Application period for 2023 is now closed
History of Program and Donor
The Alper Fellowship in the Neurosciences was created in 2022 to recognize the 55th anniversary of Mark Alper joining the Department of Molecular and Cell Biology (MCB; known then as the Department of Biochemistry) and his teaching in MCB until his retirement. Through this fellowship, Mark and Christine Alper wish to support graduate students within the Neuroscience and MCB PhD Programs whose proposed research project involves basic research related to the causes and/or treatment of mental health conditions including major depression, anxiety, or closely related illnesses. The Alper Fellow will receive a stipend of $48,000/ year at the start of the fall semester of the third year of the Fellow’s PhD program and this may be renewed for up to 3 years.
Proposal Requirements
Interested students shall submit a two-page Proposal describing the proposed research, which will include a project summary, description of how that research, while fundamental, is likely to have an important impact on our understanding and/or treatment of mental health conditions listed above.
Applications should include the applicant’s CV. In addition, the student’s thesis mentor shall provide a letter of nomination of the student including a commitment to cover the cost of fees, benefits and overhead, if any.
Please include the Proposal, CV, and Letter of Nomination documents as a single PDF file on your application.
Send applications to neuroscience@berkeley.edu. Proposals should not be routed through SPO. Please submit as a single PDF and name the PDF as follows: Student “Last name_first name_Alper Fund_4 digit year.pdf”. Include a running header on the top right-hand corner of the PDF with the student’s last name, first name, PI, proposal title, and year. Please direct questions to neuroscience@berkeley.edu.
The following criteria should be met by the selected fellow:
- The fellow is enrolled in a program leading to the PhD degree in MCB or Neuroscience at UC Berkeley
- The fellow is entering the third year of graduate study in good standing at the start of the award year. Including completion of program milestones such as passing the qualifying exam, advancing to candidacy and submission of annual progress reports
- The fellow’s proposed research project directly involves basic studies exploring the underlying molecular and cellular mechanisms and the eventual treatment of mental health conditions such as major depression, anxiety, or closely related illnesses.
- The fellow, after a review of the design of the proposed project (concept quality and focus area alignment) and the quality of work in their PhD program during the first two years of residency, is deemed to be the most likely of those meeting criteria above to make a significant contribution to the fields outlined above.
Selection Committee and Process
The selection committee is composed of the director of HWNI and a panel of faculty selected from the HWNI membership. Faculty with students applying will not be involved in the selection process. The selection committee members are asked to rate the proposals based on a rubric created by HWNI which includes concept quality and focus area alignment. The committee members rate the proposals and then make a final recommendation to the director of HWNI for ultimate determination.
Reporting Requirements
The fellow shall submit to the HWNI director a progress report within a month after the end of the spring semester of the award. Explicit reference shall be made in the report to the impact the research had or is likely to have on the understanding and/or treatment of mental health conditions mentioned above. A copy of publications reporting this work will be included and should credit funding as “A.B. was supported by an Alper Fellowship in the Neurosciences”.
Timeline
- January 20, 2023- Call for proposals
- March 3, 2023- Applications due by 5pm
- May 26, 2023- Selection/ non-selection notification
- July 1, 2023- Fellowship start date
Recent Recipients
- 2023 - Odilia Lu