, 2013). If mentor is not a member at the time of application, a membership application must be submitted separately by December 1.

• Co-mentors who are not AASLD members are encouraged to obtain membership.

• Applicant may only apply for one award or fellowship offered by ALF and AASLD per year.

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TERMS OF AWARD AND REQUIREMENTS

Funding

• Funding is provided in the amount of $12,500 for one year.

• Funding is a supplement to NIH or non-federal fellowship stipends.

• Funding is provided directly to the applicant, not the institution.

Institutional/Requirements

• Recipient is directly responsible to the sponsoring institution.

• Award cannot be transferred to another mentor or institution without prior written approval from American Liver Foundation.

• A maximum of one award will be made per mentor.

• Recipient will promptly notify ALF regarding any change in his/her status or sponsored research.

• Recipient will devote 50% or more of his/her time to the research project on which this application is based. Recipient may receive or provide research training and participate in teaching functions within the sponsoring institution, but may not undertake other substantial responsibilities during the award cycle.
  

Publications
It is required that ALF be acknowledged as “American Liver Foundation” in any scientific presentations or publications resulting from research performed during the ALF Postdoctoral Research Fellowship Award cycle. Please forward an electronic copy of each abstract, presentation, manuscript, publication and review to ALF.

Reports
At the conclusion of the award cycle the ALF Research Awards Program Final Scientific Report must be submitted to ALF by July 31. This report should consist of no more than two pages, written in lay language to the extent possible, and be signed by the mentor. It should contain a summary of the research performed during the award cycle, including actual results and their significance, as well as any pending or planned applications for additional research funding.

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PREPARING YOUR APPLICATION

Do not exceed page limits and assemble the application in the order described below and listed under Checklist. Include separate, typed pages for all additional information using ½ inch margins and 11 point Arial font. Put your name (last name, first name) in the upper right-hand corner of each page and clearly label each piece of additional information. Convert your completed application into a single PDF file and submit it online by December 1, 2011 at 5 PM Eastern Time, according “Submitting Your Application”. Applications that do not meet the requirements, in content or format, will not be reviewed. The application should contain the following sections:

• Applicant Information
  Use this as the face page for your application

• Summary and Abstract

• Biographical Sketch
  Provide a biographical sketch, including other support, using the current PHS 398 form for the applicant, mentor and any other key personnel

• Research Plan
  Prepare in this order: Specific Aims, Background and Significance, Preliminary Results, Research Design and Methods, and References. This section is restricted to five pages. Results of unpublished observations may be summarized using text, tables or figures and they must be included in the five-page limit. The reference section is not included in the five-page limit.

• Research Facilities
  The research environment must be described, including laboratory space, if applicable, consultants and technical (including computer) resources. Limit to one page.

• Institutional Review Board
  All human studies require IRB approval. IRB approval for the proposed research project may be supplied with the application, or applied for at the time of application and verification of approval sent to ALF by February 17, 2012. If IRB approval is not necessary or not attached, please state why. Limit to one page.

• Candidate’s Statement
  Describe the benefits of this award to your research career and the impact the research mentor will have on your research development. Limit to one page.

• Letters of Commitment from Department Head and Mentor
  A letter must be provided from the head of your department confirming that 50% of your time will be devoted to the research project on which this application is based. A letter of support from your mentor (if different from the department head) is also required, stating that he/she will be available to provide advice and guidance to you during the term of the award. Limit to one page each.

• Letters of Recommendation
  Two additional letters of recommendation attesting to your qualifications, commitment to research, and quality of scientific work must be submitted with the application. Limit to one page each.

• Signatures
  The "Signatures" page of this application must be completed and signed by the appropriate individuals and included in the award application.

• AASLD Membership
  A completed membership form must be submitted with the application if you are not a member at the time of application. Membership forms and information can be found at http://www.aasld.org/aboutus/Join/Pages/default.aspx.

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CHECKLIST

Make sure to double check your application before submitting it for consideration. Your complete application should include the following:

• Applicant Information

• Summary and Abstract

• Biographical Sketches

• Research Plan

• Research Facilities
  

• Institutional Review Board (if applicable)

• Candidate’s Statement

• Letters of Commitment

• Letters of Recommendation

• Required Signatures

• AASLD Membership (if applicable)

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SUBMITTING YOUR APPLICATION

Submit your completed application electronically no later than December 1, 2011 at 5 PM Eastern Standard Time.

• Completely fill out all forms.

• Collect all of your supplemental materials and assemble along with your application forms into a single PDF file (including all letters of recommendation). Your single PDF file must be smaller than 12 megabytes. For tips on how to reduce PDF file sizes, visit Adobe Acrobat's "Reduce PDF File Size" page.

• Go to https://liverresearchawards.org/postdocres/ (be sure to copy and paste the link exactly as shown).

• Enter your name and email address into the fields.

• In the "Institution" field enter the institution you are affiliated with.

• Click "Click here to upload files."

• Browse to your PDF document and upload the document.

• Click "Save."

• You will receive an email confirming our receipt of your application. If there was a problem with your upload a message will appear on the web page prompting you to try again.

• Contact us if there are any problems.

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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Question:
Are there any funding opportunities for pre-doctoral students at the American Liver Foundation?
Answer:
Currently there are no funding opportunities for pre-doctoral students.

Question:
Must my project focus on basic science? Can I submit a project focused on clinical studies?
Answer:
Either basic science, or clinical studies are eligible for funding.

Question:
My fellowship program is 3 year program but my second and third years are dedicated to research training. I am currently in my 3rd year of the program. Does this make me ineligible for the Postdoctoral Award?
Answer:
The amount of years of actual research training is counted, so you are still eligible.

Question:
One of our transplant doctors is interested in submitting for a Liver Scholar Award however his salary is already covered so he would like to hire a tech and purchase supplies instead of using the award solely for his salary support. Would that be acceptable?
Answer:
No, the Liver Scholar Award must be used for salary support only.

Question:
Can I apply for both a Liver Scholar Award and a Postdoctoral Research Fellowship Award?
Answer:
No, you must apply for one or the other.

Question:
I am a faculty member but my job title is Postdoctoral Associate. Prior to this appointment, I was a post-doctoral fellow for 2 years. Am I still eligible for a Liver Scholar Award?
Answer:
If you are a faculty member then you can apply. Clearly state in your commitment letter from your department chair that you have a faculty appointment.

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APPLICATION FORM

2012 Postdoctoral Research Fellowship Award Application 98.5KB

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Page updated: November 16th, 2011

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