Financial Support & Funding Opportunities

The Division of M&I does not require students to obtain individual fellowships. However, students are required to apply for support from extramural agencies as part of their training on the program, and to help establish themselves as future independent investigators. 

Training Grants

The Division of Microbiology & Immunology offers 3 NIH funded T32 training grants to support pre-and postdoctoral students:

Immunology, Infectious Disease and Inflammation (3i) T32 Training Grant (3iTG)

The Immunology, Infectious Disease and Inflammation (3i) Training Grant (3iTG) provides support for up to four graduate trainees, with new applications solicited annually. Some of the features of the training program include support for mentored research, a clinical immunology rotation at ARUP, training in data analysis and publishing, grant writing and career planning, mentored preparation and submission of F award proposal or equivalent, yearly presentation of data to the immunology community and partial support for travel to scientific meetings to present research findings. Applications in all areas of immunology, including inflammation, host responses to pathogens, innate and adaptive immunity, tumor immunology, transplant immunology, autoimmunity, etc., are considered. For information regarding the training program, and instructions on how to apply, please visit the 3iTG program website.

Microbial Pathogenesis T32 Training Grant

Microbial Pathogenesis lies at the crossroads of Microbiology, Immunology, Infectious Diseases, and Host Defense. The Microbial Pathogenesis Training Program serves as a platform for integrated training of predoctoral and postdoctoral trainees by bringing together basic scientists and clinician scientists for the exchange of ideas and enhancement of research goals and training at the University of Utah. This program is funded by the National Institute of Allergy and Immunology of the NIH, and supports three pre-doctoral and three post-doctoral trainees working on projects in the area of microbial pathogenesis. Key components of the Training Program include the Microbial Pathogenesis Seminar Series, the Annual Microbial Pathogenesis Retreat, the Summer Journal Club, the Clinical-Microbiology Combined Conference, and advanced courses in Bacterial Pathogenesis, Viral Pathogenesis, and Immunology. Trainees have many opportunities to interact with visiting researchers and others who work in areas related to microbial pathogenesis, engaging distinguished experts both within and outside of academia. Trainees also present their research informally to small peer groups and more broadly to the microbial pathogenesis community on campus and external scientists at the annual retreat. The interactions among basic and clinician scientists in our seminar series, annual retreat, and summer journal club provide unique opportunities for trainees to experience the clinician’s perspective on new scientific discoveries. For additional information, please see Microbial Pathogenesis T32 Training Grant website.

Neuroimmunology T32 Training Grant

Neuroimmunology is a rapidly growing field of research that touches a number of critical human diseases including multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, spinal cord injury, and viral encephalopathies. Traditionally, researchers have been trained in either neuroscience or immunology, however, the Neuroimmunology Training Program at the University of Utah seeks to develop and train the next generation of researchers in both fields with a cross-disciplinary approach focused on the interplay between the immune and nervous systems during disease. This program is built upon ongoing collaborations between high caliber faculty on campus who recognize the need to develop a training program specific to the challenges of neuroimmunology. This program supports 4 pre-doctoral trainees selected from an outstanding pool of candidates within our relevant graduate programs. The Neuroimmunology Training Program at the University of Utah brings together 16 faculty members from across the neuroimmunology research spectrum to participate in mentorship, program-wide meetings, workshops, and boot camps to share expertise and contribute to the development of trainees in the neuroimmunology field. The training program is overseen by two faculty directors, Drs. Ryan O’Connell and Karen Wilcox, and a steering committee focused on selecting and supporting trainees who are highly likely to exhibit continued success within the diverse field of neuroimmunology research. Selected trainees will be expected to participate in specialized training in quantitative literacy, statistical analysis, and scientific rigor and reproducibility within the context of neuroimmunology research. Given the exceptional training track record of our faculty, unique existing resources to support research and robust institutional support, the Neuroimmunology Training Grant (NITG) has the goals of providing resources and opportunities for trainees to develop intellectually, advance and optimize their thesis research projects, create a valuable network of relevant colleagues, and prepare for a highly successful research career focused on the crossroads of immunology and neuroscience. Please contact Ryan O’Connell or Karen Wilcox if you have questions.

Student Awards

James W. Prahl Memorial Award

This award is presented annually to the outstanding PhD candidates in biological or biomedical sciences at the University of Utah. Applications are accepted each year in February. Students will receive a plaque and honorarium of $1,000 presented at the School of Medicine Awards Ceremony.

John H. Weis Memorial Graduate Student Award

This award will recognize outstanding graduate achievement by a PhD or MD student.  It will provide either stipend support for research, or travel awards to support student participation in a scientific meeting or course.