The Kavli NDI Distinguished Doctoral Fellowship enables doctoral fellows at Johns Hopkins University to pursue cross-disciplinary research, aligned with the mission of the Kavli Neuroscience Discovery Institute (Kavli NDI), in neuroscience, engineering, and data science. 

We invite proposals for funding of up to $50,000 per year for two years. Awardees will also receive a one-time $10,000 project supplement and $1,500 per year over the course of the fellowship to attend conferences relevant to their project. Year 2 support is contingent on satisfactory progress, documented in a progress report due two months before the second year begins.  

Formatting Requirements

Proposal Materials

1. Applicant’s Biosketch, not to exceed five (5) pages, in accordance with NIH or NSF guidelines (for formatting assistance see http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sciencv/).

2. PI and Co-PI should include: 

• Each PI’s Biosketch, not to exceed five (5) pages, in accordance with NIH guidelines (for formatting assistance see http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sciencv/ ). 
• A brief, one-page statement summarizing each mentor’s qualifications and expertise, their contributions to the project, and how these skills will be integrated to provide co-mentorship of the applicant for the duration of the two-year fellowship. 
• Provide a 1-page mentorship plan explaining how the fellow, PI, and co-PI will integrate their research into a cohesive, cross-disciplinary team from project start through the fellowship. Specify concrete steps to create new synergies (such as the fellow’s participation in lab meetings), and the planned meeting frequency with each PI. 
• A list of each PI’s existing funding for research related to the proposed project, following the NIH format for description of “Other Support”. Project Title: Title reflecting the central concepts of the project, not to exceed 30 words. 

3. Project Title: Title reflecting the central concepts of the project, not to exceed 30 words. 

4. Lay Abstract: Provide a lay summary (300 words max) that is conceptually accessible to non-experts and highlights the proposed research’s potential impact. 

5. Project Description (5 pages maximum, including figures, not including references): This document must contain the following sections: 

• Background and Specific Aims: Briefly describe the project background, objectives, and the hypotheses or questions to be addressed, and conclude with a numbered list of Aims 
• Approach: Provide a clear description of the research design, measures, data analysis plan, and any preliminary data. 
• Significance: Briefly describe how the project addresses each evaluation criterion. Articulate its significance by identifying the critical barrier to progress in brain research (or otherwise explaining its importance) and explain how achieving the aims will advance scientific knowledge, technical capabilities, and/or practice. 

6. Project Timeline for Years 1 and 2: Include a brief project timeline that identifies major activities and their projected completion dates (e.g., experimental development, data analysis, manuscript submission). 

7. Letters of Reference (2): Two letters of reference must be submitted directly by referees through the application portal and should address the fellow’s suitability to undertake these studies. Letters must be from individuals other than the proposed mentors. 

Note that the Kavli NDI award must be used exclusively to support the salary of the awarded fellow