The CMB-Graduate Assistance in Areas of National Need (CMB-GAANN) Training Grant from the United States Department of Education supports fellows who are CMB students seeking training in teaching to complement their research. Applications from potential fellows are now being solicited to fill these slots.

The goal of the CMB-GAANN Program is to train the next generation of scientific leaders and educators to address the national need for doctoral-level training in cell and molecular biology research and teaching. The CMB-GAANN Program will expand and diversify the CMB Program’s highly meritorious research training program with a supervised, inclusive, and evaluated experience in teaching pedagogy for highly qualified individuals who are eligible to receive federal financial aid (FAFSA-eligible), and will strive to target students from underrepresented minority populations.

CMB-GAAANN Fellows will be supported for up to three years, and will receive tuition, health insurance, and a stipend up to the cost of attendance.  The balance of costs required to cover the $32,000/year CMB student stipend will come from Departmental or College funds of the Fellow's dissertation advisor.

In addition to actively pursuing all aspects of productively progressing towards the doctoral degree requirements of the CMB Program, CMB-GAANN fellows will simultaneously engage in the intensive programming of the UVM Center for Teaching and Learning’s Graduate Teaching Program to become effective teachers. Therein, CMB-GAANN fellows will 1) learn strategies and best practices to teach a wide variety of students in the disciplines of cell and molecular biology; and 2) engage a supportive community encouraging professional development and receive support for preparing their individualized teaching portfolio.

Student eligibility requirements include:

• Be a full-time UVM PhD candidate in good standing enrolled in the Cellular, Molecular, and Biomedical Sciences (CMB) graduate program.
• Have successfully completed two semesters of TAing.
• Be a US Citizen, noncitizen national of the US, or have been lawfully admitted for permanent US residence.
• Demonstrate financial need.
• Are planning a career in teaching and/or research.

Required application materials include:

• Cover letter briefly describing the research project on which the trainee will work, the funding available to support the project, the names of dissertation committee members, and the trainee’s motivation for engaging in an intensive teaching experience to complement research training.
• Trainee CV or NIH Biosketch.
• Trainee graduate transcript(s) or documentation of courses and grades from the graduate program office.
• Trainee CMB Annual Student Progress Report Form.
• A completed FAFSA , as the GAANN Fellowship awards may not exceed demonstrated financial need.
• A letter from the dissertation research advisor endorsing the trainee’s investment of time into completing the program offered by UVM’s Graduate Teaching Program.
• A completed  CMB-GAANN / Graduate Teaching Program Questionnaire.
• A completed CMB-GAANN Diversity Questionnaire.

The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) will be used to determine financial need for this fellowship. Submit the FAFSA at www.fafsa.gov:

• Select University of Vermont and State Agricultural College (Federal school code 003696) as the school to which your FAFSA will be sent.
• As a post-bachelor’s degree student, parental information is not required, and it is recommended that you do not enter parental information.
• File the FAFSA for the academic year during which you will begin your fellowship (the 23-24 academic year encompasses Fall 2023, Spring 2024, and Summer 2024).
• If offered the option to use the data retrieval process to connect your tax information to your FAFSA, we recommend that you select this option. This ensures accuracy of data and simplifies the process.

Competitive applications will demonstrate a strong record of high-caliber academic performance, a clearly conveyed research plan, available operating funds for the research proposed, motivation to incorporate science teaching into the trainee’s career, and relevance to the goals and requirements of GAANN Program.

For questions about the GAANN Fellows and support with the application processes, please contact Matt Poynter, CMB-GAANN Director: matthew.poynter@uvm.edu

CMB-GAANN Fellowship applications will be considered on rolling basis, but to be considered for a Fall 2023 start, please apply by July 1, 2023.

Application packets should be submitted electronically as a PDF to Matt Poynter, CMB-GAANN Director: matthew.poynter@uvm.edu

Applications will be evaluated and select applicants may be invited to in-person or online interviews on an ongoing basis until suitable fellows are identified.