HHMI: Hanna H. Gray Fellows Program

The goal of the Hanna H. Gray Fellows Program is to reach, recruit, and retain individuals from the diverse talent pool of early career scientists in the United States. Through their successful careers, HHMI Hanna Gray Fellows will become leaders in academic research who inspire, train, and mentor future generations of scientists.

Since 2017, HHMI has held regular competitions to select Hanna Gray Fellows. In 2021, HHMI expanded our commitment to advance inclusion at key career stages in academic science . The Institute pledged to select up to 25 Hanna Gray Fellows annually for the next decade. Fellows receive funding to support their postdoctoral training and may continue to receive funding during their early career years as independent faculty. Each fellow participates in professional development, mentorship, and networking with their community of peers and the broader HHMI community of scientists across career stages.

In keeping with HHMI’s “people, not projects” philosophy, the Hanna H. Gray Fellows competition is open to those dedicated to basic research from both doctoral and/or medical training paths in the biomedical and life science disciplines, including plant biology, evolutionary biology, biophysics, chemical biology, biomedical engineering, and computational biology. Fellows have freedom to change their research focus and follow their own curiosity for the duration of the award.

The Hanna H. Gray Fellows Program honors the contributions of Hanna Holborn Gray, PhD, over her 28 years of service as a trustee of HHMI. A former chair of the trustees, she was one of the eight original trustees appointed in 1984 to govern the Institute. During her tenure, the Institute made significant changes to its process for selecting the scientists in which it invests, opening its doors to an ever-increasing pool of applicants.

Fellows will receive annual support of a $80,000 salary for the initial year and a $20,000 expense allowance, paid through a non-renewable grant to the training institution. This phase of the award is for a minimum of two and maximum of four years.

Fellows will receive $250,000 in research funding and a $20,000 expense allowance per year, paid through a non-renewable grant to the institution where they have attained a faculty position. This phase of the award has a maximum length of four years.

• Fellows in both postdoctoral training and faculty phases are required to devote at least 75% of their total effort to research.
• To transition to the faculty phase of the program, fellows must obtain a tenure-track (or equivalent) faculty position at a U.S. (including Puerto Rico) research institution with a doctoral-level graduate program in their area of interest.
• Fellows will be expected to attend an HHMI science meeting each year and provide an annual progress report.